Sell X100 and buy Ricoh GRD IV? Your Take?

[MrDoug]

I have been thinking about selling my Fuji X100 and buying Ricoh GRD IV.. whats your take? I would probably even pick up maybe a couple hundred bucks + in exchange.. your advice please..

 

[krugorg]

What are you looking for in a different camera, Doug?

 

[Landshark]

If you are talking about a GRD IV, great camera but it will not do what a X100

 

[MrDoug]

What are you looking for in a different camera, Doug?

Well I like street shooting and I'm kinda curious about the Quick Snap Focus mode feature I have been hearing about and the images I have seen with B & W and Color with the Ricoh.. I have X1O and that kinda fills the void for the absence of the X100... just fishing around.. shessh..

 

[MrDoug]

If you are talking about a GRD IV, great camera but it will not do what a X100

Yes, I meant GRD IV... sorry..

 

[MrDoug]

If you are talking about a GRD IV, great camera but it will not do what a X100

So, if you were going out tomorrow and you were to do strictly street shooting.. lets say downtown Seattle or NY, which camera would you use.. GRD IV or X100?

 

[Armanius]

Neither! Nikon V1! Hehehe.

 

[MrDoug]

Neither! Nikon V1! Hehehe.

Hi Armando.. are you serious? what have you been smoking.. LOL.. your GAS must be building up again..

 

[Armanius]

For street shooting right? Nothing beats the AF of the V1! Supposedly. And yes, GAS has been building for the V1, GXR, and GX1! And the upcoming Fuji next year ...

 

[Lili]

Well I like street shooting and I'm kinda curious about the Quick Snap Focus mode feature I have been hearing about and the images I have seen with B & W and Color with the Ricoh.. I have X1O and that kinda fills the void for the absence of the X100... just fishing around.. shessh..

The GRD would not offer the same IQ as your X100. Its advantage for Street work is the Snap Focus plus the small size, low profile. Also the smaller sensor offers a lot of depth of field.

 

[retow]

Horses for courses, as they say. I have the GRD III, great handling, UI, but IQ is small sensor, and not even the best small sensor. The files produced by the X100 are among the finest of any aps-c sensor camera, simply superb. To me it would make sense to own both, but I'd never trade a X100 for a GRDIV. How about trading your S95 and G12 for a GRDIV as you already have the X10 as the best small sensor fixed zoom light box?
And as Armanius said, if AF rather than snap focus (basically a zone focus equivalent) is preferred, nothing beats Nikon's J1 or V1. Performance wise, they are on steroids and deliver at the level of good DSLRs and offer a sensor twice as big as the one in the X10. And as several testers confirm, high iso is as good as with mft.

 

[Ray Sachs]

Doug, the X10 is roughly as good a street camera as the GRD series. The sensor is a bit larger, but still has DOF coming out of its ears. It doesn't have snap focus, but it's VERY easy to set up for zone focus, and nearly as easy to change the zone with the manual focus wheel. It's just as silent and nearly as stealth. The X10 has more latitude for low light too, and is obviously more versatile. The only thing the GRD really makes notably easier than the X10 (or any other non-Ricoh) is to move instantly between zone focus and auto-focus. That can be a nice thing, but when I'm shooting on the street I rarely leave zone focus anyway.

The GRD is a great street camera, but the X10 doesn't have to apologize to anyone in that regard. Almost all of the street shooting i did in NYC early last month was with the X10. You also have the epl3, no? Another awesome street camera with the 12 or 14 mm lens. Flip the screen up, compose on that, and use the crazy fast AF. The rest of the NYC shots I did with that.

If you dont want to keep your X100, thats another question (I see it's already for sale), but you don't need a new camera for street shooting! You may, OTOH, need a new pair of shoes to go wear out!

-Ray

 

[MrDoug]

Doug, the X10 is roughly as good a street camera as the GRD series. The sensor is a bit larger, but still has DOF coming out of its ears. It doesn't have snap focus, but it's VERY easy to set up for zone focus, and nearly as easy to change the zone with the manual focus wheel. It's just as silent and nearly as stealth. The X10 has more latitude for low light too, and is obviously more versatile. The only thing the GRD really makes notably easier than the X10 (or any other non-Ricoh) is to move instantly between zone focus and auto-focus. That can be a nice thing, but when I'm shooting on the street I rarely leave zone focus anyway.

The GRD is a great street camera, but the X10 doesn't have to apologize to anyone in that regard. Almost all of the street shooting i did in NYC early last month was with the X10. You also have the epl3, no? Another awesome street camera with the 12 or 14 mm lens. Flip the screen up, compose on that, and use the crazy fast AF. The rest of the NYC shots I did with that.

If you dont want to keep your X100, thats another question (I see it's already for sale), but you don't need a new camera for street shooting! You may, OTOH, need a new pair of shoes to go wear out!

-Ray

Yes, I think I will pass on the GRD4 for the time being.. I have the X10 and EPL3 with that awesome tilt screen.. I also will probably keep X100 as well.. I just had a big GAS attack at the time of posting.. LOL.. I also went down to my local Camera store today and handled the Nikon V1, but ... not yet.. lack of good lenses.. it has fast AF and nice built in EVF.. but not for me yet.. thanks for the help and advice.. trying to shed GAS here.. is there a pill that I can take..?

 

[BBW]

The Pill is locking your credit cards away and giving someone else the key.

 

[MrDoug]

The Pill is locking your credit cards away and giving someone else the key.

Copy that.. you are right.. I cringe when I get my credit card bill at the end of the month..Yuk.. more purchases then credits.. LOL.. OBTW.. thanks for the help with deleting FS item. I will remember next time. I should have figured that out myself.. I have and was born with no patience..

 

[BBW]

You're more than welcome, Doug.

 

[wt21]

But is NOT selling a $1,000 camera that you have admitted you don't use AVOIDING gas? The GRD III (as an example) can be purchased for $250, vs ~$1,000 you have tied up in the X100. But why even buy the GRD if you aren't using the X100 to begin with. Sell the X100 and try just going with the X10 or S95. Recently, I had to look myself in the mirror, and admit that I had some gear for some "imaginary" shooting types that I simply never did. Street shooting being one of them. I keep thinking "I should get streetshooting gear" but when I'm honest with myself, I have to admit I'm a coward wrt to streetshooting, and the opportunities in my life to do it are so limited to begin with. You should really ask yourself why you need the X100 (or any camera for that matter).

 

[Crsnydertx]

But is NOT selling a $1,000 camera that you have admitted you don't use AVOIDING gas? The GRD III (as an example) can be purchased for $250, vs ~$1,000 you have tied up in the X100. But why even buy the GRD if you aren't using the X100 to begin with. Sell the X100 and try just going with the X10 or S95. Recently, I had to look myself in the mirror, and admit that I had some gear for some "imaginary" shooting types that I simply never did. Street shooting being one of them. I keep thinking "I should get streetshooting gear" but when I'm honest with myself, I have to admit I'm a coward wrt to streetshooting, and the opportunities in my life to do it are so limited to begin with. You should really ask yourself why you need the X100 (or any camera for that matter).

Bill, your message hit home with me. I've been buying cameras in search of the perfect gear without a clear objective of what I'm trying to accomplish. I get this notion in my head that a particular camera will be ideal when I have time to go out and shoot - but I seem to never have time. I'm of retirement age but really like what I'm doing so am unlikely to hang it up any time soon. So I have all these cameras and lenses that are in pristine condition but are grossly underutilized. Time to take a deep breath, figure out where I'm going, and release the gear that doesn't fit that vision. Thanks for your words; they are spot on.

 

[Ray Sachs]

But is NOT selling a $1,000 camera that you have admitted you don't use AVOIDING gas? The GRD III (as an example) can be purchased for $250, vs ~$1,000 you have tied up in the X100. But why even buy the GRD if you aren't using the X100 to begin with. Sell the X100 and try just going with the X10 or S95. Recently, I had to look myself in the mirror, and admit that I had some gear for some "imaginary" shooting types that I simply never did. Street shooting being one of them. I keep thinking "I should get streetshooting gear" but when I'm honest with myself, I have to admit I'm a coward wrt to streetshooting, and the opportunities in my life to do it are so limited to begin with. You should really ask yourself why you need the X100 (or any camera for that matter).

I'm kind of like that with telephoto-capable gear. For the number of times I actually use a long lens, its almost silly to have a camera and lens that's specifically good for it. But its odd, when I DON'T have it available, I have all kinds of situations that seem to call for it. And when I do have it available, I seem to use it JUST enough to justify keeping it. And its a type of photography that's kind of fun on occasion, but its such a small part of what I do that I could get by without it without any real difficulty. But, that's where m43 comes in. I like the camera bodies and there are enough lenses that are RIGHT in my wheelhouse for the kinds of shooting I do, that I really just need one more lens to be able to do long work occasionally. So its worth it. But for a while I thought about having a DSLR and a really nice long lens because that setup would be BETTER for most tele work than m43. THAT, however, I could never get close to justifying. Of my existing cameras (m43, X100, X10, and GRD3), the X100 is the one I need the least and probably use the least. But it is such a singular shooting experience, so unlike any other digital camera I've owned or currently own, that I just couldn't imagine getting rid of it. I don't use it a lot, but when I do, I'm just head over heels for it. Its an amazing change of pace, perspective check, variety is the spice of life kind of camera. And is probably the LAST of my cameras that I'd ever sell... But, of course, if I NEVER used it, that would be a very different story than just not using it all that much...

-Ray

 

[Biro]

Doug... it looks like you've already decided to hold off but let me add my two cents' worth. First, I wouldn't even think of letting the X100 or X10 go until I saw Fuji's interchangeable MILC next year. Second, Bill is right... it's probably a good idea to sit back, take a deep breath and consider exactly what kind of shooting you really do and what camera(s) you need for it.

I am not immune to GAS and I must admit that I have purchased some cameras and lenses not because I needed them but because they were such a delight to behold and use. There's nothing wrong with that as long as one can afford it - it's a part of the joy of life. But as retirement draws nearer, the irony for me is that while I will have more time for photography, my standard of living will nonetheless be falling - at least somewhat. So, with a few notable exceptions, I am focusing (pun intended) more on needs rather than wants.

The upshot of all this, for me, may be that my Pentax DSLR kit (2 bodies and 9 lenses) may be going away in a couple of years. But the good news is that the MILC class of cameras is the most exciting thing to come along since digital.