Ricoh GXR - Firmware Update 1.40 adds features!

[Godfrey]

That's very 80's - Just remember to turn it off again when you take an important shot.

That's where the user settings come in handy, some special way you use the camera from time to time, it saves a lot of menu diving.

I'd only turn it on when I needed it (which is very rare, really). Building it into a user config?

My usual problem is that I build a user config for something that I think will be worth saving and then a week later have completely forgotten what the settings in the user config were. I tend to use them only for short term jobs when I know I'm going to switch back and forth between two rather different setups often. Once I'm done, I delete the config.

Eh? It's just YMMV as usual. I use my cameras so simply most of the time it's more work to understand how to setup and use a config than it is to just set the camera the way I want.

 

[Braeside]

One thing the GRX has in its favour is that you can give the user settings a meaningful name, not just a number, so that does help a lot. Other cameras I have like the Sony A900 don't, so I end up either not using them or carrying a sheet of paper to remind me what each stored setting was for.

Anyway, they give us the choice whether we each want to use them or not, which is great.

 

[scho]

My GXR-M module finally arrived and I've just started working with the user config feature to store lens names with focal length and max aperture info in my storage boxes. There appears to be a bug that prevents the assigned lens name from being recorded in the raw dng file. However, lens name does get recorded in the jpeg exif file. I also opened a GXR A12-M dng file in CornerFix and the image was displayed properly but the log notes reported a warning: "Zero entry in LensInfo tag--should be undefined". Sounds like this confirms an exif recording bug, but I know nothing about how this is supposed to work.

 

[Godfrey]

My GXR-M module finally arrived and I've just started working with the user config feature to store lens names with focal length and max aperture info in my storage boxes. There appears to be a bug that prevents the assigned lens name from being recorded in the raw dng file. However, lens name does get recorded in the jpeg exif file. I also opened a GXR A12-M dng file in CornerFix and the image was displayed properly but the log notes reported a warning: "Zero entry in LensInfo tag--should be undefined". Sounds like this confirms an exif recording bug, but I know nothing about how this is supposed to work.

I took an exposure with the Ultron 28mm f/2 and checked out the paired DNG and JPG files' EXIF data with EXIFtool.

DNG file:
DNGLensInfo: 0mm f/?
FNumber: 2.0
FocalLength: 28.0 mm
LensID: Mount A12
Model: GXR MOUNT A12

JPEG file:
FNumber: 2.0
FocalLength: 28.0 mm
LensID: Mount A12
LensInfo: 0mm f/?
LensMake:
LensModel: Ultron 28mm f/2
Model: GXR MOUNT A12 : Ultron 28mm f/2
​

From this you can see that there are definitely some incongruities between the DNG and JPEG files with respect to how lenses are annotated in the EXIF data. The DNGLensInfo token should have at least the "28mm" data in it, I'd have to look up what else is valid information for that token.

 

[scho]

I took an exposure with the Ultron 28mm f/2 and checked out the paired DNG and JPG files' EXIF data with EXIFtool.

DNG file:
DNGLensInfo: 0mm f/?
FNumber: 2.0
FocalLength: 28.0 mm
LensID: Mount A12
Model: GXR MOUNT A12

JPEG file:
FNumber: 2.0
FocalLength: 28.0 mm
LensID: Mount A12
LensInfo: 0mm f/?
LensMake:
LensModel: Ultron 28mm f/2
Model: GXR MOUNT A12 : Ultron 28mm f/2
​

From this you can see that there are definitely some incongruities between the DNG and JPEG files with respect to how lenses are annotated in the EXIF data. The DNGLensInfo token should have at least the "28mm" data in it, I'd have to look up what else is valid information for that token.

Thanks Godfrey. That is consistent with what I'm seeing as well. I sent Sandy (CornerFix author) a DNG file containing lens info from the GXR-M with a 21 Skopar. He looked at the file and his comments were as follows:

"The lens name is there. Sort of. It's in the Ricoh MakerNotes. (CV 21MM F/4 COLOR-SKOPAR) But unfortunately, unless you're running software that understands Ricoh MakerNotes, that won't help much!!!!

Why Ricoh chose not to put it in a EXIF tag I don't know."

 

[Godfrey]

Yeah, that's weird. I looked at the DNG file on disk with a hex editor and found it (in my case, "Ultron 28mm f/2").

I'm filing a bug/enhancement request with Ricoh to reflect what is currently in the JPEG LensModel tag into the JPEG LensInfo and DNG DNGLensInfo tags. I don't know whether the full LensModel string can be fitted into the DNGLensInfo tag, though.

 

[scho]

Yeah, that's weird. I looked at the DNG file on disk with a hex editor and found it (in my case, "Ultron 28mm f/2").

I'm filing a bug/enhancement request with Ricoh to reflect what is currently in the JPEG LensModel tag into the JPEG LensInfo and DNG DNGLensInfo tags. I don't know whether the full LensModel string can be fitted into the DNGLensInfo tag, though.

Thanks, I hope Ricoh does make this correction.

 

[scho]

Thanks, I hope Ricoh does make this correction.

Ricoh comes through again! The latest release 1.44 now correctly writes the MY1-MY3 recorded Lens Names to dng exif.

 

[Godfrey]

Ricoh comes through again! The latest release 1.44 now correctly writes the MY1-MY3 recorded Lens Names to dng exif.

Great, that's good to know!

 

[Agnius]

I am eagerly awaiting for my GXR M-Modul. Exciting times ahead!

 

[wstam]

My GXR-M module finally arrived and I've just started working with the user config feature to store lens names with focal length and max aperture info in my storage boxes. There appears to be a bug that prevents the assigned lens name from being recorded in the raw dng file. However, lens name does get recorded in the jpeg exif file. I also opened a GXR A12-M dng file in CornerFix and the image was displayed properly but the log notes reported a warning: "Zero entry in LensInfo tag--should be undefined". Sounds like this confirms an exif recording bug, but I know nothing about how this is supposed to work.

Hi, I am new here. I just bought the GXR with m-mount over the weekend. I have been trying to see where to store the names of lenses in the menu but just couldn't find it. Don't think it's mentioned in the manual too. Can someone point me to where can I do that?

Thanks.

 

[scho]

Hi, I am new here. I just bought the GXR with m-mount over the weekend. I have been trying to see where to store the names of lenses in the menu but just couldn't find it. Don't think it's mentioned in the manual too. Can someone point me to where can I do that?

Thanks.

Start at Key custom options > Edit my settings>MY 1 to MY3. Here you can store info for 3 lenses that can be readily selected within the top dial on the camera. Also, you can store data for up to 6 additional lenses in the My settings box. Settings in the latter location can be recalled to MY1, MY2, or MY3.

 

[Godfrey]

Hi, I am new here. I just bought the GXR with m-mount over the weekend. I have been trying to see where to store the names of lenses in the menu but just couldn't find it. Don't think it's mentioned in the manual too. Can someone point me to where can I do that?

Thanks.

The custom settings procedure involves interaction of three commands: "Reg. My Settings", "Edit My Settings", and "Recall My Settings". The documentation for this is in the Ricoh GXR body manual, starting on page 129 in the US English version under "Key Custom Options". The A12 Camera Mount and Firmware 1.40 adds the ability to save Lens Name, Focal Length and F-aperture to a settings bundle with the "Edit My Settings" command as well as the ability to save six settings bundles both to a Box storage repository in the camera unit as well as to a files on the storage card (documented in the A12 Camera Mount Instruction Manual at page 38).

You can recall any settings bundle and register it to one of the MY1, MY2 and MY3 selector locations from either in-camera Box or files stored on Card. You can transfer the settings bundle files stored on Card to other cards by copying the MYSETTINGS folder from the Card's root folder and pasting it onto each of your storage cards.

To set up my lens configurations, this is what I do:

- Set up the camera functions as I want them

- "Reg. My Settings" to a location in Box or Card

- "Edit My Settings" on each bundle, naming them and installing the lens name, focal length and aperture value (I always use the lens maximum aperture).

- "Recall My Settings" to copy settings bundles from Box or Card to MY1, MY2 or MY3. The recall operation copies over the any existing settings bundle.

Do it once or twice and it becomes easy. It took me a bit to figure it out the first time.

 

[wstam]

Hi Carl and Godfrey, thanks for the replies. I managed to setup it up. Appreciate it.

It's an effort to remember to set the MY1/2/3 with every lens change, especially when I have more than 3 lens. Sometime I forgot what were set for the MY1/2/3

Tks.

 

[Godfrey]

It's an effort to remember to set the MY1/2/3 with every lens change, especially when I have more than 3 lens. Sometime I forgot what were set for the MY1/2/3

Glad to help.

I almost never carry more than two lenses unless I'm traveling, and then I carry three. I set up my camera for the Skopar 21, Nokton 40 and M-Rokkor 90 about October 9 and haven't changed the My Settings from that yet. Easy to get into the habit of "change lens, set mode" once you stop experimenting with different lenses and get on with making photographs... ;-)