The GRD2 — An Appreciation

[Mitch Alland]

When I first got the GRD2 in early December my initial reaction, posted here, was that I preferred the grainy look of GRD files, particularly at ISO 200. However, I soon got to like the new camera and changed my assessment and began to prefer it to its first version. As I really do like the GRD2 a lot I thought I should post here a selection of pictures at various speeds and some comments on the camera. Basically, I only use RAW files I should mention the obvious, that the RAW write speed of the new camera is excellent: about three seconds, and that you can shoot two pictures in quick succession and then it takes about four seconds to write both files. I have posted most of these pictures in other threads, but thought it still useful to put them together here to illustrate what one can do with this camera.

The speed that I like on the GRD2 for street photography is ISO 400, which can be a bit fast the very harsh and bright light of Bangkok; but last Monday while waiting for a friend I shot some pictures at ISO 200 by mistake, as I had inadvertently turned the camera on at the MY2 setting rather than at MY1, which is set to ISO 400. However, I found that by judicious sharpening I get the "bite" or the somewhat grainy look that I want. I also found that I much prefer doing this through sharpening than by artificially inserting grain using Alien Skin Exposure because I like the results much better.

I've posted the above two pictures to illustrate another point: usually I use LightZone for RAW conversion and post-processing, but in these two pictures the background is very bright and results in completely blown highlights when using LightZone. While that look works for the type of high-contrast prints I usually make, I thought that these two pictures "shouted" too much, and went back to the two DNG files and used Aperture 2 to recover the highlights because its Recover tool is much more effective than those in Lightroom and LightZone. After that I did some selective dodging and burning in LightZone. I think Aperture 2 would be a fantastic image editor if it had the facility for making selections with the ease of LightZone, which is much better in this respect than Photoshop.


Here are a couple of more pictures shot the same afternoon at ISO 200:

A word about focusing. For street photography the auto-focus mechanism is too slow, which is the reason that I used shoot with the SNAP pre-focus facility that focuses the camera at 2.5m. However, many of my photos are shot very close to the subject, at a distance of 1.0-2.5m, I now use the MF setting and switch between focus at 1.0m and 2.5m. It would be good for future versions of the GRD cameras to have a focus wheel like the Sigma DP1, with detents at several distances.

As I've reported in another posting I like both the GW-1 21mm EFL wide-converter and the 40mm EFL tele-converter. Although the latter sometimes produces some flare when shot into the light, this hasn't bothered me because usually the flare is in the bottom left corner (in my shots) and in that type of picture I often like to apply vignetting to darken the corners anyway. Here are couple of portraits shot with the GT-1 tele-convertters, the first one at ISO 400 and the second one at ISO 800:

Finally, here are some pictures shot at night with the GT-1 tele-converter at ISO 1600, which is a speed that I also like on the GRD2. When I shot them I had the aperture (by mistake) set at f/4.0 rather than at f/2.4, which forced me to use some very slow shutter speeds. In the pictures below I really like the results of the camera or subject motion. Forgive me for posting so many of these ISO 1600 pictures, but I really like them.

continued in next post...

 

[Mitch Alland]

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

 

[Per Ofverbeck]

An impressive set of images, indeed!

Mitch, I wonder how many GRD II´s has been sold as a result of people seeing your results using it?

Nobody knows, but it´s a lot, I´m sure.... At times, you make me question my own recent decision to go with the Dlux 3.

Important thing to remember, however: it´s the person holding the camera, not the box itself....:lecture:

 

[cam]

An impressive set of images, indeed!

Mitch, I wonder how many GRD II´s has been sold as a result of people seeing your results using it?

Mitch is responsible for many people getting the original GRD as well, for which i am forever indebted! it was posts like these that got me to look at the GRDs in the first place and they're absolutely invaluable for people trying to make a decision.

******************

gorgeous summary, Mitch! it's wonderful to see how you've grown and adapted the GRDII to work for you. (i, too, prefer to push the natural grain but Alien Skin is occasionally fun to add.)

have you picked up the GRD at all lately? or are you just completely sold on the II?

 

[Brian Mosley]

Beautiful work Mitch, let me know when your book comes out... I'd like an autographed copy please!

Kind Regards

Brian

 

[Player]

Mitch, I wonder how many GRD II´s has been sold as a result of people seeing your results using it?

This thought hit a homerun with me.

I first caught a glimpse of the GRD2 in a little advertisement/blurb at The Online Photographer. This piqued my interest. Eventually, I found my way to the Ricoh DPReview forum and discovered the work of Mr. Alland. I was pretty much programmed to believe that small sensor cameras were merely toys, and that serious photography begins with an APS-C sensored camera.

After having discovered Mitch's work, and then reading ignorant posts/articles from a so-called photography expert, who completely dismisses small sensor cameras, I began to become offended by this expert's blowhard rantings and complaints about the nonexistence of point 'n' shoot types of cameras with APS-C sensors. I'm certainly not opposed to large sensors in small cameras, but if Mitch's photography allowed me to open my mind to the truth about certain small sensor cameras, then why couldn't this "expert" open his mind as well? And it's amazing how prevalent is the notion that small sensor cameras, bar none, are just toys.

In a convoluted way, the point is that, YES, Mitch absolutely inspired me to acquire a GRD2. And the result is that my small sensor GRD2 is just as important a serious tool as my Nikon SLRs. To go one step further, I have very little interest in a camera like the DP1 because the Ricoh offerings are ideal for the applications they were designed for. Digital 35mm film quality in a small package. Perfect!

 

[kai.e.g.]

Must say the same applies to me, too (echoing Player's comments above). I was fairly dismissive of compact digitals, based partly on much earlier experience with them, coupled with a misplaced obsession with noiseless imagery. The latter was particularly misplaced considering I have often added noise/grain in PP to otherwise clean B&W dSLR photos I've taken! Mitch's work has played a pretty big part in turning my head around, but so has the work of many others here on this particular board, as well as the various flickr streams dedicated to GRD, GX100, LX & even G9 cameras.

 

[Mitch Alland]

Thanks for the kind words Per, Cam, Brian and Player.

Yes, Player, it's funny about Mike Johnston — I know him since the days of the old Computerserve Photo Forum, which had some very good contributors — because in the old days he understood and liked the "35mm aesthetic", but no more now it seems. A very good writer, I wish he could do a lot more interesting things than running a blog for his main endeavour — what a waste! I used to post in the comment section of his blog but no more: for one, I don't like the idea of having all comments having to be approved, which is a type of censorship, unlike a moderated forum like this one; and the format and the delay in having the postings approved destroys the possibility of real discussion among the participants. But he does write well and often has an interesting point of view, when he feels like it.

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

 

[Per Ofverbeck]

.... I was pretty much programmed to believe that small sensor cameras were merely toys, and that serious photography begins with an APS-C sensored camera.

.....

In a convoluted way, the point is that, YES, Mitch absolutely inspired me to acquire a GRD2. And the result is that my small sensor GRD2 is just as important a serious tool as my Nikon SLRs. To go one step further, I have very little interest in a camera like the DP1 because the Ricoh offerings are ideal for the applications they were designed for. Digital 35mm film quality in a small package. Perfect!

Indeed. I don´t know if you subscribe to Sean Reid´s web site ( http://www.reidreviews.com/reidreviews/ ), but Sean is an eloquent defender of small sensor cameras. First, his revews of the Digilux 2 were part of what made me buy one, and then sell my Canon dSLR and use the Digilux for almost 3 years (still use it), and now they helped me when trying to decide between the Dlux 3, the two Ricoh´s, or the Canon G9.

It was on Sean´s site that I first saw Mitch Alland´s work, and it was there I read about this (GetDPI) site. A very, very valuable resource!

 

[Player]

Thanks for the kind words Per, Cam, Brian and Player.

Yes, Player, it's funny about Mike Johnston — I know him since the days of the old Computerserve Photo Forum, which had some very good contributors — because in the old days he understood and liked the "35mm aesthetic", but no more now it seems. A very good writer, I wish he could do a lot more interesting things than running a blog for his main endeavour — what a waste! I used to post in the comment section of his blog but no more: for one, I don't like the idea of having all comments having to be approved, which is a type of censorship, unlike a moderated forum like this one; and the format and the delay in having the postings approved destroys the possibility of real discussion among the participants. But he does write well and often has an interesting point of view, when he feels like it.

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

Wow Mitch, small world. I used to frequent CompuServe PhotoForum too. Many eons ago. Probably in the early to mid-90s. It was great! I used to really enjoy talking to Roger Hicks and Ctein. I doubt we'll ever see anything like that again. Times have changed. Mike was the editor of PhotoTechniques then.

And yes, Mike is an outstanding writer, although in the past couple years he's ticked me off. I guess I must have ticked him off too because he banned me from his site. I didn't insult anyone personally, just different viewpoints on my part that he couldn't stand, I guess. It's not much of a loss to me since I find the cronyism, snobbishness, and elitism, very distasteful, actually infuriating. And life's too short to be getting worked-up over a minor entity like his website (see, I'm still p*****).

Anyway, this latest thread by you has really brought your feelings together about the GRD(2). I'm very grateful you shared them, and thanks!

 

[Player]

Indeed. I don´t know if you subscribe to Sean Reid´s web site ( http://www.reidreviews.com/reidreviews/ ), but Sean is an eloquent defender of small sensor cameras. First, his revews of the Digilux 2 were part of what made me buy one, and then sell my Canon dSLR and use the Digilux for almost 3 years (still use it), and now they helped me when trying to decide between the Dlux 3, the two Ricoh´s, or the Canon G9.

It was on Sean´s site that I first saw Mitch Alland´s work, and it was there I read about this (GetDPI) site. A very, very valuable resource!

Actually, I had referenced a comment by Sean, about small sensors, at TOP, trying to make a point about the validity of the format. It fell on deaf ears. Mitch and Sean have been very influential to many, I'm sure (myself included), especially Mitch's pictures (where the rubber meets the road).

 

[Mitch Alland]

Yes, that Compuserve forum was the best photo group ever. In addition to the people you mention, in the early nineties as you say, there were Bill Pierce, Bruce Fraser, Phil Davis, Jeff Segawa, Andrew Rodney, Carl Weese and many other interesting participants.

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

 

[Guy Mancuso]

Well from the owners of GetDPI we love having Mitch here on our site, he brings a wealth of knowledge and talent to it everyday he posts. Between him and Sean the small sensor forum was born. We all benefit from that.:salute:

 

[Player]

Yes, that Compuserve forum was the best photo group ever. In addition to the people you mention, in the early nineties as you say, there were Bill Pierce, Bruce Fraser, Phil Davis, Jeff Segawa, Andrew Rodney, Carl Weese and many other interesting participants.

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

Exactly, and Shutterbug folks like Bob Shell and David Brooks.

Even Henry Posner of B&H Photo, who was an absolute wealth of photo knowledge.

Some of the discussions were breathtaking, and sometimes civily contentious. My photo knowledge increased exponentially. The good 'ol days!

 

[Mitch Alland]

Thanks, Guy — and I must that this intelligently moderated forum is a very hospitable host for this small sensor forum. There's nothing like it elsewhere.

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

 

[scott kirkpatrick]

Actually, I had referenced a comment by Sean, about small sensors, at TOP, trying to make a point about the validity of the format. It fell on deaf ears. Mitch and Sean have been very influential to many, I'm sure (myself included), especially Mitch's pictures (where the rubber meets the road).

I've posted comments at TOP and even had some of them inflate into little unpaid articles. I've watched Mike J become a fairly consistent defender of the 4/3 system cameras -- I think it is his allegiance to Olympus' lens design that keeps him hooked, not the efficient imager size. But his tendency to attitude can be off-putting. I wrote an article for TOP on Leica's travails and its involvement with the web forums. The give and take of working out technical problems in a new product area appealed to me; to Mike, I think it was pure schadenfreude. But the guy sure can write.

I first saw the GR-D at work in Sean's review, and loved the pictures it makes. Found Mitch's work later. I am not quite the Moriyamaphile that he is.

scott

 

[Mitch Alland]

So, Scott, what's there not to like about Moriyama? No, just kidding!

—Mitch/Bangkok

 

[trisberg]

Mitch and Sean have definitely played a big role in me getting the GRD2. I remember reading about the GRD when it came out and thought that it looked like the perfect camera for me. Reading the reviews at the time complaining about the noise etc made me rethink. It wasn't until later that I saw some excellent work done with this camera and when the GRD2 came out with its faster raw writes I took the plunge.

Have been very happy so far and I'm trying to adopt a looser style with this small camera. I must say though that I was a bit disappointed at first looking at the raw files in Lightroom. They didn't look that great compared to raw files from my Canon 30D. After some sharpening and other pp they look pretty good now and the prints look excellent.

Here are two examples of my recent work with the GRD2:

 

[Player]

I've posted comments at TOP and even had some of them inflate into little unpaid articles. I've watched Mike J become a fairly consistent defender of the 4/3 system cameras -- I think it is his allegiance to Olympus' lens design that keeps him hooked, not the efficient imager size. But his tendency to attitude can be off-putting. I wrote an article for TOP on Leica's travails and its involvement with the web forums. The give and take of working out technical problems in a new product area appealed to me; to Mike, I think it was pure schadenfreude. But the guy sure can write.

I first saw the GR-D at work in Sean's review, and loved the pictures it makes. Found Mitch's work later. I am not quite the Moriyamaphile that he is.

scott

Hi Scott, it doesn't seem to make sense to try to give traction to the 4/3 sensor unless you were promoting the company that used that sensor. The APS-C sensors can easily be 4/3 by cropping, discarding data, yet 4/3 can never be APS-C. If someone is sneaky and underhanded, does it matter how well they can string sentences together? I don't want to read it.

 

[asabet]

Mitch, I enjoyed your thoughts and photos here. Always interesting and insightful.

I think Aperture 2 would be a fantastic image editor if it had the facility for making selections with the ease of LightZone, which is much better in this respect than Photoshop.

One tool I think you might want to try (free 15-day trial) is Nik Software's Viveza. I think Viveza, as a PS plugin, will allow you to have very similar control to what you get with Lightzone in the instances when you find Aperture necessary to recover highlights. It doesn't do the tone mapping at the RAW stage, but it is incredibly flexible. Check out, for example, the "Adding Depth to an Image" video on this page.