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LL meets GX100

7

7ian7

Guest
It's fun to finally know it's in M.R.'s hands,
whatever he has to say about it!
 

Brian Mosley

New member
I agree, it's likely to be an interesting report... but not necessarily by Michael, he's had guest reviewers do the Olympus E-3 and Canon G9 recently.

I wonder who took the front page shot on LL? in Australia...

Kind Regards

Brian
 
7

7ian7

Guest
It makes me happy that a heavily trafficked site like LL is singing Ricoh's praises. Whatever frustrations I've been expressing around here, I admire Ricoh's efforts, and the more people get to hear about this company's independent thinking and other strengths, the better the odds for a longer life for the line and further r&d.

From Luminous Landscape (.com):

The Bottom Line
There's an awful lot to like in the Ricoh GX100, and little to be concerned about. In fact it has quickly become my favourite all-time pocket camera, and now comes along every day, together with my wallet, iPhone, and keys.

March, 2008
 
A

asabet

Guest
From Luminous Landscape (.com):

The Bottom Line
There's an awful lot to like in the Ricoh GX100, and little to be concerned about. In fact it has quickly become my favourite all-time pocket camera, and now comes along every day, together with my wallet, iPhone, and keys.

March, 2008
You stopped just short of my favorite line,
MR on LL said:
Pretty soon I'm going to need a man-purse, me thinks.
Ricoh should advertise the GX100 as the camera that pushed MR to get a man purse :). I also thought this was pretty high praise:
MR on LL said:
More importantly for me is the quality of the lens, its resolution as well as freedom from various forms of aberration. In this regard the lens on the GX100 is a champ. I have never yet seen equal sharpness and resolution from any pocket camera's optical system. The camera is also generally free most forms of highlight fringing, all too common with many small photosite digicams.
Wouter Brandsma also posted his GX100 impressions today on our site, www.seriouscompacts.com.

Regards,
Amin Sabet
 
A

asabet

Guest
Review coming soon :(

Ah well, we already knows we wants one!

(channeling my inner Smeagol)
If anyone were teetering on the edge looking for a positive review, I think Michael's ought to do the trick!
 

scott kirkpatrick

Well-known member
Interesting review. He loves the GX-100's lens, hasn't tried the GRD-II which would really blow him away. Says he really prefers to have the zoom available, but then all the shots he shows seem to be taken at 24mm (the setting when you power up). He discovered the step zoom (unlike DPReview, which didn't mention it), and I would have expected him to use it, but no comment.

He seems to tolerate the slower raw write time, and the response of the electronic finder. I think the main omission of the review is that he didn't borrow a GRD-II and see what a really nice viewer can do, but his methodology is to purchase gear with his own $$ and not accept free samples.

I can see where it fits into his lifestyle -- it is the still photog on his video shoots, and fills that bill very nicely, leaving him free to do his interviews.

scott
 
7

7ian7

Guest
I don't exactly refute what everyone seems to say about the GRD2 being technically "better", but I've yet to see any real world examples of images that are better simply because they were shot with that camera vs the GX100, other than maybe images whose capture was possible only because of the faster RAW buffer and write time (which is big). But no way for me to know that. I'm among those who don't enjoy committing to a 28mm prime. My GX100 powers-up to 50mm. So I don't question Reichman's choice for a compact on that particular trip. The 24mm is great, and initially quite novel, but he tends to even shoot landscapes with long lenses, so give him time.

But all this is besides the point of my initial thread, which is fine, but I'm gonna bring it back now.

The fact that Michael Reichman is raving on a North American website about a camera with a potentially broader appeal to "enthusiasts" vs "fanatics" could be better in the end for Ricoh (and therefore for all of us who support their continued r&d, design, and innovation.) So I think it's great.

Especially on the eve of an inevitable migration away from Ricoh by many consumers looking for the greater resolving power of the DP1.
 
A

asabet

Guest
I agree with many of your points Ian. I usually kept both My1 and My2 settings at 35mm (equivalent), though I made frequent use of 24mm, 28mm, and 50mm as well (via the step zoom). With the challenge from the DP1, the GX100 becomes even more appealing since it has so much that the DP1 lacks (image stabilization, zoom lens being the most prominent two).
 
M

Mitch Alland

Guest
I don't exactly refute what everyone seems to say about the GRD2 being technically "better", but I've yet to see any real world examples of images that are better simply because they were shot with that camera vs the GX100, other than maybe images whose capture was possible only because of the faster RAW buffer and write time (which is big)...
Ian, that is not my experience in having shot with the GX100, the GRD and the GRD2: both the old and the new GRDs produce better files then the GX100, particularly in the rendition of textures, as you can see in the following pictures:


GX100 at ISO 100




GRD at ISO 200




GRD2 at ISO 400 | GT-1 40mm EFOV tele-converter



While I like the GX100 photograph I simply could not get the rendition of textures in it that I could get in the other two pictures above. And between the GRD and the GRD2 I now prefer the latter a lot for reasons stated in other threads. On the zoom advantage of the GX100, the 21mm and 40mm EFOV converters for the GRDs make these cameras very flexible and, for me, obviate the need for the GX100.

Finally, I appreciate that Reichmann has a large following and that his GX100 review might be good for Ricoh, but, for myself, I don't really pay attention to his reviews because, from what I've seen in them, he doesn't have a good eye and therefore I don't trust his reviews: this goes back as far as his reviews of the 1270 and the 1280/1290 Epson printers, both cases in which he wrote that these printers produces "neutral B&W right out of the box", while the reality was that in B&W prints both these printers had major and obvious colour casts, and "neutral B&W", or at least B&W without obvious colour cast could be achieved only by using black/gray inks like those of Cone's Piezograohy system.

—Mitch/Windhoek
http://www.flickr.com/photos/10268776@N00/
 
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scott kirkpatrick

Well-known member
Does anyone understand how Adorama can claim to be the unique supplier of Ricoh cameras in the US, when the GX-100 and GRD-II are on the home page at PopFlash and have been sourced there since they first appeared. I think backwhen the GR-D appeared, it was only at Popflash, and Adorama picked up the line later. Both DPReview and LL have now repeated the "only at Adorama" line. Both accept advertising (from Adorama and others) so it seems fruitless to ask the question over on their fora.

scott
 
7

7ian7

Guest
Mitch, I don't find the textural divide compelling or obvious — not even in your oft-posted examples. But I admire your approach and like your pictures, and trust that this setup is working better for you.

Reichman's stylistic oeuvre isn't generally my cup of tea, but sometimes I am pleasantly surprised — for instance by his landscapes from Palouse, which are both optimistic and soulful. I enjoy his unapologetic, subjective attitude, whether or not he is "right" or "wrong" about any one particular piece of gear. Between his sort of off-the-cuff experienced-based summations and Sean Reid's patient, empirical analysis (which feels "weightier" because it is also coming from a subjective artist's perspective), I think we get a better feel for new products than from reading the sort of flatly consumer-oriented write-ups posted on other high-traffic sites.

The LL GX100 review is the closest thing I've read to a plain-language appreciation of a Ricoh product where the reviewer doesn't hold it up to some other, vague impossibly-higher standard than other compacts. He doesn't harp on its limitations, or its price, and seems to admire all the things about its design and performance, and about Ricoh as a company, that we've been responding to all along.
 

DavidE

Active member
Scott,

I spoke with a Ricoh rep two weeks ago. She said there are two suppliers in the U.S.: Adorama and PopFlash. When I ordered my GRD2 through Amazon, the order went through Adorama.
 
7

7ian7

Guest
Scott you may have to ask Ricoh, as Adorama is who they list as their sole US distributor on their website. From everything I've read on the web, buying from Popflash is a way more pleasant experience.
 
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