Hmmm, maybe I need a break from photographing inside Nunhead Cemetery. However, I wanted to test the Ricoh GXR c/w the A12 50/2.5 APS-C ‘lensor’ unit. The main reason for getting the GXR (pour moi) is the A12 Leica ‘M’ mount unit which is currently about as easy to find in the UK as hen’s teeth*. Due to the unit’s combination of lens/sensor (hence the conflation ‘lensor’, I forget who first coined that one), the ‘M’ ‘lensor’ is optimised by having no low-pass (anti-aliasing) filter over the sensor. I can’t wait to use my manual focusing Summicrons, but I have to wait… grrr, I’m not good at that **. On the bright side, the 12MP sensor may become a 16MP sensor in time. Seriously something (for a photographer) to look forward to.
Near
I am totally unused to the 50mm length, but I’m going to be photographing a lot of people (alive ones) over the forthcoming months and I wanted something less intrusive and intimidating than the enormous SLR (c/w the 24-70/2.8 lens) but with a a decent sized sensor and with a 50mm(ish) reach. The obvious choice for compact systems was for M4/3 or wait for the new Fuji X-Pro1. I can’t bear the toy look and feel of some of the mirrorless systems such the Sony NEX series (great reviews on IQ though), and the Panasonic GFX just feels too small for me. The Fuji system was a prime contender since it had the X100′s uber-cool winning EVF/OVF and Fuji glass but, and it is a huge BUT… I don’t trust my X100 mechanically any more. It is a delight to take photographs with, the IQ of the matched (fixed 35mm) lens and sensor is amazing, and it is one of the few cameras that I almost instantly (insanely) have had an emotional response to.
The Fuji X100s have a dark side though.
The forums are worryingly full of reports of what has come to be known as SAB syndrome – sticky aperture blades. I’m as sceptical of forum chat as anyone but there is a constant undercurrent of posts about over-exposure due to the camera not physically stopping down the aperture to f/16 despite the software indicating that it has. SAB seemingly strikes at random, regardless of serial number/batch, sometimes within a few days, or after months of use, or never – too random for me to use reliably professionally – and necessitates a return to the manufacturer. Fuji, to their credit have been prompt about replacement turnaround and it is a tribute to the high regard with which the X100 is held by photographers that the model has been such a success despite this problem. We want it to be OK, it is such a joy to use. It was/is a ground breaking mirrorless large(ish) sensor compact camera that got most things right. Fuji should at least come clean about the extent of the problem though. If it was a car it would probably have been recalled by now. Mine’s OK (where’s wood? Touch wood!), but because I don’t trust the X100 mechanically, I now don’t quite trust Fuji. I’m not going to drop a large wad of cash for the admittedly wonderfully specced X-Pro1 system, at least until it has been on the market for a while. And that will be too late for this year’s assignment. And I probably won’t have any money left by then anyway. So, sorry Fuji, you just lost a sale. I need something reliable, or close to it.
Nearer
Which segues nicely to the GXR.
Why choose the Ricoh GXR? Possibly it comes down to familiarity, trust – and reliability. I’ve owned 3 iterations of the small sensor GRD series. Hell, I even had the film GR upon which the digital cameras were based, so I have a long history with Ricoh. They make cameras for photographers. It requires some photographic nous to use them to advantage (I flatter myself). The GRDs are arguably the finest small sensor compacts available (and almost unique in using a fast prime lens which suits me). The GXR was a new concept for a compact system when it was released in 2009 (and remains unique) – the coupling and subsequent optimisation of the sensor and the lens in one sealed unit, the aforementioned ‘lensor’. The downside is obvious and has been much discussed – the upgrade path (to, for example, a new faster 50mm lens with a 16MP sensor – should it appear) means ‘dumping’ the previous lens & sensor unit. Ricoh needs to think of a strategy for that eventuality if they haven’t already. For me, the advantages outweigh this.***
The firmware has been continually updated and early problems like the poor autofocus of the A12 50mm unit are a thing of the past. No problems here, and the firmware feels very mature. The GR lenses are high quality glass, which combined with the GRDIII engine and large APS-C sensor, renders images with a high IQ from a relatively compact unit. The materials used in the construction of the body and lens units give the GRX a ‘brick shithouse’ toughness – lots of magnesium alloy, relatively little plastic, a lot of ‘heft’ for a small body. The EVF is adequate (it needs an update Ricoh…). I find one unexpected advantage with this external EVF – it is articulated through 90 degrees so I can (a) look down into the camera, a preferred modus op for me and (b) I don’t have to prostrate myself on the ground for low level shots. Win!
Oh yes, and I lurve the paired down industrial design. Form, function etc etc…
And last but not least, the A12 Leica ‘M’ mount unit, optimised for the huge range of manual focus M (and L) mount lenses. Mine is on backorder… get your finger out Ricoh and import more to the UK. Pretty please…
Nearest
* Let’s not beg the obvious question… No, I’m not going to pony-up £5k for an M9. Too much, too little, too outdated.
** UPDATE 07/02/2012 Thanks to Cristian Sorega (visit his Ricoh diary at One Day, One Picture) who pointed me to The Camera Cafe (Aperture Photographic) where I snapped-up possibly the last one in the UK. I owe Cristian some beer-tokens for that. My life is now complete
*** For me, one of the fascinations of Ricoh is their innovation. Wide prime lens compacts, sealed lens sensor units etc. Many reviewers said ‘fail‘ but Ricoh has a refreshing ‘couldn’t give a flying fuck what you say, we think it is a good idea‘ approach and continue to produce great cameras that photographers continue to appreciate. Let’s see what transpires following their aquisition of Pentax.
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