Ricoh GXR a few Questions

adanac, agreed 100% on MF with the finder.
When I used MF lenses on the Nex5, I fought to get focus. Then Sony put the uh, uh... focus thingy in color and I no longer had a problem. It was very easy to see the focused area and the DOF.

I have the finder for the gxr but haven't had a use for it...yet.
I am playing with my friends m module right now and it's very nice.
My Leica lenses are happy and dancing on the shelf to get in service again.
I dare not tell them that it ain't going to happen.

I just love AF and snap too much. It's soooo much faster.
The 28 & 50 do the job better for me.
Even the S10 has a place in my vision.

The m module works great but I don't think it's fast enough for me.
Good luck in your quest.
 
......

The m module works great but I don't think it's fast enough for me.
Good luck in your quest.

Ok Don I have a theoretical question for you then if we're talking speed and you have access to a friends M Module. Do you think you're still faster with the Snap focus using the 28 or 50 module than having a manual lens set are an appropriate "snap focus distance" with appropriate f stop you'd still be faster with the Ricoh lenses?

I'm trying to get a handle on this focusing thing as I've only had auto focus systems and the idea of having a manual system intrigues me.

Granted, you're a "street" shooter and I still have no idea how you guys do it so well. (many many years of work no doubt, plus a gift)

But most of my shooting is not necessarily requiring a lot speed. I do get frustrated when my auto focus doesn't focus though.
 
Duane, you can set up a manual lens for zone focussing, which snap focus is just a shortcut for. The beauty of snap focus is the ability (depending on how you assign the fn keys) to be able to go back and forth between zone and auto focus with a single button push. And to change the "zone" with one more. But you can do the same basic thing with a manual lens - just set it for the right aperture and the right focus point and fire away. But its mostly a street shooter's tool - I haven't found much other use for snap focus on my GRD3. Its the same as a manual lens - just a shortcut to the same place. This is assuming there's no difference in shutter lag between the modules??

-Ray
 
Duane,
It's a few things.... With the AF lenses I use snap most of the time. Say I am good from 1 1/2 meter to 6 meters, whatever meters are...
If I need to focus close or far from that range, a press of the fn button gets me there as fast as I can press.
With my MF lenses, I set hyperfocal distance or a zone of focus... then if I need to get in close fast... I have to refocus the lens. It's impossible to be as fast as AF or snap.

So the inverse square law once again sets its rule...
Less is more/more is less. I would get improved IQ from MF lenses but slower operation
Or....less IQ and faster operation.
I personally think the AF lenses, the A12 units are excellent.
On my prints, 16x20 & 20x24... I'm in image nirvana.

I have to give the unit back tomorrow as Roger is heading to Paris for a few months.
It's nice, don't get me wrong but it once again becomes a kind of specialized thing.

As far as what that means....
Street is everything photographic. It's all in there. Portrait, landscape, documentary, close up etc... When one ventures out of street, one goes to a specialized area born from street.

So I would suggest that one analyzes ones wishes and work, determine in which area the images are specializing in and then seek the gear for that area of work.
 
Thanks Ray, I do understand the zone focusing as I've learned about that hanging around here and the vertical DOF scale on both my GRD and GXR have made that abundantly clear the relationship between aperture and focal length.

But you tickled my imagination when mentioned the fn keys and setting them up to go back and forth between zone and auto.

Just curious how you have the fn1 and fn2 keys configured.

I myself have had the fn1 set to "focus" and the fn2 set to AE Lock. I've just noticed the option for AF/Snap and AF/MF and can see how that works too.
 
Duane,
It's a few things.... With the AF lenses I use snap most of the time. Say I am good from 1 1/2 meter to 6 meters, whatever meters are...
If I need to focus close or far from that range, a press of the fn button gets me there as fast as I can press.
With my MF lenses, I set hyperfocal distance or a zone of focus... then if I need to get in close fast... I have to refocus the lens. It's impossible to be as fast as AF or snap......

Thanks for that explanation and now that's making all the sense in the world to me. I too am very happy with the 28 and the 50 keeps calling my name, its just I have another voice calling that's a real voice, if you know what I mean!!!!!

Unfortunately, my streets are pretty lame (Broad and Main Street) but I will definitely begin to look at the street being a new challenge in my travels that I will seriously try to explore more.

(BTW, just times the meter scale by 3 and you're in the ball park for number of feet ;) but then I know you know that :))
 
Yeah, it's the Brit's on the forum that started that meter thing.....
By the way... I have Fn 1- Snap/AF.
Nuttin's faster! The 50 is an amazing lens. It's not my favorite FOV but it really is sweet.
I find the AF as good as the 28 but I can't post that anywhere but here.
I used it for a month and then one day I sat down for a minute...
This thing started coming out of the front of the lens....
Gasp... The horror! I thought the lens was imploding but alas...
It was the built in lens hood....
 
Yeah, it's the Brit's on the forum that started that meter thing.....
By the way... I have Fn 1- Snap/AF.
Nuttin's faster! The 50 is an amazing lens. It's not my favorite FOV but it really is sweet.
I find the AF as good as the 28 but I can't post that anywhere but here.
I used it for a month and then one day I sat down for a minute...
This thing started coming out of the front of the lens....
Gasp... The horror! I thought the lens was imploding but alas...
It was the built in lens hood....

Whaaaaaat? As I'm reading your post I'm sitting here wondering if you're pulling my leg about this hood thing. Cuz I've never seen no stinkin' hood on the 50.

I hurried over to Ricoh.com and I still don't see no stinkin' hood but then I see in fine print: "* There is a built-in extendable hood."

(BTW, I just figured a way to make the viewing area in my EVF bigger, :D)
 
I turned the "Shooting Info. Display Frame" to Off and now I don't have a black frame that the shooting info was in and can see more of the photo in the frame. When this is turned on, it shrinks the live view into that frame.

I guess I didn't realize that when you cycle the "Disp" button (4 choices) the last two choices (grid and no info displayed) the frame is also removed.
 
Darn camera is amazing. Thanks for this. I'll try it later.
I'll tell ya, my old 35 Lux is really nice in the M mount.
I have that small one from the 70's everyone wants. Not bad.
It's just stupid cause it doesn't understand AF. Just sits there like an old timer waiting...
 
Darn camera is amazing. Thanks for this. I'll try it later.
I'll tell ya, my old 35 Lux is really nice in the M mount.
I have that small one from the 70's everyone wants. Not bad.
It's just stupid cause it doesn't understand AF. Just sits there like an old timer waiting...

I can only imagine. You must believe me when I tell you I really have known hardly a thing about anything Leica until hanging around here and buying my GRD and now GXR. Really.

As a side note not to get off thread too far, but I flew today with a flight attendant who's brother also flies with the company as a pilot who share with me a couple months ago about a camera his grandfather passed along to his father.

It's a complete Leica kit in the original boxes, that includes at least 3 or 4 lens prior to the M models. (I think early 1930s during the depression and prior to WWII) I can't remember off the top of my head the model. He knew he had something but not really how significant it could be.
 
But you tickled my imagination when mentioned the fn keys and setting them up to go back and forth between zone and auto.

Just curious how you have the fn1 and fn2 keys configured.

I myself have had the fn1 set to "focus" and the fn2 set to AE Lock. I've just noticed the option for AF/Snap and AF/MF and can see how that works too.

I have fn1 set for AF/Snap - same as Don. And fn2 set to toggle between color and B&W on the LCD - so I can compose in color when I'm planning a color image, and B&W for most of my street stuff. I love that I have everything immediately available on the GRD3 - aperture or shutter (depending my mode) on the front dial, ISO on the rear ADJ rocker, exposure comp on the vertical/zoom rocker, snap distance on the front dial when I hold down the up arrow button. I never have to hit a button to enable an adjustment - the stuff I use regularly is always right there. I tried full press snap for a while as a quick way to toggle between AF and snap, but I was never as steady on the shutter button that way - always pressing it too fast or hard or stabbing at it or something. With the AF/Snap assigned to the fn button, I don't worry about it - I just toggle between them, which is much more effective for me.

And if I ever decide to get a GXR, I won't have to relearn anything - they seem basically identical with the sensor size being the only real difference.

-Ray
 
Thanks Ray, you've already gotten me to change my fn1 to the same way you and Don have it set and so far I've been liking the fn2 set to AE Lock as I sometimes like to lock the exposure from somewhere other than center focus. But I'm liking the idea you're using on changing between B&W and Color.

More hotel room experimenting tonight.
 
It could be a 111c or something. I used one for years along side a 111f red dial. Very fast camera with zone focusing. Those lenses are magical. If you look at Kertesz's early work, you'll see the magic. Well look past the genius and just see the way the lens draws. I call it blurry sharp.
It's funny. Bresson is noted as the first real Leica shooter on the street. Kertesz was out there with the first Leica's Barnack produced.
If it wasn't for Kertesz, there wouldn't be a Bresson... Or us for that matter.

Those old lenses produce that old visual quality that the newer stuff can only dream of.
 
Thanks for the conversation, guys! I have been sticking with the default configuration, but I would like quicker access to snap... Fn1 sounds like a plan, as default MF/AF doesn't seem very useful there. I also have AEL setup on Fn2, Duane.
 
So the inverse square law once again sets its rule...
Less is more/more is less. I would get improved IQ from MF lenses but slower operation
Or....less IQ and faster operation.

This morning I was out shooting and thinking about this very equation. Ultimate IQ isn't worth anything if achieving it causes one to miss the shot. Or miss all the shots.

I personally think the AF lenses, the A12 units are excellent.

Having seen your work, I can't argue with that. Thanks to your good natured and persistent selling of the feature, I'm very sold on Snap focus even if I didn't buy a module, yet, which implements it. I used something akin to snap focus with the X100 for travel photography and was very pleased with how that worked for me so I'm very interested in the 28mm module.

In a rare moment of caution this morning I held back from ordering the A12 28mm, figuring that I'd check out the camera and the M mount. Already I'm feeling that was a mistake, but I was struck by a rare moment of caution earlier.

After essentially using only two cameras for most of the last thirty years (not counting various play cameras) this year the GXR will represent my third digital compact in four months. While I love technology and checking out photo gear, this sort of turnover is a bit unnerving, and gets in the way of making photographs, so I hope I'm at the end of my search for a goodly long while.

So I decided to check out the GXR as a camera, and the M mount module, with a resolution to make a decision on buying more deeply into the system.

Street is everything photographic. It's all in there. Portrait, landscape, documentary, close up etc... When one ventures out of street, one goes to a specialized area born from street.

So I would suggest that one analyzes ones wishes and work, determine in which area the images are specializing in and then seek the gear for that area of work.

Wise.

I'm looking for a do-everything camera in this purchase, within reason. I'm looking to get back into alpine photography as I introduce my sons to mountaineering and the back-country. The M glass is great for that, partially for IQ but also because there is choice available. Thus I think the M mount will be a keeper. I'd like to keep my rangefinder lenses in case Ricoh or some nice company ever comes out with a full frame module or camera at prices other than the M9's level.

But the rest of what I do with a camera is primarily people focused and when I look at the amount of time I spend shooting this genre, I really should have bought the 28mm module first. ;-)

So call me a little gun shy... but I'll get there.
 
Well, I'm gunshy on the M module. I just am not seeing what it will do for me. I know, I know...the Leica lenses. I'm a walker and a thinker when I'm working.
I walk for miles an just observe. The camera is with me but not breaking my concentration. When I see a scene I start to look for elements to get the camera working...doesn't alway happen. When it does happen, I pull it out, up whatever and in an instant...compose and release. That's it. If I have to fiddle with anything... The magic is gone.

I can decide as I approach the photo if I need AF or if Snap is right. A simple press of a button without looking....
So the M module and Leica lenses, as good as it is...isn't going to do that.
This is not to say that there isn't times that it wouldn't be great, it would but for now...it's off my radar. My daughter on the other hand adores my...uh..our...uh..her Leica glass.
She does different things then me so it works for her.

I used the module for a time yesterday and can say without a doubt... It's awesome.
It's just not my cup of tea. The 28 & 50 are where I am and will be for some time...
Oh' and the S10 for true grit.

I know I've stated this position over and over but I repost as a request from a member.
 
As a GXR user just wanted you to know I really screwed an opportunity this morning. A great view from the cockpit of the Hudson River and the City from Teterboro to La Guardia. Got a new guy up front with me this week and did not feel comfortable taking a couple snaps on a 12 minute flight.
 
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