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.

Dusk in the City

GXR A16, f7.1, 1/1230, ISO 200, RAW, 80mm

Spying

GXR A16, f6.3, 1/270, ISO 200, RAW, 80mm

Arundel Cathedral

GXR A16, f7.5, 1/203, ISO 200, RAW, 35mm

Foggy

GXR A16, f7.1, 1/330, ISO 200, JPG, 85mm

Red Umbrella

GXR A16, f6.7, 1/540, ISO 200, RAW, 35mm

Pushing It

GXR A16, f6.8, 1/330, ISO 200, RAW, 50mm

Tree in the Front

GXR A16, f6.3, 1/233, ISO 200, JPG, 24mm

Checking the Timetable

GXR A16, f4.1, 1/125, ISO 766, JPG, 35mm

Escalator

GXR A16, f4.8, 1/125, ISO 320, JPG, 70mm

What's On?

GXR A16, f5.5, 1/97, ISO 3200, JPG, 70mm

Window View

GXR A16, f4.1, 1/125, ISO 16385, JPG, 35mm

A Duck in the Fountain

GXR A16, f5.7, 1/125, ISO 383, JPG, 80mm

Mercedes

GXR A16, f3.9, 1/125, ISO 1903, JPG, 28mm

Cycling

GXR A16, f5.4, 1/540, ISO 200, JPG, 70mm

Windows

GXR A16, f5.7, 1/760, ISO 200, JPG, 85mm

Took this on my way to work in our Frankfurt office. I like taking architecture pictures of modern buildings in the morning of evening when you get all the reflections of the low sun.

Impressions from Munich

Spent the day in Munich for client meetings and had some time for photography. It is actually quite convenient to just have a kit lens module along with AF and a silent shutter for the times you don't have time or are in the mood for real photography. The module performed very well and got some very nice results although it does tend to underexpose at times.

Sitting and Watching

GXR A16, f5.5, 1/810, ISO 200, JPG, 50mm

The image quality of the A16 Zoom is very good and it is silent in operation.
The feel of the module is something I still don't like as it feels to plasticky but the upside is that it is light and carrying it around is not a problem.

A16 Zoom First impressions

Today, I got a sample of the new GXR A16 Zoom module. It is a 'kit-lens' module for the GXR sporting a 24-85mm lens and a 16MP APS sensor without AA filter, unfortunately the lens is not very bright at f3.5-5.5 and the APS sensor only has a max. ISO of 3200.

Still, let's look at how it actually performs since specs alone are meaningless in actual real world use.

This is just a first hand impression and I have simply taken pictures with it so it will not be very analytical.

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.