The ZM21 is not purely symmetrical according to the Zeiss paper. Rear element positioning and optical formula appears fairly similar to the 21 Elmarit ASPH, but of course not identical, so there are likely some differences in performance. FWIW, all of the current ZM Biogons are slightly telecentric to allow for TTL metering compared to the 'vintage' Biogons.
Today I was told by a vendor that the A12 M module will be updated to the 16MP sensor, and probably will be released as A16 GXR M mount. Due to be released in January/February already so I told him to put me on the short list for one.
kosmoskatten wrote:
Today I was told by a vendor that the A12 M module will be updated to the 16MP sensor, and probably will be released as A16 GXR M mount. Due to be released in January/February already so I told him to put me on the short list for one.
Well, that sounds like a compelling option. Sony NEX-5n sensor combined with no AA filter and superior compatibility with rangefinder wide angles, all that's missing is an updated EVF which will probably come at some point.
Yes, in the other thread that's just what I wrote. Ricoh seem to have some genuinely smart people and I think they at least have a new EVF on the note pad.
With the same sensor (minus AA filter to boot) and the same EVF (albeit in a ugly Ricoh entrapment) the GXR will have a possible - but very slight - IQ advantage and is superior in handling to the NEX5n, perhaps with the exception of buffering speeds and frame rate which I suspect will still be faster on Sony.
I am happy for toughing it out with the GXR, it is starting to pay off now.
kosmoskatten wrote:
A12 M module will be updated to the 16MP sensor, and probably will be released as A16 GXR M mount. Due to be released in January/February
Didn't I tell you this would happen? As soon as I bought my 12MP Mount A12... they come out with a refresh.
I read somewhere someone mentioned that Sony is not producing the 12MP sensor anymore. If that's true then Ricoh has no choice but to refresh the M-Module. Good news thought.
I think you may have read kk's own speculation on that same topic.
The update certainly makes sense but more to the point I'm merely glad to see they are putting the engineering effort into the update, which means the GXR still has a life to live and consequently we aren't daft to assume there'll be more.
Yes, Ricoh is not a major player on the arena but I don't think we should underestimate the mentality of Ricoh and their home market. People seem happy to wait for the new pokemons, I mean modules, and then the apparently sell well enough to sustain further development.
They might have a few new contraptions on paper, but I assume they don't have the R&D financial power of Sony, Canon, Nikon or Panasonic and probably have to address their assets on a wait and see basis. Ricoh as a company seem to be doing very well and hopefully they can keep pouring in to the photographic branch of the company. After buying up Pentax they can't just quit. There might be a period where the merger will affect R&D time lines as they will cross their technologies and take some time and dig into the Pentax R&D portfolio and see what they can use for both brands and vice versa.
Just speculating, but that's how I'd do it if I were on the Ricoh R&D team.
Yes, that I am quite certain of. The whole idea behind the the M module was to have an AA-less sensor with off set micro lenses to accommodate the M/RF lenses. I don't think they will introduce an AA-filter in the A16. I can't see a reason why they would since the main objective, accommodating M mount lenses, will be the same.
In the A12 AF modules the AA-filters are custom made for each focal length and kept as weak as possible.
kosmoskatten wrote:
Yes, Ricoh is not a major player on the arena but I don't think we should underestimate the mentality of Ricoh and their home market. People seem happy to wait for the new pokemons, I mean modules, and then the apparently sell well enough to sustain further development.
They might have a few new contraptions on paper, but I assume they don't have the R&D financial power of Sony, Canon, Nikon or Panasonic and probably have to address their assets on a wait and see basis. Ricoh as a company seem to be doing very well and hopefully they can keep pouring in to the photographic branch of the company. After buying up Pentax they can't just quit. There might be a period where the merger will affect R&D time lines as they will cross their technologies and take some time and dig into the Pentax R&D portfolio and see what they can use for both brands and vice versa.
Just speculating, but that's how I'd do it if I were on the Ricoh R&D team. ...Show more →
Ricoh + Pentax should prove a great combination since Ricoh is often willing to think outside the box and take chances. Already, there is strong speculation we will see a FF Pentax and an APS Pentax MIL in 2012. I think finally we are starting to see the effects of a highly competitive landscape where innovation is being rewarded in the marketplace - and often it's not coming from the big two, Canon and Nikon. 2012 could shape up to be a great year.
The A16 module sounds promising and reinforces my interest even more in the GXR, though I would like to see them address the shot to shot speed of the camera, which I understand is a bit slow.
Yes, the shot to shot isn't GXR's forte. If you shoot one, and then one, and then another one in RAW it is no problem but if you burst off a few and then try another burst it is definitely lagging. With a reasonably fast card (fast enough so it isn't the bottleneck) and in single shot it is fine though. I would welcome an improvement in that area, for sure.
I think it is one of the few let downs in an otherwise very potent camera.
Since I have decided to keep M lenses indefinitely I welcome a Leica offering but I think they will announce it to spark interest and then it will take quite a while before it is being released. Leica make Ricoh look like Speedy Gonzales in comparison. Leica is more like regular Gonzales.
The GXR wouldn't be a good choice for sports photography, although I have used it a little for just that since it is the camera that is with me anyway when coaching or watching my two kid's teams. Once in awhile I find myself cursing the shot to shot time, mostly because I think there's a bug you can trigger if going into the half-press too quickly... not 100% certain about that. By and large though the camera actually feels more responsive than the Fujifilm X100 to me. In short, with 45mb/s cards in the camera (I've no slower cards to compare to by the way), it feels fast enough for all that I do.
I do believe there is more shutter lag than the NEX; it'd be nice to see that drop in future modules. More problematic in real life is the viewfinder lag - it is enough to cause missed shots in action environments. If trying to catch a move on the pitch, I look past the camera for timing.
Take anything I write with a grain of salt, the camera is but a week in my hands so far. Definitely the NEX has a more responsive feel overall but I do not find myself hampered by the difference yet it is a difference that needs to be factored in to how I shoot some subjects.
kosmoskatten wrote:
Today I was told by a vendor that the A12 M module will be updated to the 16MP sensor, and probably will be released as A16 GXR M mount. Due to be released in January/February already so I told him to put me on the short list for one.
I know you move in my blocks sometimes Henrik and here we have a really special Ricoh-fan shop (and Nikon - I think the owner hates Canon so I seldom set my foot there).
From time to time he has some interesting items in his window. Last winter I walked by and saw this in his window. Always lots of Ricoh, Nikon and some interesting vintage stuff going on there. And sometimes other things as well. Is this your vendor?
The story must be like this: he put a Lenin statue in his shop window (for unknown reasons). Somebody reacted and dropped an angry note in under the door of his shop. He then put the note up. He's a special guy.
Translation of the angry note: Take away communist Lenin from the window! It provokes! A filthy child-killer together with terror Stalin! As inappropriate to promote with as Hitler! Get a grip!
This is definitely not a real world test, or an other world test, or even a test. Just an observation. Click images for full size 100% crops:
ZM 25/2.8 on NEX, GXR Mount A12 - centre
ZM 35/2 on NEX, GXR Mount A12 - right edge
The NEX files were down-rez'd appropriately. Native res or resized, I can still see the differences and not always when pixel peeping.
One plus, when shooting mountains, the NEX paints picturesque snow!
I made the NEX photographs not quite two weeks apart from the GXR images. It was a fantastically clear day on Nov 30, somewhat less so with atmospheric haze earlier this week when out for a walk with the GXR. The mountain top is about 11km away, the Cargill terminal is not quite 2km away.
I'm still not blown away by the ZM 25 but maybe I would be on a full frame camera, and I bought it partly mindful of that possible eventuality. The 35 I quite enjoy, period. Both do better on the GXR I find, sometimes markedly so, than on the NEX, but I would say that the differences are more apparent when going to infinity. That made me wonder if my Hawk adapter wasn't allowing the lens to reach infinity properly, but since then I've confirmed the same differences favoring the GXR are still there even when shooting brick school walls at 10 paces, armed with a tripod and such.
