Ricoh Ricoh GR Digital IV (GRD 4) Announced - Updated with Image Stabilization, Hybrid AF

I'm excited about the 4. Any help on a screen is a welcomed issue. Try a Nex5 on regular setting then go to Sunny setting.
Self explanatory. The IS, yes very nice to have. Sure you can use 1600 and 1.9 to secure an image in low light but now you have options to get a clean image if needed. 400 at 1.9 is way different or even go to 2.8 etc. I welcome the IS. Many people bought the Pen cameras for that very reason. I know, more important with legacy glass but it won't hurt the GRD4.

The GRD's are as good as it gets. It took 2 years to find and implement the few changes over the 3. If Ricoh deemed it necessary to do this, there's a good reason. Also, it's a testament to how good the 3 really is.

The new processing engine. Well, I'm confident it will exceed expectations. The GRD's are for serious shooters. They don't care about zoom lenses, evf's etc. They care about the responsiveness of a camera. Once set up, the GRD never intrudes, it's just ready to work the way you like.
The new 4, I'm sure will add to that experience.

My feelings exactly.
 
Streetshooter-

Thanks I think.............insert the sound of my wallet crying. I've heard so many good things about Ricoh cameras. I came very close to getting a GXR but went with the X100 instead.

Of course if I would stop adopting stray dogs it would help. I live in Bastrop/work at the State Park and am waiting to hear about one that wandered up to the park a couple of days ago. She's at a make shift shelter now. If no one claims her it will be #4.

My mum fosters dogs that have been mistreated and she has 6 of her own!!!!

Anyhoo back to the GRD.... I'm in the market for a fixed focal length camera and was/am seriously considering the X100. The main reason for this purchase is to take images of flowers and other stuff in my small studio in the garage (When it get's sorted) plus street etc. I haven't given the GRD3 a moments thought but have always been really impressed by the very sharp almost 3D shots it produces plus GRD shots look awesome in black and white!!!. Now seeing that there is a GRD4 with IS really excites me! We have 1 display GRD3 left at work. We are not going to be selling Ricoh anymore due to them buying Pentax and they will probably be using the Pentax name in the UK.

SO..I could get a great deal on the 3 or wait and see what the 4 comes up with. I do like the IS feature and if the images are as good as the 3 then this could be a good buy.

This is all your fault Don!!!!:D
 
I bought the 3 a few years ago on advice from Lili and others at DPDi. She/they were right. My friend borrowed the camera after I had it for a month. Just long enuff to fall in love with it. My friend returned it to me after almost 2 years and I realize that I missed the camera a lot. Now it's home and not going anywheres again.
The 4 promises to be a nice improvement on an already near perfect camera.

Andy, if you can get a good deal on the 3, it will not let you down.
 
Yeah the GRD3 at work is the last one we have and it's the display model. The good thing is that hardly anyone has touched it due to our staff not liking the Ricoh range so they don't get touched much. We are currently trying to get rid of the Ricoh stock as we will no longer be selling them. This is due to Ricoh buying Pentax and wanting to use the Pentax brand name for it's cameras. I may well get a good deal!!

Don, Do you find not having IS a problem? With such a wide focal length I can't see it a problem.
 
Andy, no the IS is not an issue. I use the GRD as a grit camera. I normally use 800-1600 even in bright light. It's a classic camera that does most things very well.
I have an assignment to do macro B&W images for a card company. After testing a few cameras, we decided on the GRD because of the look of the images....
Thus perfect for your studio stuff.
 
Nice back up. How many mp do the Tri-x have?
I'm done with film probably forever. I bought out a few M's to shoot some film cause I was feeling, well kinda crazy I guess. I have 12 rolls but refuse to process them.
Hopefully the new 4 will be your lead camera and the 3 as a backup.
Mike, do you still have the X100?
 
Nice back up. How many mp do the Tri-x have?
I'm done with film probably forever. I bought out a few M's to shoot some film cause I was feeling, well kinda crazy I guess. I have 12 rolls but refuse to process them.
Hopefully the new 4 will be your lead camera and the 3 as a backup.
Mike, do you still have the X100?

Yes I still have the X100. It's a great camera that has amazing IQ but it's not a good camera when you see with your hands.

When I get the GR1s signed by Daido Moriyama I will retire it.
 
It's a great camera that has amazing IQ but it's not a good camera when you see with your hands.

Great way to put it. That's what I largely feel like is happening when I shoot With the GRD3. I'm not letting go of my x100 because it's such a great camera when I want tot use my eye more directly, but I almost never shot with it on the street after the first few times I tried it. But the ricoh and the epl3 (and ep3 when I had it) really do let you and even encourage you to "see with your hands". Thanks for that phrase.

-Ray
 
No kidding? I've been following Joe's work for some time on Flickr. Seems to have hit a slow spell, but MAN, does he have a body of work to be proud of! I'll give him credit for it if I use it, but at the very least I'll think of it a lot - seeing with my hands. The best explanation I've heard for why I like to shoot from the "hip" or just nowhere near my face a lot of the time - I'll just say that rather than try to explain it next time.

edit - just went back and watched that video again - I'd seen it about a year ago when I was just first getting into street photography and I completely missed the "seeing with my hands" comment - probably because I just didn't GET it. Now I fully get it and sounds downright profound.

I'd love to spend some real time in NYC just exploring and shooting. When I get up there it seems like its just for a weekend with my wife and I manage some shooting, but its definitely not the emphasis of what I'm doing.


-Ray
 
slightly off topic:

This weekend I heard for the first time of a Ricoh GR 21. A film-rangefinder cam with a fixed 21mm lens. More or less a Super Angulon with a film pressure plate.... you know it?

BTW: my GRD2 is enough for me even the GRD3 and now the 4 are a class of it's own.....
 
slightly off topic:

This weekend I heard for the first time of a Ricoh GR 21. A film-rangefinder cam with a fixed 21mm lens. More or less a Super Angulon with a film pressure plate.... you know it?

BTW: my GRD2 is enough for me even the GRD3 and now the 4 are a class of it's own.....

The GR21 was the very expensive version of the GR1, GR1s and GR1v. It wasn't a rangefinder. Today if you can find one they go for $1400 to $2100.

Ricoh GR21 - Camerapedia

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5494149456_51e44b2070_b.jpg
 
Dynamic Range?

This indeed is an interesting release for Ricoh and for me personally (given how much I use the GRD3). Ricoh has improved on several areas that I felt were necessary. Looking back at my wishlist, I wanted:

- Faster auto-focus (CHECK. A hybrid focusing system makes sense and should perform well. I'm particularly excited that this also means that the snap focus will also work faster, something that I use quite a bit)
- Increased ISO performance (Maybe. Time will tell how well the images look at ISO 1600. If they can pull 1600 ISO off given that it wasn't all that great on the GRD3 and photos were susceptible to banding at 1600, then this will be a CHECK for me)

Some nice features not originally on my list.
- Image stabilization, while not on my original wishlist, is a nice feature and should help make the f1.9 lens work in even lower light (or at lower ISO settings)
- FN Button Pairing is very cool and greatly expands what was already a nice feature of the GRD3.
- A new picture display is also nice but I was quite happy with the display on the GRD3. If this new screens performs well in bright light, so much the better.

My big question has to do with the Dynamic Range Compensation feature. Getting better DR from the GRD3 was on my original wish list but I've read conflicting reports about this "new" feature. On the Ricoh FAQ page we are told that you can apply DR to a RAW file. Is this different than the DR Scene Mode (which only works to produce JPEGs? If this actually does work on RAW files, I will be very happy.

Anyway, this is all conjecture I suppose. The real proof that all of these new features and capabilities actually work as billed will be when we start using and testing it in the real world.

Paul
 
Paul,
Your wishlist is probably shared by many others myself included.
There is already negative energy about the banding issues. We don't even have high iso samples yet and already banding is being discussed.
The high iso on the 3 was never an issue for me. I use 800-1600 even in good light. I prefer the grit the camera makes in those ranges. Of course I'm doing B&W so it's not as much an issue.

The new IS is a welcomed feature as is the fn button addition.
All in all I am excited about this camera more then any other new one being released. My daughter preordered one for my birthday in a few weeks.

Will you get to do a review soon? I'd love to read your impressions.
Don
 
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