- Location
- Milwaukee, WI USA
- Name
- Luke
I don't think Ricoh will ever make a GR with a viewfinder.
But if they do, I think I'd buy it.
But if they do, I think I'd buy it.
Spot on, Miguel. In fact, the old Panasonic LVF1, in spite of its decidedly low resolution, remains glued to the GF1 I keep around - because it makes a huge difference to the shooting experience. The G1X III is smaller, has a much, much better EVF (the best small EVF in any camera I own) and is a lot more versatile; so if it wasn't for the still lovely Panasonic 20mm f/1.7, the GF1 - which, by the way, is an impressively nice camera to shoot, better than many cameras that came after it - wouldn't stand a chance. The GR - I have kept the original APS-C model and use it regularily, mostly while travelling and for street photography - offers an even better shooting experience than the GF1, but the optical viewfinder (the small one, GV-2) just doesn't cut it, and besides, it tends to scratch my glasses - not good!I probably don't get to contribute to this conversation since I am a former GR (not GR II) user only, but thinking back about the things I loved and then didn't love so much about the camera, I can only echo one or two of the previously and nicely articulated posters' comments -
An upgraded sensor probably would be a good thing. As Ming Thein commented, the GR's sensor is getting a little long in the tooth these days (or is it, these years?)
PD-AF would be cool. Not necessary, but cool.
Weathersealing also would be cool. Once again, not necessary, but definitely cool.
Saving the best - or rather the worst - for the last - the one thing that bothered me the most about my GR (which I quite loved in many ways) was trying to compose on those horribly bright sunny days when you couldn't see the screen. But wait, you say! What about the cool little clip-on 28mm analog finder? Ahhhh, what about it? Well, of course, I bought one, and tried to use it on those same aforementioned ultra-bright washed-out sunny days. And, yes, I could see the frame through it - sort of, anyway. Not precisely, not the exact frame, but something sort of close to it. And --- that really bugged the hell out of me - mainly I think because I had been spoiled by the relatively tiny but extremely high-quality clip-on EVF which mated with my former LX7 - and which was, all things considered, a truly fine viewfinder. Being able to see and compose and frame through a good viewfinder - not all the time necessarily, but when one wishes - is more than a boon, more than an item on a 'wish list', for me --- it's close to a Holy Grail, a sine qua non - an indefinable tool which transforms the photographer's experience. An earlier poster said he wished it might have a good external EVF like the one on his GX200; I'm not familiar with that one, alas, but the LVF-2 on my LX7 was the bees knees. (So, for that matter, was the similar external EVF which Olympus used to make to hot-shoe-mate to its earlier PL models: a fine, accurate, viewable and usable digital viewfinder.)
And not a dinky little one like the one on my old GM5 which was horribly frustrating. Nor a tiny dinky little pop-up one. But a 'real' (whatever that means? and I admit it's a subjective definition for each of us) EVF-viewfinder. If it had one of those, I think I would stand in line for a GR3...
Except - wait a minute! I just bought an extremely compact weathersealed camera with a superb (24mp) sensor, astoundingly efficient PD-AF focusing, and a very small but remarkably useful (and borderline excellent) EVF which, though it's built into the camera body (in the form of a small fake pentaprism hump) hardly adds to the compact dimensions of the camera in choice....the Canon G1x Mark III. (The same camera Magnum photographer Alex Majoli is now using for many of his personal documentary projects.)
But - wait! No - it doesn't have a relatively fast prime...but a slightly slower zoom. And it doesn't have a distinguished pedigree of fine photographers who have adopted it. And, being closer to the size of my old LX7 instead of my old GR, it's just not small enough for a jeans pocket. Damn, I blew it
But that EVF...ohhhh, that EVF
Never really had a wish list for this camera. I like it so much (it's been with me every day for over 3 years). I mean, there's bound to be something not quite as good in the new one as the current one isn't there?
A digital XA with a m43 sensor...sign me up!It comes back to the idea of a fixed lens compact with a m43 sensor, really. A few people in the Olympus forums have been talking about a digital Trip, or digital XA with a m43 sensor. I'd totally go for that, and I suspect there's a reasonable market for it. The m43 sensor in a Ricoh GR type body would be incredibly cool. This is really pie in the sky, but imagine a GR style compact with the Panasonic GH5S / Sony STARVIS sensor in it. Only 10mp, but with ridiculously high ISO capability, 10bit colour, and multi aspect ratio.