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GRD IV official

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In terms of rendering quality, the small sensor is closer to 35 mm film, in spirit...
I don't understand what people are after?
Oh sorry, but of course... Milky dreamy buttery bokeh...
sphexx said:
the annoyingly so called "full frame", the dpreview forums will be full of posts asking medium format sensors..

I am so glad I am not alone in finding this harping on "full frame" be annoying. This is the the tiny 24x36mm that used to be called "miniature" format when most "serious" photographers used at least 6x6cm. That was slightly barmy then as the opposite is now!
sphexx said:
JackM said:
The film GR1 was Full Frame!
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Or miniature format depending on your point of view ;)

--
Richard
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wbrandsma said:
If only they had reintroduced a 40mm lens again.
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So why do think it has not been available since the GRD2? Was it not that popular? I had the 40mm adapter and used it quite a bit.
 
Come on, be honest ;)

I pre-ordered white, just cause why not. No doubt I'll end up with a black one too.

Still my favorite cameras, those GRDs.
 
I don't know. Maybe the 40mm lens wasn't so popular in Japan or it was to expensive to manufacture. Japan makes more than 90% of their sales so their domestic market is a lot more important than some owners in the rest of the world (unfortunately).

And next month they will have the Pentax Q with the 47mm f/1.9 lens available which weights similar, but feels very small and very well built.
--
Wouter Brandsma
http://wouter28mm.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wouter28mm/
 
I was surprised to see the Q is already available at B&H in the US along with a couple of the lenses. I've seen a couple of great B&W images from that camera.
 
Andrew, the 40 wasn't that perfect to begin with...flare problem.

My understanding is, it was the faster lens on grd3 that required ricoh to completely redesign the 6 mm (28mm) lens, including thread diameter. The converter became completely useless, causing excessive vignetting and loss of sharpness...
I assume a new converter can be redesigned, but probably would be bulkier?

Pavel tried bunch of tests, using the old converter via adapters on grd3...was terrible.
Andrewteee said:
wbrandsma said:
If only they had reintroduced a 40mm lens again.
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So why do think it has not been available since the GRD2? Was it not that popular? I had the 40mm adapter and used it quite a bit.
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Ah, thanks.
 
Midwest said:
Archiver said:
AdamT said:
but then what else could they do apart from an EVF port, a proper dial on the back like the GRD1 had,
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I think I read that Ricoh ran into some kind of copyright issues with the control wheel on the back of the original GRD, which is why they changed it to the toggle switch.
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I think you meant 'patent', not copyright.

I'm not a patent attorney but I've done some reading on the subject in contemplation of applying for a patent some years back, and I don't think it's possible to patent putting a control wheel on the back of a camera. That is not a unique invention. Implementations or combinations of existing inventions or devices are not patentable.

--
Art is far superior to "artsy".
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I tend to agree but there may have been some unique feature that made this wheel different. The electronics world is a maze of patents.

However more like they both the component in and as this might have been unique to the GRD it was a relatively expensive part. Or alternatively the wheel was not as reliable as they wished and warranty costs relating to it's repair when factored in made it a costly part to use. And of course this would not help a reputation for reliability.

One thing is certain they would not replace a highly functional wheel with a lesser jog lever without good commercial reason for doing so.

--
Tom Caldwell
 
Ok, so we'll keep going with sensor downsizing and 16MP. Maybe we'll be at 18 next year for 1/2.3.
rondom said:
You are correct...but at this point it is specs vs specs. And I cannot emphasize enough how much I would like to be wrong about ricoh's grd 4.

It just that it is a 2-1/2 year old sensor vs brand new one...long time in digital photography, I would say...
As of pixel density, think this is another photo forum myth...

(actually some intelligent discussion about that, recently...would share if I can find)
snake_b said:
Amazing, looking for the spec sheet improvement, photos unseen, especially with a drop in pixel density.
rondom said:
Pangloss said:
New CMOS 12MP sensor and all...
http://forums.dpreview.com/news/1109/11091540canons100preview.asp
--
Andrew
Panasonic LX3, Ricoh GXR w/ A12 28&50mm user
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Jack

If you were to compare Leica on the same basis you would scratch you head just as much and yet people are willing to buy them. Maybe not in high numbers, but enough to keep the company functioning well.

Ricoh might not have the reputation of Leica but I think they have been working assiduously on their reputation for innovation and quality.

Their GRD model has been their digital camera flagship. Rather than try and make a superior dslr which might have been beyond their financial capability or even desire they have concentrated on making an innovative, take no prisoners, prime lensed compact camera.

Therefore the GRD has sold in relatively small numbers and I have noted, more than a few times, that it has been described as the compact digital camera that Leica should have made.

It has not been without it's faults but I first looked at the original GRD simply because it had won an international camera prize for design. I wondered why I might have to pay more for a prime lensed non IS camera than I had just paid for my Panasonic LX1 which was a great camera with zoom and IS and I loved it. Specification by specification the LX1 beat the GRD. But after a shoot out in the camera shop I bought the GRD anyway. I have never looked back, the LX1 fell into disuse and I have become fuly aware that Ricoh make cameras that out-shoot their nominal specifications.

Years later who remembers the LX1 but many still use their GRD's regularly. Mine is still in use but not as much these days as I have a GRDIII which is a truly innovative and powerfully technical camera. With a completely different character set from the earlier GRD models.

Therefore if you rely on specifications alone you will never buy a Leica or a Ricoh for that matter. There are many competent cameras out there and they all take good images these days therefore to take the plunge on a Ricoh requires a certain leap of faith.

Many will not wish to do this and I can understand why.

Ricoh make more thinking user's cameras rather than the quickest way to achieve the best IQ.

Of course endless chasing of the very best IQ is akin to looking for that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, but that is another story.

--
Tom Caldwell
 
wbrandsma said:
In my opinion the GRD3 is the best update that Ricoh made with major improvements from the GRD2. Now they probably made the best GRD even better. If only they had reintroduced a 40mm lens again.
--
Wouter Brandsma
http://wouter28mm.wordpress.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wouter28mm/
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Definitely looks like that there is a bunch of us who would buy a GRD witha 40mm lens

that would make the grd a digital successor to the Rollei 35 and the Canonet
who knows maybe someone at Ricoh is keeping track ;)

Harold
--
http://www.harold-glit.com
http://www.modelmayhem.com/haroldglit
 
ktwse said:
Pangloss said:
New CMOS 12MP sensor and all...
http://forums.dpreview.com/news/1109/11091540canons100preview.asp
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The S100 is interesting, but it's hardly a competitor. People who buy the GRD know exactly what they're after - a very fast and smooth to operate camera with a fixed 28 mm lens. The GRD is by far the best 28 mm small sensor camera available. If you want zoom, there's obviously better options. But even if Canon's new S100 magically manages to improve as much on high ISO noise as Canon claims it does, that will not necessarily carry through to vastly improved DR, nor will it mean that Canon's 24-120 mm lens will manage to be sharper at 28 mm than the legendary lens of the GRD. So while the S100 might be a great option for anyone looking for an enthusiast compact with a zoom, it's not necessarily a better camera than the GRD. Nor is it likely to steal sales from it, as the people who want the GRD know exactly why they're getting that camera and NOT a S100, XZ-1 or anything else.

Tom
--
E-PL2 / 9-18 / 14-42 / 40-150 / PT-EP03
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.... And of course tomorrow there will be an even better upgrade model and the day after it will be superseded, and the day after that ...

How Ricoh manages to exist and compete with so few model changes is the greatest tick for buying the GRD.

However if you really like your upgrades more regularly Ricoh does cater for these tastes in the form of the CX which is a very capable camera and still has a few more innovations left to adopt in future models, much like the big boy's efforts.

Ricoh also has certainly not forgotten those who need to upgrade regularly.

--
Tom Caldwell
 
Yeah, with each new GRD release I hope for multiple GRDs, one in the 28mm focal length and one in the 40-50mm focal length. 21mm would be fine too. A trio of GRDs.
 
Is the sensor the same as in the GRD III? If so, why did Ricoh not update that critical component of the camera, given the advances in sensor technology over the past several years?

Rob
 
You're assuming there were advances. There really were no advances, and likely the reason Canon had to develop a new one for the S100 and why Fuji had to go with 2/3 to get the first improvement in 3 years from the X10.
Robgo2 said:
Is the sensor the same as in the GRD III? If so, why did Ricoh not update that critical component of the camera, given the advances in sensor technology over the past several years?

Rob
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I think I have a decent theory why there is no 40mm adaptor, but for some reason this website won't allow me to print it! It keeps saying that they don't allow that kind of language. There really is nothing in my text other than tech talk. I can't figure out why this is coming up? Weird?
 
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