New Ricoh GR Digital III

jepp, great time to buy a used GR2 🙂 i have found one for 270 Euro with gorillapad. A couple of month ago, i had a GRD, loved the s/w modus and the grain a lot, now the GR3 is to expensive, the E-P1, too. So i decide to buy a GR2 as second Camera - note : there is a new firmware for the GR2 coming, with the new GR3 out in beginning of August
 
maelswarm said:
That's terrific news! Hopefully the lens will be good. Now there's a good alternative to the Fuji Natura Black.
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I bit off topic, but you can't compare this digital camera which sports a 6mm f/1.9 lens (28mm equivalent) to the Natura Black with its 24mm f/1.9 lens on film.

The Natura Black is unique (even compared to the Leica 24mm Summilux) in that it focuses accurately with autofocus down to 0.4 meters allowing wide angle shots with truly shallow depth of field (only 2 cms at 0.4 meters). The GRD III will never be able to do that due it's small sensor.
 
HeLLo... GRD III...fast, compact 21mm capabilities... not possibLe wif t' micro 4/3 cameras, ie the E Pee oNe... but have they improved build quality and solved dust problems? the crappy USA warranty service is still a scary prospect, though...
 
I love my GRD2, makes wonderful files. If you need a bigger sensor stick with a bigger camera. I find the layout and ease of customizing buttons and dials fantastic, and I'm tempted by the 1.9 lens. I'll likely stick with my 2 for a while, I have no real complaints with it- and I quite like the look it gives.

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I have a GRD II and I would echo Rick Waldrup's comment wrt it being the perfect street shooter - I would opt for the GRD II on the street over any Leica (ok.. MAYBE the IIIc/f.. MAYBE). And that is because of a few things:
1) Ergonomics - incredible on this small camera - and will get better on GRD III with the ability of another function button

2) Size - pocketable - and the only decent pocketable (literally) cam that does RAW imho.

3) Lens - even at f2.4, the 28mm is ample and in Snap mode is a very good way of shooting street - I can only imagine the III being even better.

With respect to B&W imaging - noise is not grain - period - never has been, never will be. Noise from digital images, no matter how much it may try to emulate grain, has a certain pattern, imho, to it while grain is, I believe, far more random in nature and hence the reason why it's more "aesthetically pleasing" versus "noise".

That said, the GRD II produces nice files which, if converted properly to B&W, can attain a quality CLOSE TO grain (not quite exactly like grain though).

If the GRD III has better High ISO qualities (ISO 800 and, I hope, ISO 1600) then I am just dying to see a review and then, eventually, to snag one of these cameras 🙂

The one advantage that these smaller (some would say tiny) sensors do have over larger sensors is the ability to hand hold the camera at lower 'shutter speeds'. If done properly, you can hand hold the GRD II down to well below 1/15 second and not have "camera shake" - motion blur.. ya.. but camera shake, not so much.. 😀

Cheers,
Dave
 
dcsang said:
.....And that is because of a few things:
1) Ergonomics - incredible on this small camera - and will get better on GRD III with the ability of another function button

2) Size - pocketable - and the only decent pocketable (literally) cam that does RAW imho.

3) Lens - even at f2.4, the 28mm is ample and in Snap mode is a very good way of shooting street - I can only imagine the III being even better.

..... 😀

Cheers,
Dave
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Dave,

Let me add #4 if I may.....

4) The ability to change ASA/ISO settings as needed to fit the shot without having to reload film.

B2(;->
 
dcsang said:
The one advantage that these smaller (some would say tiny) sensors do have over larger sensors is the ability to hand hold the camera at lower 'shutter speeds'. If done properly, you can hand hold the GRD II down to well below 1/15 second and not have "camera shake" - motion blur.. ya.. but camera shake, not so much.. 😀
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I don't know - I've had much less success handholding smaller cameras than larger ones, though there's definitely a point beyond which size is a detriment. I routinely handhold at 1/8 or 1/6 with my CL (40mm) and D70 (~37mm) and get pictures that are acceptably sharp. At any rate, I'd be very interested to hear what RFFers have to say about the GRD III. It's very expensive for Canadians though.
 
sleepyhead said:
The Natura Black is unique (even compared to the Leica 24mm Summilux) in that it focuses accurately with autofocus down to 0.4 meters allowing wide angle shots with truly shallow depth of field (only 2 cms at 0.4 meters). The GRD III will never be able to do that due it's small sensor.
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While you won't get as much DOF control as you will have with a film camera the GRD III does allow for some shallow DOF.

The picture below was taken at f1.9 and focus at 1m.

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The lens can focus as close as 1cm to the subject and there even small sensors give some nice shallow DOF.
 
what i like about the grd series is not so much the cameras themselves, but the sensibility and commitment that ricoh demonstrates. if they applied the same design to an aps-c sensor, and moved on from the traditional 28mm-e lens to a 35mm-e, there would be no doubt that the dmd has arrived. jadedness aside, it would also be phenomenal to have a built-in optical viewfinder and image stabilization.
 
In the past two years have cycled through eight cameras both 35mm & medium format. The GRD is the only one that has stood the test of time with me. It's three years old now and still going strong. I had been thinking about the GRD III, until I heard the news of the GXR system. I am now saving my pennies for the GXR & 50mm lens/sensor combo......
John
 
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They improve them incrementally every two years or so. I always upgrade, it being the only camera I have never had any mechanical/component problems with. Fantastic lens and more versatile than you Imagine on first sight; the only camera i would recommend without caution now the write times for raw are sound.
 
I bought an original GRD used a couple of years ago and it's lived a damnably hard life in the bottom of my messenger bag while I worked through rain, excessive heat, hail and high winds. The mode dial top has fallen off so the only mode indicated is the green-box, the hotshoe doesn't work and the Voigtlander finder has tilted framelines.

But all that aside, I love it and it works. It goes with me everywhere, shooting weddings, news, portraits, sports... A great fun little camera and I find the results acceptable up to 400asa.

It's almost dead now so a new one is on the cards - but that might end up being a G11. We'll see.
 
Great Camera

Great Camera

Small, unobtrusive, Large Depth of field, great lens, very easy to customize with presets for different situations. The big boys could learn something from that system. One of the better metering systems i've encountered. It is not very easily fooled, unlike my g1 and zeiss Ikon and e3. The best thing I like is that it made me discover the 28mm lens and it is small enough to fit in a pocket.

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It has a Killer macro mode:

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It is truely a phenomenal camera. No other camera has been as easy to use, for me, in a wide variety of situations.

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I might forget my glasses but I never forget to take the grd3.

Your mileage may vary.
 
For me, the quality of ISO 800 is good enough that I use the GRD3 interchangeably with my R-D1 when shooting bands. This is not the same as saying the quality is the same, but rather, that since I can get decent 11 x 14 prints from the GRD3, and since I don't have a fast 28mm equivalent for my Epson, they work well together. Mostly I'm happy with the deep depth of field. And then of course, there are the places that won't let me in with my Epson 🙂

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Ricoh GRD3. Top: Gates Gates Gates Bottom: The Good Family
 
The GRD is a very seductive little camera. The III is a wonderful follow on to I and the II. The lens rocks, fast, low distortion, and sharp.

While I do expect to see other modules for the GXR I doubt it will replace the GRD because of the size difference. Though I do doubt we will ever see a GX300.

Myself I am hoping for a GXR module for Nikon manual focus lenses. I hear the EVF is quite usable and as a replacement for a DSLR to utilize existing glass would have me buying one.

B2 (;->
 
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