Ricoh GR-D -anyone got one?

[anglophone1]

Hi
I have used a Ricoh GR-1 film camera for the last 5-6 yaers, it goes everywhere [nearly] with me, and has produced great stuff, in fact some of my most succesful work. Thisi the real beauty of having a tiny easy to use camera with a great 28mm lens always handy.
I made the move to RD1s from film-based RFs late last year, and although finding the learning curve steep, am now sold on the versatility of digital [i'm a colour shooter and having multi ISO, daylight and tungsten media avaialble on the same little card is fantastic-and 100 frames without changing!]
I'm now only shooting film in the GR-1 and my xpan and noblex, [no intention of dumping them yet] and consequently am toying wit the idea of a GR-D.
Sean Reids review is excellent [worth the subscription] but I would like to hear from anyone else with"real world" experience of this machine...................
Thanks
Clive

 

[harmsr]

Check this link out for some comments by myself and others.

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=20220

Pros:

Great lens.
Well built
Easy menus
Perfect size
ISO 200 and below - Great photos
Full manual is available.

Cons:

Above 200 ISO is very noisy for me.
I like 35 & 50 focal length better than 28, but that is just me.
No RAW buffer - 12 second write time between shots - No issue with JPEG
I could not get used to using the screen for framing vs. a view finder. However an external viewfinder is available.

Summary - Among small digital P&S cameras, it is probably the best out there. I compared it to the Leica D-Lux2 and bought the Ricoh. Unfortunately, that type of camera was just not for me, I traded it for a Leica CM.

Best,

Ray

 

[anglophone1]

12 secs RAW time...............as I only shoot RAW that sounds like a real problem.
I have a 29mm CV finder so the external finder thing not an issue though.
Doesn't look great so far, maybe I shopuld just hang on the the GR1 and scan.........................
Any more views?
Clive

 

[spysmart]

Had one, sold it after 2 months, back to the GR1s.

The GR-D was sharp, but at A4 a good 35mm scan ( even from 400 ISO NPH ) looked better.
The RAW write time was a killer .. the GR1 was pull out of pocket, shoot and back into pocket, all in a couple of seconds. The GR-D would not retract it's lens until it finished it's 12-15 second write time.

The higher ISO performance is way way inferior to fuji 800. Grain is better than colour bunching - blocks of green noise were the big problem.

Dynamic range, without noise, is velvia like - the camera's histogram needed to be set 2/3 max otherwise fine detail white level clipping occurred.

It was not for me - I even deleted all it's photos from my hard drive.

 

[JoshRoot]

I also believe that Sean Reid has a review on his website (it is a pay membership site, but Sean is a good guy and worth the dosh):

www.reidreviews.com

 

[cysewski]

I have one

I have one

I use it with the Voiglander 28mm viewfinder. The noise is not bad if you use it in black and white mode. Sean Reid's review is well worth the money. I sold my GR1v and am keeping the GRD. Snap mode and the depth of field are also great. It is true about RAW, it is too slow, but the JPEG quality in black and white is fine. The lens is outstanding. It sort of reminds me of my old Contax G lenses. When you see the result it is amazing. I love mine and use it on a regular basis.

 

[Sean Reid]

Hi All,

Thanks for the comments on the review. I also have a new article that almost ready to be published that looks at how four cameras worked during a series of shoots in Florida recently. The GR is one of them and that piece may be ready tonight or tomorrow.

Cheers,

Sean

 

[Sean Reid]

Clive,

The RAW cycle times I got (in the review you're read I think) were about 14 seconds in 4:3 ratio RAW and 13 seconds in 2:3 ratio RAW (Sandisk Ultra II card). Those were measured timings between exposure 1 and 2, etc.

Cheers,

Sean