The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Re-discovering the GX-100

jonoslack

Active member
HI There
I had a GX-100 briefly last summer, but hardly got to grips with it before it got involved with a complex noctilux swap and disappeared from my life.
Using the D-lux3 (which I love), reading this forum and Sean Reid's reviews made me interested again. Then Aperture 2 came out so the RAW files are now supported. The final straw was a trip to focus on imaging in the UK - the GX-100 was on a special deal, and ten minutes playing with a DP-1 convinced me that I really didn't want one.

So - it kind of slipped out of my bank account and into the bag!
It's much more fun than I remembered - great for black and white, great for macro, and the image stabilisation really seems to work.

here are a few first photos:

a chaotic kitchen at 400 ISO :


Anemones at 1/10th second - tungsten light, auto WB f2.7



Camelia at 1/6th second - again, artificial light AWB



Oranges and a wrinkled pepper - sunlight through the window:



snappy black and white:



All processed directly from RAW in Aperture 2

At some point I guess I'll have to decide whether to keep this or the D-lux3 . . .but there's no hurry:)
 
M

Mitch Alland

Guest
...At some point I guess I'll have to decide whether to keep this or the D-lux3...
I think want to do is to rush back into your chaotic kitchen before it gets all cleaned and take a comparison shot wth the D-Lux-3!

My take on this is that I like the handling characteristics of the GX100 are better, particularly the stepped zoom. In terms of the files, the GX100 is much better at high ISOs: the D-Lux-3 is useless at ISO 1600 and unpredictable at ISO 800. At ISO 100-400 the D-Lux-3 files are sharper and somewhat more contrasty, while the GX100 files need to be sharpened a lot more, for example, exhibit textures well — but the files usually take well to aggressive sharpening.

BTW, I like the tonalities in your last picture. Here are some more:


GX100 at ISO 800



GX100 at ISO 100



D-Lux-3 at IS0 100



And if anyone reading this is exploring the possibility of getting a GX100, here are a couple of series shot with this camera:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/sets/72157603089594785/show/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/sets/72157602093920518/show/

—Mitch/Bangkok
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/
 
M

Mitch Alland

Guest
Nah, I still have it as I haven't been able to get myself to sell it — and I'm ashamed to admit that I really like the retro, brown Leica belt-case for it.

Indeed, I'm feeling so nostalgic now that I hope Jono will forgive me — onegaishimasu — for posting the following D-Lux-3 pictures here, as I don't mean to turn this thread to "rediscovering the D-Lux-3":


Nanking




Zambia




Katanga (DRC)




Zambia [gotta have at least one high-contrast picture]




—Mitch/Bangkok
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/
 
Last edited:

Cindy Flood

Super Moderator
High contrast, I guess! Those zebra stripes play tricks with my eyes.

From what I can see all three cameras are great tools in talented hands.
There are some really beautiful shots in this thread.
 

Brian Mosley

New member
Hi Jono,

I missed the Ricoh stand completely! doh!

How much did you get the GX100 for? and how would you say it compares to the GRD2?

Beautiful B&W work Mitch, what did you think to the DP1 ISO3200 / ISO6400 B&W shots posted recently?

Kind Regards

Brian
 
M

Mitch Alland

Guest
...Beautiful B&W work Mitch, what did you think to the DP1 ISO3200 / ISO6400 B&W shots posted recently?...
Brian, thanks for the kind words. I haven't looked at the DP1 things at all because, rather than looking at files from a beta version, I prefer to wait until the camera is out and we get some real user reports, not to speak of a Sean Reid review. While I'm open minded on the DP1, I have to say that I'm not that interested a camera limited to f/4.0 and ISO 800, although if it can be pushed to higher ISOs that could be interesting.

Also, I'm not the right person to ask about the DP1 because, basically I like the "35mm aesthetic" rather than a medium formal look, which means that I shoot small sensor cameras because they draw in a sketchier way and have rougher tonal transitions — therefore I;m not looking for better image quality as such: to me the GRD2 at 200 is "to smooth" and at ISO 400 it's almost going too far in smoothness and I have a tendency to rough up the files to get the look that I want. For example, in the GX100/ISO 800 picture above of the fishmonger I wouldn't want either more resolution or smoother gradation: I like it as it is.

—Mitch/Bangkok
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/
 

jonoslack

Active member
I think want to do is to rush back into your chaotic kitchen before it gets all cleaned and take a comparison shot wth the D-Lux-3!
HI Mitch
Thanks for the advice - I'll do just that . . . not sure that I need to hurry THAT much though!
That was a really useful summary of the differences - I'm sure that others will find it useful too.
My feelings about such things change all the time, but I must say, ease of use is very high on my priorities, in that most of these files can be beaten into some kind of shape in post processing!
Lovely shots as usual - I especially like the fish shop
 

jonoslack

Active member
Nah, I still have it as I haven't been able to get myself to sell it — and I'm ashamed to admit that I really like the retro, brown Leica belt-case for it.
Lovely isn't it. I don't think mine is going anywhere soon either - the longer focal length is also useful sometimes.

Indeed, I'm feeling so nostalgic now that I hope Jono will forgive me — onegaishimasu — for posting the following D-Lux-3 pictures here, as I don't mean to turn this thread to "rediscovering the D-Lux-3":
Absolutely no forgiveness necessary - I hadn't seen these - the falls and the zebra are both stunning. I must get out more (he says, looking through the window at the drab grey english February).

The thread was anyway intended as another way of looking at the pros and cons of the two cameras (which definitely compete with each other, but not so much with the GRD and DP1)
 

jonoslack

Active member
Hi Jono,

I missed the Ricoh stand completely! doh!

How much did you get the GX100 for? and how would you say it compares to the GRD2?

Beautiful B&W work Mitch, what did you think to the DP1 ISO3200 / ISO6400 B&W shots posted recently?

Kind Regards

Brian
HI Brian
There wasn't one - but everybody seemed to have them - I got it for £299 including the viewfinder and some memory.
I can't compare it with the GRDII, as my restraint just stopped me from buying both! Still, I've read Sean's review and it seems to me that the advantages of the GRDII are mainly down to the lens:
less distortion (obviously)
more micro contrast.

The advantages of the GX100 are:
convenience (with the zoom)
better (noisier but no smearing) jpg files

for me that about sums it up.
 

Photon-hunter

New member
AHHRGG! I am most surely purchasing next week and still haven´t been able of making my mind..will it be the GX100 or GRDII??. One day I am sure it will be the one and the next....and then you people have to bring this thread up!!!

This is a severe case of "paralisys by analisys"..PLEASE, somebody make this decision for me..:cry::cry::cry:
E.
 

jonoslack

Active member
This is a severe case of "paralisys by analisys"..PLEASE, somebody make this decision for me..:cry::cry::cry:
E.
Ho Hum
I can nearly make it for you.

If you want
1. no distortion at all (barrel or otherwise)
2. the maximum microcontrast the lens can manage
3. the minimum size

Then get the GRDII

If you want
1. an interesting and useful lens range without add ons
2. fantastic macro facility (it really is very very good)
3. excellent quality jpg files (grain rather than smear)

then get the GX100

I'm not really sure that the rest is terribly significant.
for me it's the zoom range and the macro facility that counts, hence the GX100.
 

jonoslack

Active member
What to do when it's tonking down with rain, windy and very cold . . . . park one's cold bottom on the AGA and take pictures of one's feet?



Ah - there's a dried out orange, and a lime, time for the macro mode:





Cooking pots? of course!



All shots at ISO 80
feet handheld at 1/2 second
fruit at 1/9th and 1/11th
pot at 1/9th
gosh! the macro mode works, and so does the image stabilisation!
 

jonoslack

Active member
Hey Jono, where is the thin red line between teasing and being helpfull?? :cool:

E.
:p I haven't a clue - I was trying to be helpful though - The GRDII is definitely the cool choice (and more expensive). But I'm a sad old fool who doesn't care for cool, so I always go for 'practical'.:angel:
 
Top