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News: An Amazing advance coming from Ricoh: an M-lens Mount Unit for The GXR Modular Camera

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
GXR has long held a reputation for fine cameras and lenses. Right now, I use the Ricoh GXR with the 50mm Macro lens unit. It's a wonderfully built camera and for me revolutionized ability to take pictures during classical music performances as it is essentially silent.

The arrival on a unit for M-mount lenses with an APS-C size sensor at nearly 13MP, means that a great silent pocketable shooting platform is now available for all the legacy manual lenses from Leica, Zeiss and the hardworking and future looking Cosina company. This would bring the use of any fine M-mount lenses to those of us who can't shell out for the Leica M8 or M9 flagships. More so, for me, I already know that even now, with last year's Ricoh technology in the 50mm Macro f2.5, the system is of professional grade, capable to deliver pictures in setting where a classic larger camera will perturb the mood and be unwelcome.

I for one am looking forward to this. I already have returned to manual focusing with the Canon T/S lenses. So manual focus is no detriment. I've developed a special interest in the Voigtlander lenses made by Cosina. No doubt Sean Reid, in http://reidreviews.com, will be celebrating.

Asher
 

Mike Shimwell

New member
It's going to have a 'new' focal plane shutter, so is unlikely to be as quiet as your current GXR module. Otherwise I think it's probably a clever move in the current fragmented and niche focused market.

The announcement is a bit of a spoiler for Fuji and their X100 I suspect.

Mike
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Well, mike, you're right there! Still it's a very inexpensive way of getting into a pristine large sensor pocketable camera. I assume it will be about 1300 for the module with the base for it with the controls and it will sell light hotcakes!

With an opening for the M-lens. then the sensor would be open to dust! Well, will it have a vibration system to clean it?

Asher
 
$1300 for just a sensor and shutter? You will need to add a Leica M lens in front and the GX body in back. That's Leica pricing, not even Ricoh pricing. I just bought one of the last GRD-IIIs before they went out of stock in order to have quiet, inconspicuous, and best of breed noise handling in a small sensor unit with deep depth of field. With an optical viewfinder attached, this model fits into a shirt pocket or inside coat pocket. And I like its particular style of image. It was the only camera I could smuggle into a ceremony recently where we were all wearing white tie regalia. Still, it set me back about $800.

scott
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
$1300 for just a sensor and shutter? You will need to add a Leica M lens in front and the GX body in back. That's Leica pricing, not even Ricoh pricing. I just bought one of the last GRD-IIIs before they went out of stock in order to have quiet, inconspicuous, and best of breed noise handling in a small sensor unit with deep depth of field. With an optical viewfinder attached, this model fits into a shirt pocket or inside coat pocket. And I like its particular style of image. It was the only camera I could smuggle into a ceremony recently where we were all wearing white tie regalia. Still, it set me back about $800.

scott
Well Scott,

It would be the sensor and the shutter and body for about that or less. So for someone who has the M-mount lenses, it's no huge deal of cash. The interface is very user friendly and it's the one screen menu that works so fast that buttons are really not needed for setting things. I'd say it's the very best menu system for setting and changing shots on the fly that I've ever seen in a DSLR or compact camera. This is going to be a boon for Voigtlander resellers!

Asher
 
I fully agree that the GR-anything interface is great -- flexible, natural, exposing camera controls rather than scene modes... But I like to use Leica M lenses on Leica Ms, and I have more of those still than I should. Haven't put the last M8s on EBay quite yet. I have several CosinaVoightlander lenses, but only the Nokton 50/1.4 gets much use for its speed. I prefer to use a 75/2.0 Summicron for medium distance and sports. I like seeing a wealth of fine detail in shots when I am not rushed, and the Leica lenses provide that, the CVs often do not. They do soften harsh bright light, because of internal flaring that brings up the shadow detail by adding a little noise. For this characteristic, Sean Reid calls them "good sunny day" lenses. And they tend to be quite small, which is a big advantage when compared to the latest f/1.4 Leica wide angles.

With the GXR series, Ricoh sensibly kept the interface they had developed for the GRD but accomodated to the big-sensor and multi-lens crowd. The result was a very noticeable increase in size. I like the great depth of field with the small sensor and don't mind the rougher look. Perhaps this is channeling William Klein or Daido Moriyama in Nighttown (Shinjuku), but it's fun once in a while.

scott
 

Ben Rubinstein

pro member
Especially with those costs, why on earth wouldn't you buy a Nex 5 or GF-1/2 with an adaptor for a fraction of the cost instead?

Have to admit, I'd love a Nex 5 with that tiny 35mm Nokton, looks soooooooo nice together..
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Especially with those costs, why on earth wouldn't you buy a Nex 5 or GF-1/2 with an adaptor for a fraction of the cost instead?

Have to admit, I'd love a Nex 5 with that tiny 35mm Nokton, looks soooooooo nice together..

Ben,

I've not used them. What size is the sensor?

Asher
 
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