Miniature Squirrel

GXR A12 28mm, f4.0, 1/660, ISO 200, JPG miniaturize

As you can see I am having some fun with the new scene modes on the GXR. Now if only Ricoh would allow shooting RAW together with the processed JPG it would be great.

Purple Flowers

GXR A12 28mm, f2.8, 1/270, ISO 400, JPG miniaturize mode

When it comes to supporting their cameras with firmware updates no one is better than Ricoh. Not only do they fix bugs but they also add a lot of new features, something other companies release a completely new product for to rip off loyal customers (Canon with the G7/G9 comes here to mind or Sigma with the neverending release of "new" DP1/DP2 cameras). So what Ricoh is doing is not really common practice so they deserve to be applauded for taking care of their loyal customers instead of forcing them to buy a new camera just to get an extra feature added.

On Monday they released a new firmware update for all GXR modules and for the GRD III, adding some fun scene modes, even more customization options and a AF tracking mode. I have been trying the new firmware update and even decided to postpone my A12 28mm review to have some more time to try out the new features added and see if and how they improve on the camera.

So far the new scene modes are a fun addtion and I appreciate them although they are more for the P10 module than any of the A12 modules. The AF tracking feature on the A12 28mm module does not seem to be all that usefull or even work properly but I will try it some more to get more time with it. More in the full review.

Industry at Dusk

GXR P10, f4.6, 1/14, ISO 800, JPG b&w, 200mm

Old and Young

iPhone 4, f2.4, Hipstamatic app

Conversing over a Pint

GXR A12 50mm, f4.0, 1/410, ISO 200, RAW

As nice as the A12 50mm module is now with the new firmware updates, it simply can't focus properly in backlit situations. I took 15 pictures of this scene and only had a few properly in focus although the camera always showed a green focus confirmation. This is a problem with both A12 modules and it happens most of the time if the scene is backlit or if the contrast range is too high.

Cut Protest

When I decided to go into town it was with the intention to have a coffee and work on my GXR A12 28mm review. It was not to take pictures of a protest or I would not have carried my notebook around and would have planned the day different. Overall I did not spend too mcuh time taking pictures and it was more while coming across it on my way to get coffee, the restaurant and then finally on my way back to the train.

The protest started in the usual calm way with people marching and waving their banners. This is till the usual yobs and troublemakers came and started smashing windows in and setting fires to bins. I would say if the police would arrest everyone from the start who wears a hoodie and covers their mouth there would be no trouble. There should be no need for anyone to cover their face in public and if someone does they should be arrested because they have something to hide.

I decided to post yet another series, this time a slightly bigger one to show the day and night cycles of the protest as I have seen it.

Pauls Walk

GF1, f5.6, 1/320, ISO 200, JPG,14mm (Panasonic f4.0 7-14mm)

On the Steps

GXR A12 28mm, f2.5, 1/97, ISO 200, RAW

Girl in Window

GRD, f2.8, 1/100, ISO 400, JPG b&w

This is as much a lucky shot as it's a picture where everything just came together nicely to give me exactly what I wanted.
I saw the girl in the window and took a picture while walking past but I took the first one straight on with my own reflection in there and at the wrong moment, once I reliazed this I turned back to take another picture and everything was just perfect. It was the decisive moment because I had the girl's attention and even the reflections in the window were perfect.

Head to Head

GRD, f5.6, 1/500, ISO 400, JPG

I have way too may cameras probably but none is more enjoyable to use than the GRD I, it has it's quirks and it a bit outdated comapred to the GXR or GRD III but it is just more fun to use than either.
This year Ricoh will release the GRD IV and I hope they will go back to basics and deliver a camera that does less but this better than any other camera out there.

Blinded by the Light

GF1, f5.6, 1/640, ISO 100, JPG, 40mm

I decided to use the Panasonic 20mm lens again today. Haven't been using it ever since getting the Nokton and for good reason, the 20mm lens is just...dull.
Technically there is noting wrong with the lens, it's sharp, it has good conrtrast, distortion gets corrected in JPGs and not only is it small but has also a very fast AF. But it lacks any form of character that I get from the better lenses on the GF1 but also on all the Ricoh cameras (maybe with exception of the CX/P10 lens). Guess this shows that you can fix a lot in software but you can't get back any character and for me this is more important than size, weight or price. I can only hope that Panasonic or Olympus are going to release some decent quality AF lenses and not more of the crappy software corrected lenses as currently available.

Ducks

GF1, f0.0, 1/1000, ISO 100, RAW, 50mm (Voigtländer Nokton f0.95 25mm)

LPMG Street Photography Meetup

You might wonder why I post yet another street photography series in such a short time but it just happened to be a LPMG street photography meetup today.
Another reason is that Ricoh cameras are best for street and macro photography, especially the A12 28mm module is very good for street photography although I have also used the 50mm A12 module for a few pictures.

Watching the Sun Go Down

iPhone 4, f2.4, Hipstamatic app

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

GF1, f0.95, 1/80, ISO 640, RAW, 50mm (Voigtländer Nokton f0.95 25mm)

Walking in Zurich

GXR P10, f4.6, 1/310, ISO 100, RAW, 85mm

No, I don't expect anyone to guess that this picture was taken in Zurich. The title refers more to me walking in Zurich and taking a few pictures out of which I like this one best. I only had a few hours there and the weather has been dull an grey with some light rain so not the best opportunities for photography.

Bandstand

GXR A12 28mm, f8.0, 1/1870, ISO 200, RAW

London Street Photography with the GXR

I did not post that many street photography pictures with the 28mm A12 GXR module. So, since I went after work to see the London Street Photography exhibition at the Museum of London,I thought today is a good time to post a small series.
It was also a good day for photography and I got a lot of pictures I like out of it.

While I am still working on my A12 28mm review, this is to show that it is indeed very usable for street photography.

Just Blossoms

GXR A12 28mm, f2.8, 1/48, ISO 400, RAW

MG

GXR A12 28mm, f5.0, 1/97, ISO 200, RAW

X

GXR A12 28mm, f2.5, 1/143, ISO 1600, RAW 1:1

Signs

GXR A12 28mm, f5.0, 1/270, ISO 400, RAW

Showing the Way

GXR A12 28mm, f5.0, 1/1620, ISO 200, RAW

Dark Shadows Around

GXR A12 28mm, f2.8, 1/1230, ISO 200, RAW 4:3

Watching the Sunset Together

GXR A12 28mm, f4.0, 1/270, ISO 200, RAW

Thanks for everyone who voted in the poll, it looks like the A12 28mm module made it with a huge margin, as I kind of expected. I will start working on the review and will post it as soon as it's done.

Focus on Imaging 2011

LC1, f2.4, 1/160, ISO 200, RAW, 90mm

The latest Focus in Birmingham did not present much new and was pretty boring compared with previous years.
Maybe it was manufacturers not releasing any new products during the show or maybe it was lack of interest from my part in anything but the Fuji X100.

Since Photokina in September last year I could not wait to see a working X100 and I am sure I was not alone. This was the main reason to go all the way to Birmingham for me this time around. Unlike a few years ago when I was excited about the Sigma DP1, the Fuji X100 did not disappoint.

Ever since Fuji stole the spotlight at Photokina with the X100 people have been constantly talking about it and have been analyzing and scrutinizing every piece of information released. In recent weeks there have been more and more sample images released so the excitement was very high. The expectations of some people were so high that no camera can realistically fulfill them so some people are bound to be slightly disappointed.

So let me say that while I think the Fuji X100 is one of the best looking cameras and I will end up buying one just for that point alone even though it has a few problems. Some can be fixed in firmware and some will need to be changed in the X200 but overall it's great to see that Fuji has let the right people design a camera and has made one of the best enthusiast cameras you can currently find. Let's hope this inspires more manufacturers (Panasonic I look at you here) to pay more attention to design and controls on cameras, so far it seems only Ricoh, Leica and now Fuji have figured it out, I could also include Epson with the RD1 here but this was a one off like the Panasonic LC1.

Feed the Dog

GF1, f0.95, 1/50, ISO 400, JPG b&w, 50mm (Voigtländer Nokton f0.95 25mm)

Paths

GF1, f0.95, 1/4000, ISO 100, JPG b&w, 50mm (Voigtländer Nokton f0.95 25mm)

Took this while out for a walk in Greenwich park and really like the result. This is a picture that I could only get with the Nokton due to it's character when shooting at f0.95.

Skull

GXR P10, f7.7, 1/45, ISO 200, RAW, 300mm

Opposite

GF1, f1.8, 1/2000, ISO 100, JPG b&w (Canon f1.8 50mm FD)

After the last weeks of miserable weather we did get some nice sunshine today, so I took a few pictures during lunch. This is my favorite and it works best if you view it bigger.

Ricoh GXR Review - GXR System, Body & Controls

How do you review a system camera that is not one camera but many or no camera at all? And more important how do you explain the system to other people if even the manufacturer did not do a very good job at explaining it?

These and other reasons (main other one being time) were what kept me from writing my Ricoh GXR review sooner.

Since this is more than a simple camera review I decided to approach it slightly different but without making it any less extensive than my other reviews.
So to start off I tought the best would be to look at what the GXR system is and try to explain it first before moving on to the body and modules.
There will be no comparisons done for the GXR review, instead each unit will stand on it's own. Don't worry though, I will post comparisons between the GXR modules and and other cameras but these will be done separate.

So without further ado let's go to the first part and look at what the GXR system is and at the build and controls.