Ricoh Surprise! Ricoh GRIIIx (Showcase)

Had a similar notification from Adorama. They were offering free next day air shipping, which was a selling point. Luckily, I had some superfluous gear to part with to help cover the cost. I still have gobs of m4/3s gear I keep telling myself I'll never sell, but I do still come back and use it every now and again. That as well as looking on it fondly and sentimentally, it's hard to bring myself to part with any of it.
I re-bought the 20/1.7 for the third time a little while back, before the GRIIIx was announced. Is it possible that I'll take to the GRIIIx so much that I'll be tempted to offload the 20mm again? Well, I won't. I'm digging my heels in this time :D And actually eh shallow DoF capabilities of the 20mm f1.7 are considerably better than the 26/2.8 on the GRIIIx even given the difference in sensor size so it makes sense to keep both.
 
I re-bought the 20/1.7 for the third time a little while back, before the GRIIIx was announced. Is it possible that I'll take to the GRIIIx so much that I'll be tempted to offload the 20mm again? Well, I won't. I'm digging my heels in this time :D And actually eh shallow DoF capabilities of the 20mm f1.7 are considerably better than the 26/2.8 on the GRIIIx even given the difference in sensor size so it makes sense to keep both.
That 20/1.7 was my first m4/3 lens. I think I've had it for over ten years now and it has helped produce some of my favorite shots in the system. I've found over time that 40mm is a sweet spot for me, so the GRIIIx announcement was a welcome one. I still have a Coolpix A for the 28mm shots. Although different interfaces, for sure, I'd like to see if carrying both in a small bag proves useful.
 
I'm curious thinking about a used Fuji XF10 if I do decide to part with my GRIII, though I'm also thinking the Panny 14/2.5 has been really cheap lately from Japanese and HK sellers, and I do like that lens. But I have the 12-32mm zoom that is nearly as small and I could cover my wide angle needs just with that.
 
The "wobble" definition varies between people, my very first US run GRIII was more wobbly than the next one, but if you were really splitting hairs you could say it still wobbles a tiny bit. Only video would ensure terminology is the same between different folks.
 
A few shots from dog walking this weekend:

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Tell you one thing I've noticed, and now tested and confirmed.

Whatever you set the digital crop to, in this case "70mm", the EXIF still shows 26mm - thus:
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These shots are really great (thanks for the iiix demo), but the bee in the flower is just such a good catch. Clearly, Ricoh managed to change lenses without loss of IQ.
 
Yes, I am surprised by the sharpness of the lens. It has nice bokeh also. IQ is above its size, similar to GR III.... Only in the extreme corners for the tree shot, I saw some fringing. It is definitely best pocket camera....

Coming from Contax g 45mm, I found it on the wider end at 39mm equivalent, but the sharpness helps on the crops as I see in your shot also...

I wish I had this 2 weeks ago. I had g1x III with me on my trip, but the aperture slows when you zoom in for the portrait shots. The only disadvantage of gr is that the nd is not very strong for day time to slow down the waves, so it needs an adapter to attach a filter vs g1x III accepts filters directly on the zoom lens.... Each GR has different adapters, so it is not standard size....

Now all we need a GR IIIz with 75-90mm f2.8 lens to complete the series:)

Ah, there's that Ricoh "pop"; it really makes the most of autumn colours. And look at the detail in the dog's fur...
 
A couple notes which I wondered about:
1. The JJC metal lens cover works perfectly. Since the lens ring/surround is a bit deeper, the cover fits even firmer than it does on the GRIII. Of course, the JJC thumb grip is also good to go since the body of the camera is identical.
2. The NiSi filter kit which presses on to the lens barrel also works, as the lens barrel is the same diameter. I have the "Pro" kit which includes polarizer, ND8, natural night and graduated ND rectangular filters and the filter holder. It's a fantastic kit, just don't let the lens auto-retract when using it, or it will fall off! The polarizer should prove even easier to use effectively with this lens than the 28mm. I am not sure that the "Master" version of NiSi's kit will work with the GRIIIx since I believe the lens extension provided with it doesn't interchange with the two models (just as the Ricoh models which go with the wide and tele converter lenses don't seem to be interchangeable either).
3. Startup and shutdown times are absolutely identical, and so far focus seems to be as well. Lens elements and dimensions don't seem to make a lick of difference.
 
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