Still have GAS for GR - GR owners are u happy?

GaryLH

GaryLH

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It's been a while now .. Ricoh owners..

- Are u still happy w/ your purchase?
- How is the 35 crop mode?
- How has the LCD been in bright afternoon light?
- Have u been happy w/ the high iso performance?

Thanks
Gary
 
Yep, very happy with my purchase.

35 crop mode is fine, but I don't really use it much.

The LCD is surprisingly good in bright afternoon light. As in, I was genuinely surprised at how good it is.

Very happy with high ISO, especially with B&W pix.

I'm absolutely delighted with my GR. I think it's re-invigorated my work, even.
 
maggieo said:
Yep, very happy with my purchase.

35 crop mode is fine, but I don't really use it much.

The LCD is surprisingly good in bright afternoon light. As in, I was genuinely surprised at how good it is.

Very happy with high ISO, especially with B&W pix.

I'm absolutely delighted with my GR. I think it's re-invigorated my work, even.
Click to expand...
+1, a.k.a. my sentiments exactly.

(I also have an RX100, a fine camera; I haven't even looked at it since getting the GR. Then again I'm perfectly happy with nothing but 28mm/35mm.)
 
Thanks everyone for the input. The rx100 is exactly what it would replace as my in the pocket everyday camera.

Again thanks Maggie, Keith and andersju.
Gary
 
maggieo said:
Yep, very happy with my purchase.

35 crop mode is fine, but I don't really use it much.

The LCD is surprisingly good in bright afternoon light. As in, I was genuinely surprised at how good it is.

Very happy with high ISO, especially with B&W pix.

I'm absolutely delighted with my GR. I think it's re-invigorated my work, even.
Click to expand...

Same form me too. Really enjoy the camera and it the best version yet. I've had four models over the years including the first film version. I too have a Sony RX100 and although a good camera (see my shots in the RX100 thread) I will be selling it soon as I much prefer the the Ricoh. I still have the GRD IV too. Get a GR and enjoy.
 
I have GR. Not sure if I like it better than the RX100 ... I was thinking of the RX100 ii now ... RX100 is better output than GRD IV I tried, so was hoping the GR would be a lot better than the RX100.
 
GaryLH said:
- Are u still happy w/ your purchase?
- How is the 35 crop mode?
- How has the LCD been in bright afternoon light?
- Have u been happy w/ the high iso performance?
Click to expand...
  • Yes, though I wish someone would come out with a 40mm version as small.
  • I don't use it.
  • Usable
  • Yes, but not as happy as I am with the Fuji X series
 
I have the GR and love it . I sold my RX100 to get it and don't regret it ( for me the rx100 was a little clumsy in the hand and the zoom slowed me down - GR is a much more instinctive camera to operate once you are used to it and have set it up to your preference )

Good luck with your decision. James
 
GaryLH said:
- Are u still happy w/ your purchase?
- How is the 35 crop mode?
- How has the LCD been in bright afternoon light?
- Have u been happy w/ the high iso performance?
Click to expand...

I'll +1 some of the other responses that are here as they echo my sentiments.

Buying the GR was a great decision. It would be difficult to have it as my only camera, but not impossible.

I'm a fan of the 28mm view and don't use the 35mm crop mode with frequency. I would be speculating if I said more.

The LCD is marvelous. It's glossy and will pick up some reflections if in direct sunlight, but the screen itself is sharp and vivid.

Colors seem to get funky about ISO 3200-6400 but I cannot quantify "funky."

9229840753_1476b81699_c.jpg


This was at ISO 4500 and I'm not complaining too loud. In B&W I'm content shooting all the way to 25,600.

r001037a.jpg


(This one was at 12,800 - if I remember correctly...the file is archived on an external drive and I don't want to search for it right now. edit: yep, it's at 12,800)

The biggest let down is the video. There is a distinct lack of manual controls and the image quality reminds me of a potato. It feels like a stop-gap solution to fill an empty space on the mode dial.
 
GaryLH said:
It's been a while now .. Ricoh owners..

- Are u still happy w/ your purchase?
- How is the 35 crop mode?
- How has the LCD been in bright afternoon light?
- Have u been happy w/ the high iso performance?

Thanks
Gary
Click to expand...

- Yes, very happy, my most used camera right now
- Never used 35mm crop mode
- Surprisingly good, very usable
- Up to 3200 is fine, just need a bit of tuning in PP.
 
I'm thrilled with mine. 28mm is not my preference, but I'm working on moving closer. I have not used the 35mm mode but instead try to move closer or crop in post, if necessary.

The files are the best I've seen from any digital camera I've owned. Maybe not technically the best, but the most aesthetically pleasing. In particular, I like the delicate way it handles light gray and white tones.

High ISO is also pretty good. I took the shot below the other day, wide open on auto ISO. The camera chose 6400. I think detail retention shown in 100% crop is excellent for that ISO. And it's the best-looking noise I've seen from any of my cameras.

I'm so taken with the files that I'm considering swapping my Nex 7 system for a GXR. If Ricoh offered a 50 or 75 GR, I'd be all set.

And to think this is all in a package that I can shoot one-handed and carry everywhere in a small belt case. Simply wonderful. It's my first Ricoh, but I now understand the whole GRD cult thing.

John

p1785341340-5.jpg


p1646811960-5.jpg

​
 
Is the lens distortion better than the GRD III?

No one ever mentions it but the fish eye effect always bugs me when I first see the image before I correct in LR. I would think with the much bigger sensor the lens goes from being 6mm to something more like 20mm so probably helps a bunch. I never see any distortion in my film GRs. Lens is much better corrected.
 
nightfly said:
Is the lens distortion better than the GRD III?

No one ever mentions it but the fish eye effect always bugs me when I first see the image before I correct in LR. I would think with the much bigger sensor the lens goes from being 6mm to something more like 20mm so probably helps a bunch. I never see any distortion in my film GRs. Lens is much better corrected.
Click to expand...

Well, you are talking about a 18.3 mm lens this time, so there is still a little distortion, but it is easily fixable. The small sensor GR had a ridiculously wide lens for that tiny sensor.
 
I hate it.


Hoof Off. by lamlux.net, on Flickr


Horse parade. by lamlux.net, on Flickr


Comfort bench. by lamlux.net, on Flickr


Musical pondering. by lamlux.net, on Flickr


Pansy dolls. by lamlux.net, on Flickr

Yeah, I hate it because it makes me think I should just be carrying IT instead of a bag with my Leica and lenses. I loved the previous GRD incarnations, and film GR's. The 28 grew on me as another perspective to shoot and viewing from the back of the camera (which by the way is one of the best i've used thanks to the rapid refresh rate) it's just another way of envisioning the image (especially in black and white). No AA filter and healthy DNG files are also nice.. not to mention in-camera photographer friendly settings--"MY Modes" which I set up for Black and white, color and Snap modes... list goes on and on.. things I couldn't do with my RX-100 that I missed, and frankly I loved the RX-100 still.
 
I also sold my RX100 for the GR which I preferred over the RX100. It really is the logical evolution of the GRD series (having previously owned a GRD3). The RX100 always felt like a compact - a little clumsy to use, like there was too much packed into it - while the GR felt like a fully functional camera (with a fixed 28mm) that just so happened to fit in my pocket.

I was however using the GR as my only camera and in the end the fixed 28mm and lack of VF meant that for me it didn't really work as my sole shooting option (though image quality, sharpness and usability were all top notch). I think it would have been perfect as a second or third more portable camera for me.

Sold it and bought a Nikon V1 and haven't looked back. Just thought I'd add a slightly different perspective to those above :)
 
Gary, I remember both you and I backed out of pre-order earlier this year.

Well, I had a bit of vacation time coming up with my GF in town, I broke down and got the GR when BH had a few in stock a couple weeks ago.

I've had only small amount of time actually playing with the camera as I entertained my GF and spent diving (where E-PM1 takes the duty), but here are my observations so far. I've had GRD I (a couple years till it broke) and III (about a month).

The most important aspect of this camera is, IMHO, "is it GR?" The answer is a big yes. Overall user experience, customization, handling are all there. It had been a quite a while since I had a GRD, but I felt right at home as soon as I started using the new GR, and I realized how much I missed the while experience.

Image quality is great, really great, but I haven't had a chance to really look at the shots on computer to evaluate. I've been using Eye-fi card with RAW+Jpeg, checking images on my phone and share. (There is a bag with selective upload with the latest Mobi cards, but Ricoh and Eye-Fi are working on it)

Oh and the automatic ND filter is great! I can shoot at F2.8 under sunny NorCal weather without even thinking about the shutter speed limit or activating ND. This feature is quite huge for me personally.

I'm actually quite happy with USB charging scheme. For everyday shooting, I think I can do just fine with one-battery/USB charging method and it's easier to charge whenever I have time compared to conventional charger as I have my laptop, giant external battery pack (for phone, tablet etc) and many USB ports around the apartment and the car.

- Are u still happy w/ your purchase?
Big YES.

- How is the 35 crop mode?
I find myself using it about 30% of time so far, purely based on the FOV I want for the shot. I have the "Effect" button assigned for this. I have the RAW in my eye-fi card as "digital negatives" and jpeg with the crop for quick phone/online use.

- How has the LCD been in bright afternoon light?
Totally usable. I do have CV 28/35 mini finder which looks and works great for the GR, but so far not using it because I favor the small size of the camera and the LCD is very usable even under bright daylight for framing. I had a camping/winery visit weekend and the LCD worked just fine.

- Have u been happy w/ the high iso performance?
GRD series has been known for very film-like grain/noise in high ISO, and I think the tradition is still there, but of course a lot less noise on the new GR compared to older 1/1.7" CCD models per ISO setting.

I'm hoping to spend more time with the camera and play with all settings, but so far I'm very happy and planning to keep the camera as long as possible, much like I did with the original GRD.

Again, it's totally GR.

So far very vacationy shots with friends and GF in them so no sample shots to post just yet.
 
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