Using Ricoh gw-3 on Sigma Dp1m --> 21mm fov

[GaryLH]

I recently acquired a Ricoh GW-3 which is the wide angle adapter for the GR. This is a 0.75X adapter. Turns out that it is a threaded mount (49mm screw thread) so that it can actually be used on cameras such as
- Sigma DP Merrill's
- Fuji X100
as well as the GR that it was originally intended for. However, on the GR, this requires the use of the filter adapter which is still not available, so I have got this on back order.

In the meantime, I took a close look at the focusing mechanisms of the Sigma and Fuji cameras above. The focusing is done internally, so that once u screw in the adapter, it is not going to damage the focusing mechanism due to the excessive weight. I also double checked the Sigma specifically for issue that may be associated with the front element bumping into the back element of the adapter ring and it does not appear to be an issue. I am going to find a scratched up filter to sacrifice, remove the glass and use it to give more relief distance and see how that works out though.. Probably won't do anymore shooting with it until I do that.

The build quality is pretty decent.. Finish is just OK. It actually weighs a decent amount (201g). Has 4 elements in 3 groups. The front filter diameter is 62mm. It comes with a cheap rubber lens hood that slides on from the back to the front.

For those that are curious and don't want to do the math...
- Sigma DP1M --> 28 becomes a 21
- SIgma DP2M --> 45 becomes a 34
- Sigma DP3M --> 75 becomes a 56 (don't have this camera, assuming still using a 49mm filter thread)
- Fuji X100 --> 35 becomes a 27

Here are a couple of shots to from my Fuji XE1 to show how the adapter looks on the DP1M.

And with my Konica RF 21/35 OVF on it.

My standard crappy wall shot that I always use..

100% cut of the center

and the bottom and side edge

The adapter does cause some resolution decrease, but IMHO not too bad. I can live with it, given the additional flexibility it gives me. Since this was really designed for the Ricoh GR, I am sure that it will do better on that camera. The DP1M has always been good in the center (almost as good as the DP2M) but not as good as the DP2M in the corners. I find the center looks pretty good, but not as good as w/o it. As u get to the edges, not as good.

I tried using a front filter (but only had a normal not a slim line), it caused noticeable vignetting. The front shade is does not provide much if any in the way of front element protection BTW.

My wife and I ended up having lunch today in the Half Moon Bay area. So here are some shots walking around the harbor after lunch.

Crab season is just starting and the boats are getting ready to go out starting today.. Some boats are still getting their gear together and prepping the boats for the weekend.

We were hoping to get some crab today or at least some fresh fish, but nothing 🙁

Instead of taking the converter on and off. I decided to leave it on and do cropping in post. The first and last one of the crab shots had some cropping done as well as the no crab shot.

Gary

 

[dfatty]

that's very interesting, Gary, i hadn't thought to do this. so i can buy the converter for the dp1m and stave off SD1 gas for wider angle. 😛 also, for people who like the 35mm FOV, this might be a nice addition to the dp2m. although as you mention, there is some degradation at the edges. truth be told i'm not much of a wide shooter, but still an interesting idea.

 

[GaryLH]

Actually slight degradation in center more pronounced as u go toward the corners as compared to not having it. For me it is acceptable trade off. Ymmv.

Gary

 

[mansio]

color rendition of sigma is simply stunning, when things are right...

 

[noimmunity]

Interesting experiment, Gary!

I'm one of those, as you may know, who would love a DP Merrill in 21 or 18.

Not sure I could live with the trade off in image degradation. That 100% crop of the center (the stone wall) doesn't have the usual Foveon crispness that I'm used to. Or am I just imagining things?

If you have the time, please post some comparisons that show the difference.

 

[GaryLH]

Interesting experiment, Gary!

I'm one of those, as you may know, who would love a DP Merrill in 21 or 18.

Not sure I could live with the trade off in image degradation. That 100% crop of the center (the stone wall) doesn't have the usual Foveon crispness that I'm used to. Or am I just imagining things?

If you have the time, please post some comparisons that show the difference.

Nope u are not imagining it... But it is still got a lot of info there compared to cameras w/ AA filters. I will try to reshoot the center after thanksgiving w/ and w/o for both dp1 and 2 on a sunnier day.

Gary

 

[taemo]

for X100/s users, I would say skip this and just get the WCL-X100 if you want to go a little wider.

the GW-3 is an amazing performer on the GR and yes it works really good on the DPM and RX1 cameras as well.
so tempted to trade my GR numerous times for a DP1M but I just love how compact the GR is.

also don't bother using the GW-3 on a X100s + WCL-X100 if you wish a 21mm focal length, vignettes a lot and very soft on the corner.

here's how the GR w/ GW-3 perform against the X-Pro1 w/ 14 2.8

ricoh_21mm_f5.6 by earl.dieta, on Flickr

fuji_14mm_f5.6 by earl.dieta, on Flickr

and GR vs X100s w/ WCL-X100

ricoh_28mm_f5.6 by earl.dieta, on Flickr

fuji_19mm_f5.6 by earl.dieta, on Flickr

 

[GaryLH]

Thanks for the post.
Gary

 

[GaryLH]

So far I still have not been able to find a Ricoh GR adapter.. After testing other cameras with this adapter.. Right now I think it will work the best on the GR. Of the other cameras that I have, ONLY the DP1M provides results w/ this adapter that I am OK with... It is probably the closest to the GR..

Instead of maintaining 100% crop, I have instead elected to try to maintain about the same crop area no matter which camera.. This could also be skewing the results I am seeing. I decided to use the Fuji X100 as the reference since the 23mm is in between the 18 and 30 lenses of the DP Merrill's I have..

There was some contrast changes during that happened between shots due to clouds moving in, so some differences in color and contrast. My extremely boring backyard wall as always...

I am going to show shots in pairs - overall followed by the 100% center crop. All shots where aperture priority @f5.6. All handheld shot from a distance of about 12 feet from the wall.

Up first is the Fuji X100 w/o the GW3 adapter.

Fuji X100 w/ GW3
The converter maybe throwing the AF focus off as well. The distance readings were off with this adapter on the camera. I am planning to do some more experiments to c if it gets better or not. But it could be explaining the weird stuff I am seeing. If I remember correctly, there is a menu option to turn on the use of the Fuji wide angle adapter. Will try that next.

DP1M w/o GW3

DP1M w/ GW3

DP2M w/o GW3

DP2M w/ GW3

Gary

 

[GaryLH]

Looks like the Converter ON option in the Fuji X100 menu system did the trick. Much better then before. Still some fall off in quality compared to not having it there but it is acceptable. AF focus distance was within reason as well. I double check the Ricoh GR, it turns out there is a similar option for the conversion lens in the menu system as well. Now I just need the adapter for the Ricoh GR..

Must be adjusting the AF algo for the converter and doing some other digital fixing before writing the RAW file since the write to SD card takes about 2-3 seconds now. I wonder if it will be that bad on the GR.

Still not as good as w/o but it is much better now (acceptable).

Gary

 

[noimmunity]

The converter looks good for webshots and for small prints.

Hmmm, I may think about getting one of these. Thanks, Gary.