Its my hope that those who read it will acquire some honest sharing of information on these cameras and their usability in day to day life. I am not a professional photographer, just someone who wants the most quality of out life in photography and true to life shots.
Part I : Ricoh GXR, The interchangeable modules system
I purchased the Ricoh GXR around September 2010 and after the November 2010 firmware update the camera is excellent. You can read some popular reviews by famous online reviewers, here is one of them that i find accurate and reflects the same thoughts i have on it.
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| Ricoh GXR 50mm A12, P10 |
Why a GXR ?
First off, if you are looking for a compact that delivers DSLR results, at this point of writing i would say there is no better choice than the GXR or the X1. The APS-C sensor size in the GXR 50mm and 28mm trumps the 4/3 and other compacts any day.
With the GXR, you are not limited to whatever lens, it uses the concept of modules and each modules comes with its own sensor. Needless to say i have weighted the pros and cons to this and at the end of the day its the "practicality" and objective that won.
The objective to always keep in mind is : convenience, compact, dslr quality. I want to shoot if possible "AUTO" all the time and i want DSLR quality.
So now, the GXR you just need 2 modules, the 50 mm and the 28 mm, unfortunately at this point of writing i only have the 50 mm A12 (APS-C) and the P10 (cmos small sensor) since Malaysia don't have stocks on the 28 mm yet.
I know the agony of carrying a DSLR while traveling with family and of which i will frequently need to carry my daughter during those heavy walking. During November i visited Taiwan for the flora expo and i got the GXR specifically for this reason and future trips.
Did it work out? You bet. It was perfect. I was carrying 2 module lens with the GXR is a small pouch, i would say its around 40% smaller than my standard DSLR which i already chosen the smallest possible to hold the prime and the kit lens. Swapping the modules was super fast and i could do it easily unlike changing lens on my nikon.
Here are some example shots, totally straight from the camera.
A note on the shot above, the 50mm A12 does not comes with stabilizer and i have a big problem on using any cameras with no image stabilizers, that is because i have a natural "tremor" on my hands since birth, but surprisingly the results was very good.
There is one thing on the Ricoh that exceeds all other cameras i've tried and that includes the fuji compacts and canikons dslrs. The UI or user interface on the Ricoh is exceptional. I would go so far as to say that the UI is near perfect in practical use, the buttons and menus are all exactly where and how a person would use it in most situations.
You will need 2 batteries. The GXR don't last anywhere near a Nikon DLSRs in terms of batteries endurance and number of shots. I have my 2nd battery that has labels that its meant for the Fuji cameras and with 1800ma (the original is 1700 ma). That backup battery cost me around USD 30.
Objections?
Most objections about the GXR centralize on the issue that changing the module is changing the sensor also and its like changing a camera and its expensive. Although the modules are expensive but most reviewers overlooked a significant point : The body is cheap to change!
What happen if you buy something like the 4/3 system, u get stuck with the body but u get to buy relatively cheaper lenses, but 2 years later some new supa-dupa-omaled screen comes out and then what, you buy the new body but turns out the body new sensor works better with some "Z" series of lenses (GF1 users wishing their body is more compact like the GF2?, ouch...thats another USD 700).
With the GXR, the body is much cheaper to change, its like USD 300 only and Ricoh gets to release a new body with cooler and better technology and yet all your modules will work as is!
A Kinect enabled camera? No problem get the new GXR body with Kinect and your modules works as is. A body with lcd projector, the list goes on. The situation and potential as you can see, is unlimited.
The quality of the 50mm and 28mm is so high that unless our eyes or world suddenly becomes more defined, 5 years down the road, those 2 modules will still produce what it produces today, great results.
As for the price of the modules being the downside, yes and no. What would you u pay for an upper dslr quality fix prime lines that performs better than entry level Dslrs, minus the size and maintenance required?
I don't work for Ricoh nor am i in anyway associated with Ricoh. (the kinect example is exaggerated but its exciting to think of it...)
In the next posting, i would write about the Sigma DP2, how to use it effectively and whats is the amazing thing about that camera.
I got the DP2 after i got the GXR. Someone ask, if the GXR is so complete, why did i get the DP2?
Kindly read the upcoming post.
With the GXR, you are not limited to whatever lens, it uses the concept of modules and each modules comes with its own sensor. Needless to say i have weighted the pros and cons to this and at the end of the day its the "practicality" and objective that won.
The objective to always keep in mind is : convenience, compact, dslr quality. I want to shoot if possible "AUTO" all the time and i want DSLR quality.
So now, the GXR you just need 2 modules, the 50 mm and the 28 mm, unfortunately at this point of writing i only have the 50 mm A12 (APS-C) and the P10 (cmos small sensor) since Malaysia don't have stocks on the 28 mm yet.
I know the agony of carrying a DSLR while traveling with family and of which i will frequently need to carry my daughter during those heavy walking. During November i visited Taiwan for the flora expo and i got the GXR specifically for this reason and future trips.
Did it work out? You bet. It was perfect. I was carrying 2 module lens with the GXR is a small pouch, i would say its around 40% smaller than my standard DSLR which i already chosen the smallest possible to hold the prime and the kit lens. Swapping the modules was super fast and i could do it easily unlike changing lens on my nikon.
Here are some example shots, totally straight from the camera.
 |
| Night market Fuzhong@Taipei |
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| Elite shopping mall @ taipei |
There is one thing on the Ricoh that exceeds all other cameras i've tried and that includes the fuji compacts and canikons dslrs. The UI or user interface on the Ricoh is exceptional. I would go so far as to say that the UI is near perfect in practical use, the buttons and menus are all exactly where and how a person would use it in most situations.
You will need 2 batteries. The GXR don't last anywhere near a Nikon DLSRs in terms of batteries endurance and number of shots. I have my 2nd battery that has labels that its meant for the Fuji cameras and with 1800ma (the original is 1700 ma). That backup battery cost me around USD 30.
Objections?
Most objections about the GXR centralize on the issue that changing the module is changing the sensor also and its like changing a camera and its expensive. Although the modules are expensive but most reviewers overlooked a significant point : The body is cheap to change!
What happen if you buy something like the 4/3 system, u get stuck with the body but u get to buy relatively cheaper lenses, but 2 years later some new supa-dupa-omaled screen comes out and then what, you buy the new body but turns out the body new sensor works better with some "Z" series of lenses (GF1 users wishing their body is more compact like the GF2?, ouch...thats another USD 700).
With the GXR, the body is much cheaper to change, its like USD 300 only and Ricoh gets to release a new body with cooler and better technology and yet all your modules will work as is!
A Kinect enabled camera? No problem get the new GXR body with Kinect and your modules works as is. A body with lcd projector, the list goes on. The situation and potential as you can see, is unlimited.
The quality of the 50mm and 28mm is so high that unless our eyes or world suddenly becomes more defined, 5 years down the road, those 2 modules will still produce what it produces today, great results.
As for the price of the modules being the downside, yes and no. What would you u pay for an upper dslr quality fix prime lines that performs better than entry level Dslrs, minus the size and maintenance required?
I don't work for Ricoh nor am i in anyway associated with Ricoh. (the kinect example is exaggerated but its exciting to think of it...)
In the next posting, i would write about the Sigma DP2, how to use it effectively and whats is the amazing thing about that camera.
I got the DP2 after i got the GXR. Someone ask, if the GXR is so complete, why did i get the DP2?
Kindly read the upcoming post.
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