Excitement is Building for the Sony RX100. I'm Dreaming About the Ricoh GRD V.

Amin

Hall of Famer
Lots of exciting things happening in the compact camera market right now. The Sony RX100 is groundbreaking and despite a high price should find its way into a lot of hands. However, shortly after learning about the new Sony, my thoughts turned to Ricoh.

Those of us who have used the GR Digital III and/or IV know that there is little to be improved about those cameras. They are as mature as compact digital cameras can get. Just about the only substantive improvement I can think of for the GRD series is to move to a larger format, and this new Sony 1-inch sensor is pointing the way.

It has long been the case that Sony will sell their sensors to anyone who is buying. I'm pretty sure that the current GRD sensor was made by Sony, and I highly doubt that Sony would refuse to sell the new 1-inch sensor to Ricoh for a new GRD. It's just a matter of designing a new GR lens worthy of the name and fitting it all together.

I'm confident that this is going to happen, and I can't wait.

One more thing: If Ricoh has to make the GRD V body a bit larger to incorporate the larger sensor while maintaining the lens speed, it might make a lot of sense to somehow get a small but bright optical viewfinder in there.
 
For some reason I don't feel as much magic about the 28mm focal length as I do with 24 or 32-35mm, but other than that, a GRD with that sensor would be amazing. Love how good its UI is for one-handed shooting. I don't think a waterproof version would be feasible though...
 
I'm putting my fingers in my ears!;) All joking aside, it will be interesting to see what happens next with Ricoh's GRD. I tried the GRD4 and chose the Fuji X10 instead. So many cameras, so little money.:drama: If they made a 24mm, it would be very tempting.... However, I'm on "the wagon" when it comes to camera purchases.

When is the next big blow out season for cameras - the fall for the "pre-holiday" gift giving time?
 
That is about the best and perhaps only way to improve on the GRD4. Though I'd still want the same body design and size. Offering a monochrome version would be ideal too as well as a 40-50mm version. 50mm larger sensor monochrome GRD... ah yes.

I don't recall when the GRD4 was released, but they run about 18 months between updates.
 
longer lens!

That is about the best and perhaps only way to improve on the GRD4. Though I'd still want the same body design and size. Offering a monochrome version would be ideal too as well as a 40-50mm version. 50mm larger sensor monochrome GRD... ah yes.

I don't recall when the GRD4 was released, but they run about 18 months between updates.

a 40-50mm lens either with current sensor and better yet a 1" sensor and I would be all over it.
 
I have mixed feelings. One the one hand, I love the GRD3 and agree that the sensor is about the only thing worth improving. OTOH, there's already not a lot of difference between the GRD and the GXR-28 except in terms of sensor and the camera's physical size. Any increase in the sensor performance, price, and/or size of the GRD line starts to run right into the GXR line because there's not that much between them right now. And frankly, part of the appeal of the GRD line is its gritty film like look and sensor improvements are likely to reduce that.

If they could make the GRD V the same size and price as the existing 4, I'd have to give it a look, but I'm not sure I'd buy it. The GRD 3 and the GXR-28 seem to have the whole market covered pretty well as is.

I'm actually more interested in the LX-6 or 7 or whatever. The LX5 is such a wonderful little camera and that would really benefit from a better sensor. Not that the GRD might not, but I see a better sensor almost messing up what's special about that camera.

-Ray
 
I have mixed feelings. One the one hand, I love the GRD3 and agree that the sensor is about the only thing worth improving. OTOH, there's already not a lot of difference between the GRD and the GXR-28 except in terms of sensor and the camera's physical size. Any increase in the sensor performance, price, and/or size of the GRD line starts to run right into the GXR line because there's not that much between them right now. And frankly, part of the appeal of the GRD line is its gritty film like look and sensor improvements are likely to reduce that.

My expectation is that the GXR "experiment" is at the end of the line and will be phased out*. There will always be a GRD and a larger sensor makes sense for the next iteration. However, I agree on the gritty film-like look, although that it easily replicated in PP these days. A larger sensor would give us more options - either cleaner images as-is or cleaner images on which to add layers of PP if one so chooses.

Personally, I use the GRD4 a lot more than the GXR 28mm A12; I use the 50mm A12 a lot more than the GRD4. I'm simply more interested in working a 50mm focal length these days.

* There has been no GXR news for a long time and the planned release of two new units a year appears to have come to a grinding halt. The small sensor units don't sell well and the A12s are "outdated." However, the Mount unit appears to be popular and perhaps there will be a Mount "camera" someday.
 
I'm confident that this is going to happen, and I can't wait.

One more thing: If Ricoh has to make the GRD V body a bit larger to incorporate the larger sensor while maintaining the lens speed, it might make a lot of sense to somehow get a small but bright optical viewfinder in there.

Inclined to agree, up to a point. the thing is, with Ricoh GXR, they already have larger sensor options. I'm not as convinced they will upgrade the GRD (?V) in that way. I'd probably buy, if they did, though. That would be brilliant. Especially with an OVF as well.

I do hope you are right!!
 
For me the GRD was my introduction to excellent compact digicams, and my GRD 3 is my most used camera. The UI really cannot be beat. If they went to 1" sensor...
 
A GRD5 with the Olympus OM-D sensor, a cracking 14mm f2.5 lens and the GRD control interface. I could go for that :)

That's just SOOOOOOO similar to the GXR-28, maybe a bit smaller but no doubt larger than the existing GRD3/4. Which only makes sense if Andrew is right about the end of the line for the GXR, which he may well be. So maybe the nearly identical but for sensor size GRD and GXR will both sort of go away and consolidate in the middle somewhere with either a 1" or 4/3 sensor. I'm sure it'll be a fine camera but I don't see what it offers that we can't already get. Unless of course the sensor is a vast improvement on all levels, which it very well could be give advances in sensors across the board in the past year or two.

We'll see. Probably just a bit of refinement compared to what's already available rather than any sort of game changer...

-Ray
 
Just released....

Looks like ricoh may be skipping over the 1'' sensor. Nikon rumors just posted a ricoh lens patent for 4/3sensor 14mm f2.5

Moving the GRD up to 43's and GXR to FF would make me very happy(ofcourse they also post a new 28mm EQ Aps-C lens patent)

The latest lens patents from Ricoh and Olympus | Photo Rumors

That's pretty interesting! Hmmmm.... I know that they could develop their own proprietary 4/3-sized sensor like Canon did, but how cool would it be to have Ricoh/Pentax on the m4/3 standard? Rather than trying to go it alone with their own, proprietary, CSC lens mount, they could have Pentax primes and Ricoh bodies out for m4/3. :D

I wonder how far in advance patents become public. I think they first file for provisional patent, which are private, and then they go public at some point. Just wondering if this was a pre-Pentax deal.
 
I personally would love to see a 1" sensor in a GRD. I wouldn't welcome a larger body, though. I think the ergonomics and layout are excellent and would love to see it stay the same. Sure, an OVF would be nice, but you can always buy the one that slides into the hot shoe. I would hate for them to make the GRD bigger just to accommodate a boring little optical viewfinder with no information. Look at the G-Series Canons. Their viewfinders are garbage. I'd be worried that Ricoh would just stick one in there for the heck of it. Now, if they could incorporate some information (Shutter, Aperture, ISO) and provide framing guidelines like you see in the film point and shoots (even just a little circle or some frame lines for parallax would be excellent), that would be top-notch.

I think if I had to choose between a slight size increase to incorporate a so-so VF over no size increase and no VF, I'd choose no increase in size and no VF.

This will be interesting to follow. I would love a larger sensor GRD. I've always wanted the GXR, but I can't afford it. Even at used prices it's significantly more expensive than the GRD.
 
For me the GRD was my introduction to excellent compact digicams, and my GRD 3 is my most used camera. The UI really cannot be beat. If they went to 1" sensor...

Me too... bought the GRD2 and was anxious about it because it was so expensive. But I've gotten more mileage out of my GRDs than any other camera and that makes them a great value in my book.
 
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