Ricoh GR w/ GW-3 adapter performance?

[taemo]

Has anyone shoot yet with this combo or found an article/review?

Been toying with the idea of selling my fuji 14mm lens and just use the GR w/ GW-3 adapter or maybe a DP1M for landscape.
curious to see how the corners performs with the GW-3 and if there's any distortion

 

[GaryLH]

Here in the US we have not seen it yet.. I ask around several mail order stores in US about it maybe a month ago..

Over at serious compact forum on one of the gr threads some posted some shots.. They look ok to me.

Gary

 

[taemo]

thanks Gary, I see that the GW-3 is in stock at amazon.com but I'm guessing it's getting shipped from Japan.

I ordered the GH-3 for now so that I can put a CPL and ND filter on the GR but down the road I would like to test the GW-3 as well.

maybe in a couple more weeks, we will see some reviews of the GR + GW3

edit:
actually now that I researched more carefully, there's this review that tested the GW-3 but it wasn't overly in-depth
http://www.thephoblographer.com/2013/07/17/review-ricoh-gr/

I might just pull the trigger on the GW-3 and do a comparison with my X-Pro1 + 14mm

earl

 

[GaryLH]

Thanks for heads up. I am on the notify list at pop flash. I did not check amazon since last month.

Gary

 

[taemo]

just found this post on FM as well, there's definitely some noticeable distortion and softness on the corners
http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/1217487/1#11605873

i might just keep the X-Pro1 + 14mm for wide-angle shots and keep the GR at 28mm but if I didn't have the X-Pro1, I would consider the GW-3 for inexpensive wide-angle shots

 

[GaryLH]

Yep this is the one directly from third party vendor in Japan. It is slightly more expensive then msrp to cover his cost plus a bit of profit. I think I saw it last month now that I think about it.


Keep us posted on what u think about it. People on various forums that have dp1m say they use this adapter for their Merrill as well.

Gary

 

[GaryLH]

Having softness in corners maybe ok for me. Depends on if I can still get a Pano crop out of it. A lot depends on how noticeable it is for non Pano shots.

Gary

 

[agoglanian]

Sorry to dig up an old thread but seeing as how I was the one that wrote the phoblographer review I'd be happy to answer any questions.

Additionally it's ironic I should be finding this post as I too have the X-Pro 1 with the 14mm (a great lens in its own right) but I just rather shockingly discovered that the GR + GW-3 is sharper wide open than the Fuji, and they match up around f/5.6.

The GR + GW-3 has a slight bit of CA through the highlights (easily correctable) and if there is a strong backlight you might see some ghosting (the Fuji does not have either of these problems). Both options are pretty well corrected for distortion with the Ricoh showing only slightly more (to my eyes). I do notice a slight smearing on the far corners with the Ricoh, but there is still detail there.

Again, the Ricoh is noticeably sharper across the entire frame wide open in comparison to the Fuji 14mm.

I too am now wrestling with the idea of selling off the Fuji 14mm. I'm not terribly opposed to the idea of using the Ricoh as my mobile ultra-wide. I've done some large prints with the combo and have been very very pleased (particularly with my photos from Europe, some of which you will see in my review).

Anyways, sorry to dig up the thread but I figured I'd chime in.

 

[GaryLH]

Here is the thread I started on gw3

Here is the thread I started on gw3

So a while ago I also did a compare, but mainly looking at the difference in the center since I am ok w/ a bit of softness at the edges.

Fuji 14f2.8 vs Ricoh gr w/gw3 vs sd1m w/ 10-20f3.5 vs dp1m w/ gw3..

http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=140422

Gary

 

[jsrockit]

So, thinking of getting one of these (for the GR not the Sigma)... not a total stickler for corner to corner sharpness. Anything glaringly wrong that makes this adapter un-usuable in any cases?

 

[rhl-oregon]

John, no real life problems except for a honking big goggle. Below is an image from the GW3. (Some PP in LR, but the original holds up to whatever PP you throw at it.)

http://roberthilllong.tumblr.com/image/88016809230
Also in my RFF gallery.

The GR + GW makes a go-anywhere 21/28/35 (and apparently a 47mm too for some folks).

 

[taemo]

So, thinking of getting one of these (for the GR not the Sigma)... not a total stickler for corner to corner sharpness. Anything glaringly wrong that makes this adapter un-usuable in any cases?

I use it for landscape on a tripod quite a lot, hand-holding would look and feel weird.
Overall I love it for landscape and long-exposure, corner might not be the sharpest and there's very tiny distortion but easily correctable on LR. Holds flare very well.
One thing I'm a little bummed out is that more than 1 filter on the lens you'll get vignette.
On a side note, check that the GW-3 converter is tight screwed on the GR from time to time, I forgot to check mine once and it fell 4 ft to the sand, fortuantely it didn't break

some shots w/ GR + GW3

R0030049 by earl.dieta, on Flickr

Hanakapi’ai Falls by earl.dieta, on Flickr

R0030398 by earl.dieta, on Flickr

R0030413 by earl.dieta, on Flickr

R0030425 by earl.dieta, on Flickr

 

[GaryLH]

Nice..I like the first, third and last shots..

I wish they would come out w/ a tele converter like Fuji did for their x100 around 35 to 40 fov range. A 35fov tele converter plus crop mode would provide a real nice workable 50. As Robert point out 47 fov crop leaves very little to work w/ IMHO.

21-28-35-50 would be a nice setup.. Or they could do a gr2 just as sigma did a dp2 for a 35 or 40 fov.. I know a longer focal length will probably not make it pocketable any longer, but I would love to have a gr in that focal length since I do a lot if cropping between 35-40 fov on the gr.

Gary

 

[jsrockit]

Gary, I just don't think the 40mm GR will ever come... I mean, we are on the 8th or so GR camera and the GR21 was the only version to stray from 28mm.

Thanks Robert and taemo.

 

[jsrockit]

So on the fence about this adapter... $200+ and if I don't like it, it'll be hard resell I feel.

 

[taemo]

I guess it comes down to what you will be using it for.
$200 to turn the GR on a 21mm camera was worth the investment for me, for hiking and landscape I actually rather bring the GR and GW3 than my A7 and OM21mm
but then I use this combo exclusively on a tripod.

if you're thinking of a digital version of the GR21, sadly it is not due to the size of the lens.
I see some listed on FM classified section occasionally and they sell in a week or two usually.

 

[jsrockit]

I hear ya taemo... I don't have a need... only a want. I'll check FM for a used one every few days.

 

[GaryLH]

Gary, I just don't think the 40mm GR will ever come... I mean, we are on the 8th or so GR camera and the GR21 was the only version to stray from 28mm.

Thanks Robert and taemo.

Yeh.. I discovered they also made a tele adapter that ended up 40fov. I discovered this about the time I bought my GR, but now I can't remember the details. So there is some past history either way.

Gary

 

[jsrockit]

True, they did make the adapter.

 

[rhl-oregon]

Worth posting a WTT ad, maybe? I think there are folks who under-use their GW3s. I got mine in an RFF trade for a MF folder I was under- using.