I wish it were easy for me to switch eye dominance. My right eye is cursed with astigmatism which makes working with it through a viewfinder untenable. I'm left eye dominant all the way and nothing, not even prescription glasses, will change that. Frankly I'm amazed that my brain can filter out the input from my right eye but still use it to aid in depth perception albeit at a degraded level. Amazing computers in our noggins.
BD (Before Digital) being left eye dominant wasn't a problem for me except I didn't look like the cool kids when shooting a rangefinder but at least there was no LCD in the back to smudge with my nose.
Ken.vs.ryu; it might happen. I am soooo close to winter break at work.
Michael: let me know when it arrives. There is a lot to be configured - but the good thing is that it can be done. My set up is well thought out - I have had Ricoh for a few years and have had time to figure most of it out, on my own and with some help.
There are a few things that are unique to Ricoh. Like the document "photo scanning mode". You can take a picture of, say an LP convolute lying on a desk, from an angle. The camera will process it and straighten it up and crop the background - and it works too!
I have used this feature a few times taking shots of blueprints.
One cool thing with the new fixed lens GRD IV (equiv 28/1.9) is that the electronic spirit level is not only level/tilt, but pivot too. The rear LCD is 1.3M dots and is said to be exceptional. Now, that's a point & shoot... Also, I think they are going to sell it a lot cheaper than the previous one. Always a good thing.
So, I am starting to think the next generation GXR will be having the modules based on 16MP sensors (M will have to be updated over time as Sony is phasing out the 12MP from production already), the new 1.3M rear LCD (maybe tilting) and hopefully a new OLED EVF a la Sony.
Remember where you read it first. Dan Druff, Dr Digital
Edit: Didn't see Henrik's note as I post this. Don't you ever sleep? (A question I get asked once in a while by my wife)
Sure I'd love to sponge off the accumulated in real use wisdom you've gained. In theory if all goes as it should I will have the GXR in my hands tomorrow (Thursday local) if not then, Friday.
Ken, I'm going to be shooting a few comparison shots before my 5N and EVF and other NEX stuff sells in the next few days - I already have it up for sale and a few bites registered.
Once I make a decision I move quickly. Sometimes too quickly.
Michael: I sleep enough, don't worry. Just posted late last night and now I am sitting down having breakfast. Today's work is fairly relaxed; I am building a pair of loudspeaker stands for a client and the workshop is a few minutes from here so it will make for a slow day...
...too much time in front of the screen. I have started to go through my old photos and that takes time. I am not a winter person so I will flee the country and when I get back I will sit with my tan and work some images from the past for a few weeks.
My GXR finally made it to this side of the border. First reaction? It really does feel like it is carved out of a solid chunk of metal, to quote another, but in a good way. I've not cracked the manual and am taking educated guesses at how to configure / customize but I can see that this is camera you can tailor.
First miss? The EVF as expected needs updating but it remains very usable just the same. The Sony EVF and its eye detect feature, with some smart firmware changes that even Sony needs to do, would be absolutely killer on this camera.
Love the shutter sound (Mount A12).
Really like the clean simple menu system even if it is a bit dense at first glance.
Off for a walk in the dark, can't wait until day break.
Cool,
I'll try to prepare a little configuration page for you - with the setup I find works for me.
PM me with your email and I'll send you a email with some sketchy images and arrows.
The menu is a bit dense, as there are many options, but in comparison with most other brands it is reasonably well laid out and once you configure the hard buttons you hardly need to dive in to the menu system.
What lenses are you starting out with? I am interested in finding out your take on the EVF, I might get the existing one for the time being as I find it helps tremendously with semi slow shutterspeeds when handheld.
Also I have been rediscovering the A12 50 macro, and I like it more and more.
Thanks Henrik, I'm sure a cheat sheet will help, although I have to say I'm impressed with how quickly my fingers are finding their way home.
In decent light the EVF is perfectly usable... it reminds me a bit of the X100 although the image presentation on the X100 is somewhat nicer. The Sony trumps both.
It is early days but I believe I like better the GXR's implementation of focus peaking although it isn't yet clear if Mode 1 or Mode 2 will win out, Mode 2 currently is in place. I like the central area focus mag patch as an option, too.
Michael, you can cancel out the patch. It is merely intended as a low res cursor indicator and when you have set it to the point of your choice you should press and hold "menu/ok" to disengage it. Then you have that portion of the area enlarged as per your choice with the current preset of magnification.
I have set the cursor activation on the quick option toggle ("adj" top right corner of LCD) as one of the presets.
I have focus assist mode 2 (high pass) on Fn1 key (left) and screen magnification on Fn2 (right). That way I can use either or, or both. Shutter button toggles both. If I need a section of the image I use the toggle/adj switch as per above.
This way I can hit left to engage focus assist first, which usually is enough. Then I toggle with the shutter button for normal view. If that isn't enough I hit right and get magnified image as well. If I want magnification only I just cancel out focus assist again. If I need a certain part of the image I hit the toggle, move the cursor and then jump back with "ok".
Basic settings for me are (via ADJ button):
Aspect ratio, ISO, WB, flash exp.comp, cursor.
I almost never use flash so I think I might replace the flash exp.comp with something else, or just cancel one out.
Exp comp is set on the zoom button in my case, I prefer using the zoom button for exp. comp as it is very ergonomic that way. I also have the +- button on the dial for exp.comp. It is engaged in normal shooting mode and does other settings when needed.
Yes, that works fine too. Depends on shooting situation for me, I find the A mode with exp comp works best for me in most instances. I have the histogram at times but I find the outcome quite predictable unless the lighting is very peculiar.
So far I'm finding this to be the easiest to manual focus compact camera out of the three I've bought - the X100, NEX-5N and now the GXR.
After a little more usage I'm convinced that the GXR's manual focus aides are superior to the NEX. My faithful test subject, Kady the Wonder Dog, agrees. "Ruff roof ruff roof" she exclaimed in response to an accurately focused image shot wide open.
Magnification seems clearer, even on the EVF, and mode 2 (edit: seems to, maybe) intelligently adapts when zoomed in so what you see isn't lost a sea of contrast highlights. In addition, having the shutter toggle back to normal view is something I longed for on the NEX as well - hopefully Sony will implement that seemingly obvious feature which must be longed for by winter walkers of deciduous forests everywhere.
I also like the level, having found the levels on the X100 and Sony more distracting and the former was actually quite slow to respond. The GXR's is unobtrusive and snappy in comparison.
Edge and corner performance with the ZM25 and ZM35 is meaningfully and markedly better than on the NEX-5N.
Shooting in low light conditions - there the NEX wins a battle, easily - the NEX finder and and LCD both gain up easily where the GXR seems to have a top limit but maybe I've not rigged it properly as yet. One of these moments I'll actually open the manual. So far I've only customized a few buttons and updated the firmware (was at 1.40 now 1.44).
Glad to hear that your experience so far is quite positive.
You will find that the sensor is quite capable at lower (sub 640) ISO.
Keep us posted and drop a few samples when you get one you'd like to share.
I am working on a ZM18 vs A12/28 (18.3) comparison, not a scientific one though.
The Sony finder is something I'd love to have on the GXR. I did pick up the VF2 for Ricoh today. The image is smaller and dimmer but - with the smallest of margin - agreeable to work with. It does work ok. I'll have to get used to it I guess... The resolution is quite good but the image size is a bit small and it does not come near the Sony EVF in low light. Or in good light for that matter either. At least I upped my low light shooting keeper rate with the face support...
kosmoskatten wrote:
I did pick up the VF2 for Ricoh today. The image is smaller and dimmer but - with the smallest of margin - agreeable to work with. It does work ok. I'll have to get used to it I guess... The resolution is quite good but the image size is a bit small and it does not come near the Sony EVF in low light. Or in good light for that matter either.
Absolutely if one were buying a camera for the EVF alone you'd buy the Sony, no question.
Fortunately there is a really good solution to the problem of EVF comparison envy that won't cost you any money and in fact will fatten your wallet for however brief a time we can only imagine:
Sell your NEX-5N kit, or at least sell the OLED EVF. There, problem solved.
michaelwatkins wrote:
Absolutely if one were buying a camera for the EVF alone you'd buy the Sony, no question.
Outside of using the Hawk's adapter, this is pretty much exactly why I haven't purchased an GXR. At this point, IQ between just about any aps-c camera is relatively minor quibbling, but things like EVFs (and tilt LCDs) make a real difference in my daily shooting. If Ricoh comes out with a new equivalent EVF, I'll strongly consider it. Heck, I was using my friend's GH2 the other day, which is supposed to have the second best EVF around, and I was surprised how relatively bad it was, in comparison to the Sony.
Douglas; it is a draw between the cameras, depending on how you weigh the options. For me, the familiarity and build of the GXR with the better focusing aid and the fact that I have the A12/50 macro did tilt it in favor of the GXR. If I hadn't had the A12 lensors (28 and 50) I don't know what I would have made out of it. The ability to do 1:2 macro with the macro module is nice and sort of cancels out the Hawk's advantage for me. The A12 28 focuses close enough too. Sometimes less is more.
I will try not to look through the Sony viewfinder again. D-E-N-I-A-L is key.
...I will try not to look through the Sony viewfinder again. D-E-N-I-A-L is key.
And the important thing, in any case, is what you see with your eyes directly. The advantage of rangefinder cameras is that they teach you to compose with your eyes and to bring the viewfinder up to your eye only for framing. Just apply that philosophy to the GXR viewfinder — until there is one as good as that for the NEX-7, that is.
Henrik, are you still using RPP and, of so, how do you find it now? For me, it's simply a revelation.
Mitch; I have been using RF since 1989, and SLR round about the same time. What I really liked with the 4fps on Contax G2 was that you could relate the shutter clicking to the real time image and sort of know if you got the shot or not. Mirror black out is a drag.
With my preferred focal lengths I have a rough estimate of what I get in the frame on ambient shots without even taking the camera out of the bag.
RPP? Yes, still using it and I prefer it for low ISO shots for further processing in CS3.
Since I normally don't use too many actions I don't find it overly kludgey. Never been a fan of sliders in RAW processing. RPP gets me to the touch up stage quicker.
