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The ricoh rival


Guest stnami

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Guest malland
Looks a bit gimmicky to me. I think I am still attracted to the simplicity of the X1.
Gimmicky? This looks like a brilliant concept and think that Ricoh have gone off in an exciting direction here. A major benefit of this system is that it provides the user with the same interface for widely different lens/sensor combinations. This, to me, is a great plus because I find switching between different digital cameras can be confusing: not like switching between two film cameras, like a Leica-M and a Nikon-F, for example. So, now, one will be able to use different camera formats, while maintaining the same user interface.

 

As for the X1, if the image and lems quality of the X1 is the what we have seen up till now and that of the Ricoh GWR with the 50mm-Macro module is what it seems to be, then the latter will be a veritable X1-killer.

 

—Mitch/Bangkok

Walks in Bangkok (GRD3)

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Not buying it Rob but I do like their photocopiers

 

........... the images still have that heavy, flat, lifeless feel about them, no depth not zip adee zoodah. Conversion to black and white not there unless you get rid of some of the mid tones and tweak the contrast and drop a couple of buckets of simulated grain on the images to give them life........they seem to need the the old mouth to mouth resus.......... The old 8080 oly sensor was like this

 

The x1 images seem to have a better starting point

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........... the images still have that heavy, flat, lifeless feel about them, no depth not zip adee zoodah. Conversion to black and white not there unless you get rid of some of the mid tones and tweak the contrast and drop a couple of buckets of simulated grain on the images to give them life........they seem to need the the old mouth to mouth resus.......... The old 8080 oly sensor was like this

 

The x1 images seem to have a better starting point

 

well, if anyone can do mouth to mouth, it's you...

 

still, i disagree with you completely on the image quality. but then, i actually like the fact that it's kind of flat -- it gives me a much better canvas to work on...

 

btw, the image i played with was from Ricoh's site -- though i don't usually care much for their samples either.

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Interesting idea but I'm not convinced - having to buy a sensor and shutter with every lens, the difference sensor sizes and characteristics, seems a complicated and expensive solution to a relatively simple 'problem'.

 

Once again you can use a viewfinder or a separate flash unit, but not both. Why?

 

I do like the fixed lens design of the 50mm and manual focus ring, however, which Leica really should have adopted for the X1 IMHO.

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Yea lots of people like the ricoh results especially the bnw, colour is probably not as too impressive. The files are easy to manipulate, work and only need that touch of contrast of get that film like quality.

 

They chickened out in showing high iso images with the smaller sensor images

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hmmmm .... that is nice set of images !

true, they were generally taken at lower ISO levels than the previous X1 sample, and the lens / sensor combo's have to be expensive, but again ..... that's a really nice set of images.

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Looks a bit gimmicky to me. I think I am still attracted to the simplicity of the X1.

 

I agree... these are two totally seperate and distinct cameras IMHO. The Ricoh doesn't have the elegance of the Leica... no dedicated shutter speed and aperture dials, etc. It's just a bit strange.

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I agree... these are two totally seperate and distinct cameras IMHO. The Ricoh doesn't have the elegance of the Leica... no dedicated shutter speed and aperture dials, etc. It's just a bit strange.

 

no, but you can actually focus with the lens. that to me is true elegance. :p

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So, now, one will be able to use different camera formats, while maintaining the same user interface.

 

Even more, you can travel with different "modules" and the same batteries and chargers...

 

As for the X1, if the image and lems quality of the X1 is the what we have seen up till now and that of the Ricoh GWR with the 50mm-Macro module is what it seems to be, then the latter will be a veritable X1-killer.

 

I don't think so. Leica X1's lens is a wide angle, it is also a macro lens, but designed by Leica. The lens quality will be very high. The total cost of the Ricoh's system (body + module) is high too. I agree there is some competition now, and micro 4/3 also are some kind of competition for the X1, but not a "killer".

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no, but you can actually focus with the lens. that to me is true elegance. :p

 

True...that is good. But this thing is ugly as hell and I'm a bit shallow. The images look great though. I wish they would have just made a wide angle GR Digital IV with a large sensor to be honest. I'm still an X1 fan...

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True...that is good. But this thing is ugly as hell and I'm a bit shallow. The images look great though. I wish they would have just made a wide angle GR Digital IV with a large sensor to be honest. I'm still an X1 fan...

LOL! it is ugly, there's no denying that...

 

i do not think it will be an X1 killer, either, but for me it's no contest now: i'm lusting after the Ricoh.

 

it might not look as pretty in my hands, but the images from the 50 do it for me. they even look a little more Leica-ish if you muck around with them... i still want to see more high (and higher) ISO shots though.

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Guest malland
...the images still have that heavy, flat, lifeless feel about them, no depth not zip adee zoodah. Conversion to black and white not there unless you get rid of some of the mid tones and tweak the contrast and drop a couple of buckets of simulated grain on the images to give them life........they seem to need the the old mouth to mouth resus......

 

The x1 images seem to have a better starting point

Imants:

 

Although I haven't worked with either X1 or GXR/50mm files, my impression is that the latter may be better. As to Ricoh GRDx files, I have found the GRD3 ones to be a substantial improvement over those of the GRD2, as you can see in my GRD3 review.

 

—Mitch/Bangkok

Flickr: Mitch Alland's Photostream

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An interesting piece of outside-the-box engineering! And ammunition for those who dream of being able to constantly upgrade sensors (although it needs a bit of work, since I'd prefer to not have to constantly upgrade my lenses, too! ;) )

 

Interesting idea but I'm not convinced - having to buy a sensor and shutter with every lens, the difference sensor sizes and characteristics, seems a complicated and expensive solution to a relatively simple 'problem'.

 

Once again you can use a viewfinder or a separate flash unit, but not both. Why?

 

I do like the fixed lens design of the 50mm and manual focus ring, however, which Leica really should have adopted for the X1 IMHO.

 

I agree with Andy and James, definitely an interesting and innovative concept, but it might have been even more so with independently interchangeable sensor and lens modules.

 

This new market segment (EVIL/Hybrid/large sensor compacts) seems to be growing, with Panasonic/Olympus (Micro 4/3rds), Sigma, Ricoh and Leica all involved plus Samsung and Sony rumoured to be just over the horizon .

How long might it be then, before the Nikon and Canon big guns decide to give this sector both barrels? And if they do what might they be capable of? Interesting times ahead I think.

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In looking closely at the sample images I think the Ricoh images are clearly superior to the X1 images and the bokeh and the CA of the lens is substantially better. The ISO 1600 images were much cleaner, even in the shadows. In the high contrast images the dynamic range seemed much better and no sign of fringing or CA at full resolution and greater. Further, these were beta version and X1 was production version.

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