End of the Road?

It's been very quiet on this blog for the past year and a bit, I planned some updates but somehow never got the right inspiration or motivation to post again.

You might have noticed some photos being posted automatically from Instagram but I didn't like these posts and it wasn't what I had in mind for this blog. I've since removed them to clean the blog up a bit.

So what happened in the last year?
Well, after 6 years of use and abuse during my travels, my trusty Ricoh GR died.

Way before it died, the sensor was full of dust, the handgrip rubber came lose and the adjust switch broke. Towards the end, the lens had problems retracting and the shutter blades became stuck until after the first shutter actuation. One morning, i=the lens barrel just got stuck and now it can't retract anymore or open the shutter.
I sent the camera to Ricoh but unfortunately it wasn't possible to revive it so now it serves as decoration.

I've been looking for a while to get a proper replacement for it though.
There was the obvious choice of the Ricoh GR II but also choices like the Fuji XF10 or a Sony RX100, even the Nokia 9 at some point.

After Ricoh announced the GR III, I thought the choice would be easy.

The GR III looked like a great camera and quite a change and improvement from my old Ricoh GR.

Still, I wasn't very keen on the changes Ricoh made to the to the controls (removing the EV compensation toggle is the worst decision they could have made), nor the very high price or some of the reported problems with it.

The new sensor looks great though and  IS is a nice addition and should also help with dust. While I couldn't care less about losing the flash, I also don't really care about the touch screen or the smaller size it brings (given the previous GR cameras were already small enough).

There is still no weather sealing, still no flip up screen and the controls seem to have gone backwards (although I didn't actually get to shoot with one). This all is disappointing but the main issue for me was simply the lack of compatibility with the old 21mm adapter lens. Given the already high price of the GR III, I didn't feel like spending yet more money for the new hood and adapter.

So instead of buying a Ricoh GR III, I decided to get the older GR II (as you might have guessed by looking at the photos). I would have been equally happy with a new GR I but it wasn't available anymore.

So, where do I go from here? Do I start the "One Day, One Photo" project again, do I keep this blog running or stop completely?

Well, after a year or going back and forth about what to do I am still not sure. I kind of miss keeping a blog and posting photos and it was also nice to have a reason to go out and take a photo every day.

Taking a photos and updating this blog became a big part of my life during the 10 years, I've been doing it but  felt that the quality of my photos started dropping and my posts became less and less relevant.
I also feel that Blogger as a platform just isn't good enough anymore, despite it being simple enough to use, I just can't find any theme I actually like to use.

I have looked at moving to Wordpress in the past, only to come back, but I feel their interface has improved enough and it allows me to do more with my blog.

So for now, this will be the last post on this blog. Maybe not surprising and I am not sure how many still follow this blog or check on it after the long break.

I will look for a new beginning and a different format, one that focuses more on stories and content, not just on random photos every day. For that, I might use my Instagram account instead as it's easier to post simple photos (despite the stupid restrictions on portrait sizes).

Again, thanks to all of you who have or still are following this blog and to all the friends, I've made through this blog!
Hope you'll follow the next project when it's finished (I'll post a link and announcement here).

Hangout Coffee - Pre-opening Night

When I decided to leave London and my job there to move to Vietnam without having a job or anything lined up, people thought I was crazy. Their opinion didn't improve when my only plan was to see how tings go and maybe open a coffee shop and teach some English.

Now just over 4 months later, I'm teaching English full time and this is the night before my coffee shop is officially opening.

Sometimes it's good to just go for something and do it even if people don't agree with your idea. It might turn out to be a bad idea or it might work out but you never know without trying.

There have been problems along the way and the small coffee shop idea has become a big 3 floor coffee shop, bar and live music venue. The result of all this is Hangout Coffee in Hue, Vietnam.

Now the question is how good or bad will it be once it's open but if you never go into anything with the intention of getting rich but of enjoying the experience and learn something in the process it will be difficult to be disappointed.

Photokina 2012 Report

This year's Photokina was all about the unexpected and innovative releases from Sony, Leica and Samsung, it was about the expected releases from Fuji and Olympus, the boring releases from Panasonic, Canon and Nikon, the good and interesting releases from Pentax, Voigtlander and Zeiss and about the ugly releases from Hasselblad and Sigma. 

It was about a lot of new, exciting and also about some boring things but what it was not about is Ricoh.

But lets look at each of these individually and keep in mind that I don't care at all about dSLRs so can't say anything about any releases.

Ricoh GXR (S10, P10 and A16) Zoom Review

From left to right: S10, P10 and A16 modules

While prime lenses are nice, every camera system needs it's own kit zoom lense. While I am not a big fan of
zoom lenses, I do love the zoom lens on the Panasonic LC1 and it is one of the best lenses I have used.
Looking at the GXR, Ricoh has released three zoom modules for it and each is quite different from each other.

This review will cover all three of them and look at the performance of each, the main question though is which module does the best job as a kit lens. This is a short review of each module so I only go over the main points, I will point to previous reviews or previews which provide more information at times. As before this review will only cover the modules, for the review of the GXR body and controls look here.

Let's look at each of the modules covered and their main features before delving into the review.

The first to be released was the S10 module, it is a 24-72mm f2.5-4.4 IS zoom lens with a small 10MP 1/1.7" CCD sensor. In a lot of ways this is the successor to the GX200 so let's see if this is the GX300 people were waiting for.

The second zoom module to be released was the P10 superzoom module, it is a 28-300mm f3.5-5.6 IS zoom lens with a small 10MP 1/2.3" CMOS sensor. This is essentially a CX camera without the body but this is not necessarily a bad thing.

The last zoom module to be released is a 24-85mm f3.5-f5.5 not image stabilized zoom lens with a 16MP APS sensor without AA filter. The large sensor in this module and the lens starting at 24mm were what got people very excited about it.

Now that I have introduced the modules let's have a look at how they perform.

NOTE: The below review will be updated with pictures taken with each module.

Ricoh Lens A16 24-85mm f3.5-5.5 GXR Zoom Module Announced

After many delays Ricoh has now officially announced the GXR A16 24-85mm zoom module for the GXR, as reported earlier it has a f3.5-5.5 aperture and a new 16 MP sensor. The lens is as reported not a GR lens but the quality should nonetheless be much higher than your typical software corrected lens from the other manufacturers.
While the zoom range is great, the slow aperture is a bit of a let-down and not what most have expected from Ricoh. At least you get something better than normal kit lenses, both in zoom range and also quality but on the downside you get a sensor stuck to it as well.

The most notable new features are the ability to continue shooting while holding the shutter button pressed, this will use the same settings as before, and a new self closing and opening lens cap. Other notable features include a improved leveller, RAW only shooting capability (something I have never seen the reason for but people apparently want) and the ability to enter copyright information in the EXIF data. All other features are the same ones you can find in the other GXR modules so you will get a lot of customization and features aimed at photographers.

One feature which is still neglected and is typical for Ricoh is the video mode which is still only available in 720p and without any meaningful compression or options.

While this module will appeal to some people who want a APS zoom for their GXR camera, I think it is too big and the lens is too slow for any low light shooting, especially when combined with the maximum ISO of 3200. There also is no manual zoom or focus ring on the lens so it means using the zoom buttons on the body for this.

Below is the full press release and the full specs.

UPDATE: I just received an update on this and by the looks of it the sensor will not have an AA filter so it should provide excellent detail.

First Ricoh HK Meetup

Today, was the first Ricoh meetup in Hong Kong so let me start by saying thanks to Nevin and Laikok for organising this meetup.
There were only 20 seats available but over 100 applications for this meetup.

Unlike the last London meetup we had a wider variety of Ricoh cameras with the GRD cameras being the most prominent, followed by the GXR with M mount and then some GX200 and CX cameras.

There was a relaxed atmosphere and some games and speeches held by some of the local bloggers, including Nevin.
Since my Cantonese is none existent I could not follow all of it but it was great to talk to some of the people attending.

As a treat for the people joining this meetup Ricoh released some information about the upcoming GXR zoom module.
The official announcement will be on Monday so you have to wait till then for all the details but you can get a very good idea what to expect from reading my last London meetup report.

With this my holiday is over and tomorrow will be my flight back to London.

4th Ricohforum meetup

What better way to start my article about the 4th Ricohforum meetup than with a picture of the new Ricoh GRD IV and of course a thanks to Ricoh for attending this meetup.

Today was the 4th Ricohforum meetup and it was intersting in a lot of ways, not least because of the Pentax buyout by Ricoh but also because of the GXR Mount A12 module for the Ricoh GXR system.
This meant that this time the focus was also on legacy M lenses and not just on the Ricoh cameras, wether this is a good thing or bad thing is certainly up for debate. Still, seeing that the GXR Mount A12 modue is one of the most successfull cameras for Ricoh and hard to find, I believe it to be a very good thing for Ricoh.

We started off with coffee and a chat about Ricoh cameras and lenses. It was interesting to see the different lenses we had on te table and the unique character and look each produced. It was also intersting to see that everyone used Mode 2 to manually focus the lenses and we agreed it is the best way to focus once you get used to it and way superior to the peaking Mode 1.

We also had a Leica M9 there and while a completely different class of camera it was great to have the ability to swap lenses around, the GXR also handles the Voigtlander 15mm lens much better than the M9 but it is of course not full frame and the crop should make it easier. There is no question though that it is easier to frame and focus with the GXR when using ultra-wideangle (under 28mm) or telephoto (90mm-135mm) lenses where it's not possible to eiher have or see the framelines well enough.

I also got a change to try out the new Ricoh GRD IV camera and I was quite impressed, it is indeed a small step up from the GRD III but it feels more finished and more refined due to the changes Ricoh have done to both the body and the firmware. Althogh they have put in the often requested (and in my view pointless) RAW only shooting mode, Ricoh needs to start saving a higher resolution embedded preview file since it will be pretty much improssible to check focus or anything from the RAW only review image.
There are a lot of other changes and adjustments and I hope to get a review sample at some point after my upcoming holidays to be able to better compare it to the predecessors.

I have asked Ricoh about a GXR roadmap or more details of what will come out of the Pentax buyout. It is still early days for Ricoh and the Pentax buy certainly has changed a few things for Ricoh so before comitting to any more GXR modules they will have to first evaluate the different camera lines and see how to best integrate everything. They are however aware of the demand for a FF mount module and a K-mount module and looking at the success of the GXR Mount A12 module it seems clear where the focus for the GXR system should be.
For the Pentax users out there, the dSLR line will be continued since it complements Ricoh's own offerings, the most changes will probaly emerge for the lower end compact camera lines.
It's still early days though so nothing concrete is known yet until Ricoh had a chance to evaluate the different cameras lines. They will provide an update as soon as there are details and I am sure the next Photokina will be interesting for both Ricoh and Pentax users.

The already announced GXR Zoom module has been delayed due to the floods in Thailand and the reduced availability of sensors from Sony, which will most likely also impact the GXR Mount A12 availability.
What I could find out is that it will have a zoom range similar to the GX100/200, so from 24-80/85mm, it will not be GR labeled and will not have a constant aperture.
It should be available early next year from the looks of it.

Afterwards we headed out for a photo walk and checking out some camera shops to try out some legacy lenses and also got the change to play around with the Nikon V1 and the new Fuji X10.
I was really underwhelmed with the Nikon V1, it felt cheap and plasticky and had only a slow kit zoom lens attached to it in similar size to the Olympus m4/3 kit lenses.
The Fuji X10 looks very nice and looks like a muc better camera than the V1 but it's not the hoped for Panasonic LC1 replacement, the OVF is pretty useless and has no point being there and the firmware seems as bad as on the X100 at first look. So I was again not tempted.

Wat really tempted me was the Voigtlander Nokton f1.1 50mm lens (pictured above) which seems an excellent lens capable of producing some very nice images and it's actually lighter than expected although not small as ou can see. Now I just need to try out the Nokton f1.2 35mm before deciding which one to go for. Having the GXR Mount A12 certainly is not a good thing for my bank account ;) .

While trying out lenses and cameras we also got a few people very interested in our GXR cameras and after seeing how well they performm and the easy of using the MF assist functions with legacy lenses it was not difficlut for them to see why the GXR is such a great system for using legacy lenses on.

The last stop of the day was the British Museum to take some more pictures before heading to a pub for a well deserved pint.

It was a great day and I like to thank everyone who joined, I hope you all enjoyed it.

Ricoh acquires Pentax

The biggest news for today, at least in the Photography world, was certainly the acquisition of Pentax by Ricoh. Many have talked and suspected this for quite a few years now but it still managed to take everyone by surprise.

Most were pleasantly surprised and think this is a very good move by Ricoh that will benefit both companies. I am also in that camp and see both companies as the most photographer focused companies and with the combined expertise and R&D only good things can come out of this for consumers.
For me this news is actually on another level quite interesting, is it the Pentax Optio S40 who got my interest in photography started before I moved to the Ricoh GRD I which took my interest to another level and got me to start this blog in the first place. So without the Pentax Optio S40 and the Ricoh GRD I, you would not be reading this post here. Now with Ricoh acquiring Pentax things might come full circle in case Ricoh uses the Pentax name for their cameras.

So to go full circle in a way, I decided to post below 5 of my best pictures taken with the Pentax Optio S40. Things have changed quite a lot since then but it's fun to see these 'old' pictures.

GXR Mount A12 - Q&A with Ricoh

Recently, I sent an email to my Ricoh contacts with questions regarding the new 'GXR Mount A12', the official name for the upcoming M-mount module for the GXR system.
Ricoh is busy finalising the module to be released but are happy to answer questions on it, so I thought instead of only me asking my own questions, I will collect questions from other people and send them all to Ricoh to answer.

So post your questions in the comments section below and I will submit them to Ricoh and update this post with the questions and answers I get. You can ask anything you like to know about the upcoming GXR Mount A12 module or the GXR system and I will try to get all questions answered.

Update 04/07/2011: I have forwarded all questions to Ricoh and will update this post as soon as I receive the answers. Please feel free to ask more questions in the meantime and I will forward them on after I receive the first answers.

Update 05/08/2011: I have not forgotten about the questions and neither has Ricoh so while some are now after the GXR Mount A12 announcement easy to answer, I will provide the answers to all questions.

Update 27/08/2011: Below are the questions and answers from Ricoh.

Lens

1. How is it possible to identify a compatible lens?
- There is a lens checker included with the mount and in addition we will inform our customers through our website, www.ricoh.com/r_dc.

2. Are there any known lens incompatibilities?
- Yes, the Hologon 15mm F8 from Leica.

3. Will it work with the Leica lens coding?
- No, the GXR mount is not compatible with the Leica lens coding system.

4. Will Ricoh produce any new M-mount lenses themselves to sell together with the M-mount module for the GXR? Maybe a re-release of the old GR lenses?
- There are no plans for Ricoh to produce any M-mount lenses.

5. Will Ricoh release any adapters for other legacy lenses or will this be up to the Chinese manufacturers? Especially an M to K mount adapter would be welcome in light of recent news, even if it's MF only.
- There are no plans for Ricoh to produce any adapters. 3rd party M to K mounts are currently available.

Focusing

6. Is there any rangefinder coupling in the mount so it knows when the focus ring is turned and can magnify the screen to aid focusing?
- There is no rangefinder coupling in the mount. Please use the picture display or the VF-2 (optional) to confirm focusing. User can magnify the image to aid in focusing. The magnification can be set either to the full image or centre, to aid in focusing but also maintain the framing. The magnified area can be moved using the directional pad.

7. Is the view in framing and focusing mode imaged from the main sensor or via an ancillary imaging system?
- Both framing and focusing are imaged from the main sensor.

8. Does it do focus confirmation, and how is that implemented? Will there be some type of "peaking" function to aid in MF?
- No focus confirmation, but there is a ‘Focus assist function’ which allow you to view the peak contrast point in the picture display.

Sensor

9. Will it use the same 12 MP sensor as used in the other A12 modules or will it be a re-designed sensor to work better with m-mount lenses?
- The GXR A12 MOUNT will use the same sensor as the other A12 camera units. However, the micro lenses are optimized for M lenses to ensure sufficient brightness levels even in the peripheral areas of the image.

10. Can we hope for a sensor without the anti-alias filter (like the sensors in Leica M8/M9), or at least a sensor with lighter anti-alias sensor?Can we hope for a sensor without the anti-alias filter (like the sensors in Leica M8/M9), or at least a sensor with lighter anti-alias sensor?.
- This sensor does not have an anti-alias filter.

11. Is there an image stabilizer in the module?
- No, there is no image stabilizer in the module.

12. Is there any sort of automated sensor cleaning system?
- No, there is no automated sensor cleaning system. There is an option to keep the shutter open even when the camera is turned off to allow you cleaning of the sensor. Please use air blower and be sure not to touch the sensor when cleaning.

13. Does the shutter stay closed to keep dust away from the sensor when changing lenses?
- Yes. Please turn off the camera when you exchange the lens. The shutter will remain closed when the camera is turned off (except the camera is in the cleaning mode mentioned at Q11).

Shutter

14. What is the timed shutter range? Does it support Bulb? What is the maximum exposure length?
- The focal plane shutter has range from 1/4000 to 180 seconds
- The electronic shutter has range from 1/8000 to 1 second
- The focal plane shutter supports both bulb and time, and its maximum exposure length is 180 seconds.

15. What is the X-sync shutter speed? Does it support high speed sync with a dedicated flash unit?
- The X-sync shutter speed is 1/180 second, however in the case of manual mode the speed is up to 1/160 second. It does not support high speed sync.

16. What is the shutter design, horizontal, vertical, cloth, metal, etc.?
- The shutter is a vertical-running type, and metal.

General

17. Why is the GXR mount is slightly larger on the left-hand side compared to previous camera units. What is inside this part?.
- The motor for the shutter is contained in this area.

18. Will there be a new GXR body released, maybe with integrated OVF/EVF and rangefinder styling like the Fuji X100 or Epson RD1?
- There is no information.

19. What is the maximum weight of lens the mounting rails of the body can support?
- There is no official announcement or guarantee but we have tested up to 5kg.

20. Will a full-frame module be produced?
- There is no information.

21. Will it work with the VF-2 viewfinder? In other words, is the M mount module Live View capable?
- Yes, the VF-2 will work with the GXR mount.

Software

22. Will there be an option to manually enter the focal length/aperture to EXIF?
- Through the My Setting menu option the user can enter the following, lens name, focal length, and F value.

23. What video specs are supported, if any? Are we going to be able to use the special filters in the movie mode?
- Yes, video is supported, 1280x720 HD, 640x480 and 320x240. There is no special filter function, however peripheral illumination correction, colour shading correction, and distortion correction can be used also in movie mode.

24. Will there be any more effects coming via firmware?
- Yes, we will continue to release function enhancing firmware for the GXR system.

25. What exposure modes will be supported?
- Aperture priority AE and manual exposure function are the supported exposure modes. In case of aperture priority AE, user will need to manually adjust the aperture ring of the lens.

26. Can it do sequence capture? How many raw exposures can be made in sequence, and at what speed? How many JPEG captures can be made in sequence and at what speed? Is the interval shooting supported?
- Yes, sequence capture is possible. In RAW mode 4 images (with noise reduction off or weak) can be made in sequence. In JPEG, 2.2 frames/sec can be captured. Finally, interval shooting is also supported.

27. Does it support all the same GXR A12 format proportions?
- Yes, all format proportions available with the A12 28mm / A12 50mm camera units are supported with the GXR MOUNT A12.

Other

28. Following the acquisition of Pentax will there be a K module or any other mount modules?
- There is no additional information apart from the news release on the 1st of July.


Thanks to Ricoh for providing the answers.

Update 03/09/2011: Find below links to Ricoh's official FAQ pages with more answers.


GXR MOUNT A12 FAQ
http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/support/faq/bp/gxr/

Hardware specifications
http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/support/faq/bp/gxr/08/

Hardware operations
http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/support/faq/bp/gxr/08/index02.html

Accessories
http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/support/faq/bp/gxr/08/index03.html

Software / OS compatibility
http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/support/faq/bp/gxr/08/index04.html

Purchase/Repair/Other
http://www.ricoh.com/r_dc/support/faq/bp/gxr/08/index05.html

3rd Ricohforum Meetup

After the 3rd Ricoh meetup has been postponed we have rescheduled it for today.

Unfortunately Pavel could not make it for this meetup but this time we had both Tohru from Ricoh and Frazer from Alpha Digital attending. It has been great to see both again, especially together at a meet up.


The Bridge Lounge was as usual a great venue to meetup since despite the central location it is a very quiet and relaxed place in the moning to simply have some coffee and chat about cameras and photography.


It is always great to meet new people with the same interests, this time it was mostly GRD III and GRD II users attending. People enjoyed themselves and could share tips about the GRDs but also try the GXR system with all threee modules available for it.
Unfortunately only a few of the people who signed up for the meetup actually came, this is a shame and not so good considering both Tohru and Frazer had to travel in to London for this meetup.



For the last meetup we had a walk scheduled with stops along the way but this time I decided to see what people were up to and only had a final location planned with the Wapping Hydraulic Power Station. We took the long way there and went over Borough Market and the Tate Modern and back to Tower Bridge before heading towards Wapping.

500th Post :-)

CX1, f3.3, 1/32, ISO 1600, JPG, 28mm

Today, I reached my 500th post on my blog. I would not have thought I will get to 500 posts and certainly not by posting every day.

It was great so far and since starting the blog a lot has happened. I met some great people and fellow bloggers (see blogroll), have met some great people from Ricoh at Photokina 2008 and other occasions, had a factory tour kindly arranged by Ricoh and organized not one but two unofficial and one official Ricoh meet-ups in London and another one is coming up in just two days, I even started to write my own reviews about Ricoh cameras and accessories.

I really enjoy posting here and the comments I have recieved from people, both on the blog and via email, are what keep me going so thanks to all of you.

Everything started with the Ricoh GRD, that I carried around every day and just needed a reason to make use of it every day. This blog provides me with a very good reason to keep taking pictures and post here every day.

Ricoh GX200 Review – Part 8

Conclusion

Read on for the conclusion and to find a link to more sample images.

Ricoh GX200 Review – Part 7

Long Exposure Comparison

Let's see how the GX200, GRD I, GRD II and R10 compare at long exposures.

Ricoh GX200 Review – Part 6

High ISO Comparison

This part will compare the GX200 to the GX100, GX, GRD I and GRD II at ISO 400 and 1600. The LC1 only goes up to ISO 400 and has therefore been excluded from this test.

Ricoh GX200 Review – Part 5

Part 5 - Image Comparison GX200 vs. LC1, GRD II and GX100

This part focuses on the GX200 and the LC1. I also included the GX100 and the GRD II. The pictures as before are taken at ISO 100 in RAW.

Ricoh GX200 Review – Part 4

Part 4 - Image Comparison GX200 vs. GX100, GRD I and GRD II

This part will compare the GX200 with the GX100, GRD I and GRD II in JPG and RAW at ISO 100.

Ricoh GX200 Review – Part 3

Image Comparison GX200 vs. GX100, GX and R10

This part will focus on the image quality at ISO 100 between the GX200, GX100, GX and R10.

Ricoh GX200 Review – Part 2

Operation and Image Quality

In Part 1 I have looked at the build and controls and found both to be excellent. This is very good indeed but what about the actual picture taking operation. Having great controls is not enough if the camera does not perform otherwise and is slow to respond. So how does the GX200 perform when you're out taking pictures?

Ricoh GX200 Review – Part 1

If you are looking to purchase a camera that offers you full manual functions, a wide angle zoom lens starting at 24mm, RAW, offers the option to use a removable EVF and allows you to use AAA batteries in emergency situations you will have only two options, the Ricoh GX100 and GX200.
This review will look in-depth at the GX200, it is split in 8 parts and will cover the following:

Part 1 - Introduction, Build, Controls and Accessories
Part 2 - Operation and Picture Quality
Part 3 - Image Comparison GX200 vs. GX100, GX and R10
Part 4 - Image Comparison GX200 vs. GX100, GRD I and GRD II
Part 5 - Image Comparison GX200 vs. GX100, GRD II and Panasonic LC1
Part 6 - High Iso Comparison
Part 7 - Long Exposure Comparison
Part 8 - Conclusion & Samples

Ricoh R10 Review

If you've been reading my blog for a while you know that I really enjoyed using the Ricoh R10 and think it's a very nice camera. It is in my opinion the best R series camera so far and one of the best built cameras from Ricoh.
It follows Ricoh's tradition of cameras you enjoy using. This for me is the most important thing and way more important than silly features and even than image quality since none of these take good or interesting pictures. Read my full review of it here.