This morning my GR sample finally arrived, taking it out and turning it on gave me a very familiar feeling. While on paper the GR is slightly bigger and heavier than the previous GRDs, when you have it in your hand it just feels right and you forget it's a new camera.
The day has been haze and grey mostly so not ideal to go out shooting, instead I spent some time to go into the menus and set the camera up, the new menus are nice and as usual very efficient but I doubt I will ever see them again now that I set the GR up as I like.
By late afternoon I had to go out and take some pictures. In use the GR is simply fantastic, everything has been improved and refined from the previous generations, the start up time, shot to shot time, AF, write time have all been improved and are now at least twice as fast when compared with the GRD IV or the GXR A12 28mm.
The image quality is equally great and beats the GXR A12-M in terms of noise, dynamic range and even detail (now I really want thus sensor in a new M mount module!). Even the JPGs (usually a poor showing from Ricoh) are excellent and the b&w JPGs almost rival the GRD I JPGs although they lack the film look due to the sensor being cleaner and having a higher dynamic range.
I will write more and post a full review in the coming days and weeks but for now I am hugely impressed, despite being sceptical at first.
This is a series of pictures I took during my walk, I wanted to show a varied selection of images so I hope you like them.
looking forward to the more in depth review. Liking the bokeh in the last couple of shots
ReplyDeleteYou are not easily impressed when it comes to cameras, Cristi, so the Ricoh GR must be something pretty special. I look forward to your in-depth review and also the camera's wider availability. It seems they are hard to get hold of at the moment. Had I been able to remain in the US, no doubt my pre-order with B&H would have been delivered by now. Oh well, I have something to look forward to and in the meantime my GRD III is giving me excellent service.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the images Cristian, summer there looks about as rosy as our mid-winter.
ReplyDeleteI would like to try out the GR too but haven't the time to arrange for one -- later maybe. Heard and feel that the GR lacks a bit the colour signature (not least blue) of the GR family. Would like to see how you will have found it for street photography. Meanwhile I myself is being tempted by the IV selling for a super looooooooooow price here in HK. Afterall I found the IV super cool when spending some time with a sample last year. BTW I have the feeling that you've taken some shots through that covered corridor. Have a nice day, Cristi!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments!
ReplyDeleteCalvin, you're right and only a few cameras managed to impress me as much right from the start and these were the GRD I, the GXR A12-M and the Panasonic LC1.
Tom, the weather has been very mixed here with grey clouds and rain during the day but usually sun in the evening.
Nevin, the GRD IV is still a very nice camera and definitely worth getting for the low price. The GR is different though and the true sucessor for the GRD I in my view.