GXR in 2016?

[pixelvandal]

well, i may be crazy, but i've just grabbed a great deal, on a gxr body, 28/50modules, and evf. my plan is to sell the 2 modules and but the M mount module and use it with the 12mm and 25mm voigtlander lenses that i have. that way when travelling and use of my bessa L i will have multiple focal length options. 12/18 and 25/37(ish).
Am i crazy? maybe, but the m9 is out of reach for me still, it might be nice to have a dedicated digital camera that plays nice with the super wide....
what would a decent resale price be for the A12 modules? i know they arent as desirable as they once were, but i've no idea what i should ask for them...

How many of you still dust out the ol GXR from time to time? i remember using one about 5 years ago and loved the feel of the body, not Leica quality, but VERY solid. so im very excited. I also tried a few of the wide angles on my old fuji xe1 (including the 35mm 2.5 pancake) and was less than impressed with the corner performance, so i stopped using them on digital. the GXR is supposed to be optimized with micro lenses etc etc so i'm hoping it plays nicer?

thanks all 🙂

 

[agfa100]

Ricoh GXR

Ricoh GXR

I still use mine, not as much as before I got my RX-1 but it does all right with the wide angle lenses. I use it with mostly a 50mm lens. Of course it's a bit slow but the files are fine.

wbill

 

[Gary Sandhu]

it's a nice camera. I have the 28 and 50 modules and you should keep and try them before deciding to sell - I like 'em.

 

[pixelvandal]

well, im planning a trip to new zealand in february, maybe ill take them along and see how they go before i decide to get rid of them 🙂

 

[vladimir]

I purchased GXR with A12 M mount module in 2011, as a backup for then M9 and boy was it handy as the M9 made several trips to Leica for repair. M9 was sold followed up by M9P, a year latter M9P was sold. In 2014 I purchased an M 240 and kept GXR as a backup to this day and have been using it from time to time with Leica M lenses. I have enjoyed using GXR, to this day zero problems with this baby; I wish the same could be said about Leica. As said before me do not sell other modules for the time being, I’ve sold 24-85 module and regretting it to this day.

 

[kuuan]

still using my GXR regularily. Indeed it is performing very well with rangefinder wide angle lenses. Once I compared the performance of my CV 4.5/15, 4/21 and 4/25 on GXR M and Sony A7 in APS-C crop mode (!) and the Ricoh clearly produced the better corners, they look uncompromised by the sensor.

it is a slow camera but good fun to use and a great performer.

 

[Lord Lucan]

Nice one. I havent seen a complete example offered.

 

[benji77]

I had so much fun with my GXR that I bought a 2nd unit with the 50mm. Unfortunately, this 50mm died on me about 3 weeks ago for no apparent reason. I am hoping to find someone to get it back to running speed.

one of the core strengths of the Ricoh (to me personally), is the software. It is an aspect of digital cameras that is highly underrated. People rave about sensors, compare their button layouts, materials and HDMI/SD slots etc, but rarely do they fuss over the software.

Play with the GXR and you will realise that it was designed for shooters. The Shortcuts, the Personalised (MY1-3 Modes), superb!

 

[johannielscom]

Setting the GXR up as a black&white camera, read about it here: http://www.johanniels.com/index.php/camera-gear-articles/48-ricoh-gxr-the-piccolo-leica-monochrom

I loved mine and sold it when setting up a business in photography etc, but these days (not being able to work) I wish I still had it. It would be a great asset to my Sony A7, whose lovely files so far haven't matched up to the superb black&white files from the GXR. I shot mine with a Voigtlander nickel Heliar 50mm 2.0 lens on it: tack sharp and great contrast.

 

[pixelvandal]

so i dont know if it is frowned upon, but i found a (what i think) bargain on the M mount module on the 'bay. Am i allowed to post the link? it was 206 USD shipped and the user has more of them. if anyone was interested, or would i post that elsewhere? don't want to break any rules 🙂

 

[rhl-oregon]

Here are a few images with the 25/4 and the Ricoh 33/2.5. I shifted to Fuji X in 2013 for APS, but the Ricoh prime lensors are great. They don't take up much bag space either. I agree that you should try em, you might like em.

25/4

33/2.5 (good AF and you can get reeeel close)

I used the CV 15/4.5 and enjoyed that as a 21mm, and it rendered well. But I also loved using a ZM 50/2 wide open for a lot of work up to iso 1600:

Sales prices on the 28 and 50 are likely to be really variable; if you can recover cost, great. I think it's easier to sell a kit.

Enjoy the trip.

 

[pixelvandal]

Yes, based on everyones thoughts, i think i will hang onto the 2 lensors for a while, see how they grow on me. I hear great things about the B+W conversions of ricoh files, so looking forward to that.

Now that i have purchased the m module, my total cost for the 3 modules, body, and evf is about 415USD. can't complain! 😀

I did initially want to get a more modern Fuji body perhaps, and that would have led to more GAS i'm sure, as the fuji offerings all seem fantastic......but 12mp is more than enough for me and my needs. plus it keeps my bank balance and significant other happy 🙂

thank you for those example shots from the ZM 50/2 rhl-oregon. Beautiful.

 

[bideford]

Just got a GXR with the A12 50mm lens and VF-2 today - quick test image taken this evening.

What is there not to like?

James

 

[pixelvandal]

lovely black and whites from this camera, absolutely love it. Just found some cheap bodies, so now i have a body for each a12 module as well coming... keeping the lot.

 

[bayernfan]

I have a mint GXR, A12 M, and A12 28mm sitting on my shelf. It produces some of the best B&W images i've ever seen from a digital camera (very Ilford HP5-ish). The problem is, given the choice between the GXR and shooting film, film win's 99.5% of the time.

I guess I keep it around as a "just in case" camera. It might be impossible to take or shoot film in my travels, and then the GXR would be my main camera.

If you're looking for a pretty authentic pushed film look, try shooting the GXR in B&W from ISO 1250 to 3200 with contrast set to 7 and sharpness set to 1.

 

[pixelvandal]

so went for a stroll with the 28mm. trying to get my head around snap focus. when i set it up on screen, the green bar for 'area in focus' so to speak, was 2m-infinity, yet some of my shots came back out of focus, oh well, a learning process 🙂

nothing special, just some random shots out of camera