hard decision ...need help

[sutica]

hi,
i'm considering to buy a camera that learns me how to MAKE a photo
i've an old point and shot camera (olympus c-470) so i m looking for something different.

i saw ricoh cx1...nice cam,great features,dr mode,28-200mm,great lcd...but....maybe is too similar to my olympus???
yes,i know that of course cx1 produces better images than my olympus and it has features that my cam can only dreams about...but can i see a real difference to make photo whit my cam or whit the cx1?
hard to explain what i think but i hope you undrestand me.

so i'm looking for Gr digital II...the images products by Gr models looks so cool (better than cx1, i think...just find it on Flickr)....but i'm scared about fixed 28 mm, is hard to play whit?is hard to "learn" this kind of cameras?is it difficult to process a raw?

price is similar (surely not equal), GRD II is more expensive but if it really produces better images than cx1 (more detailed,more real,more "impressive") i ll certain choose for GRD II
thank you so much,is hard to find in italy people that know and use Ricoh cameras like you,it is a pleasure to write here.

REALLY sorry for my English (i know that this is the worst English you ever read ) but I understand English better than I write and hope to read your comments


ps
get a laugh .... I spent a half hour to write this

 

[VladimirV]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Your English is just fine so don't worry about that.

I would say if you want to get a camera to learn with and improve the GRDs are perfect for this. They are not easy to get great results at first but the more you learn the better results you will get.
The 28mm lens is limiting but at the same time it forces you to be more creative and experiment more since you can't rely on a zoom.

For me the GRD I is what got me into photography and I have learned a lot by using it and trying to improve by experimenting with the various settings.

I really like the CX1 and think it's a fantastic camera but the GRDs are in a different class altogether and will teach you more about photography as you will have to learn how to get the best out of them.

Maybe a GX100/200 would be a good compromise as they have the same controls as the GRDs but also give you some limited zoom that you can set up as a step zoom and use it only as a fixed lens if you wish.

 

[sutica]

what can i say,Vladimir?
thank you so much for reply!!!!

you said:
"...but at the same time it forces you to be more creative and experiment more since you can't rely on a zoom" that is true and i just thinking about this! and it's cool
"They are not easy to get great results at first"... that is not so cool but i understand perfectly....however, generally Grd II produces better image quality than cx1?
I read all your reviews (R10/CX1/GRD) and I find it simply fantastic and very helpful. thanks!

i think that (maybe) my point and shoot camera results too similiar to cx1 (the way i'll take photos...just point and...click!) and buying cx1 maybe is not the better choice cause i already have a "simple" camera.what do you think? GRDs are in different class,you said, then different way to thake photos (think so)

what can you say about GRD III? so much better than GRD II? i 've to wait for this new model?


thanks

 

[VladimirV]

You're welcome. Glad you found my reviews helpfull.

The GRDs produce better image quality than the CX1 but the GRD II only if you shoot and process the RAW files, the JPGs are not very good and pretty much unusable.

The CX1 will still give you some limited control to learn and grow but it will not be a lot more than what you already have. What it will give more is a easier was to change the settings so you'll end up experimenting more with EV compensation and different ISO settings, WB and so on. It is good but if you really want to learn more then a GX or GRD camera will be better suited.

The GRDs and GX cameras are in a different class when it comes to manual controls but also the IQ can be superior to the CX1.

The GRD III is a massive improvement in my opinion over the GRD II and fixes all problems the GRD II had, the IQ is also better. It is a great upgrade although the price is a bit too steep in my opinion and should be lower.

Maybe as a good in between camera you should look for a GX100 if you can find it as it will give you excellent IQ and enough manual controls, plus it should not be too expensive.

 

[socket]

The question is - are you satisfied with the zoom lenght of your oly, or do you want something longer? (Or shorter?)

If you want a long zoom without too many complications, go CX1.

The GRDs are great wide-angle cameras, but not as flexible and from what I understand, not really good for portraits, unless you buy the 40mm lens attachment.

I like the GX100. I think the GX100 is a great camera for a beginner.

Both the 470 and the GX100 have a 3x zoom, but the GX100 (or 200, if you can't find one) starts at 24mm and goes to 72mm. The 470 is 35mm to 105. So it's both wider and shorter than what you have. You'll have to decide if that is what you want.

There seems to be a substantial upgrade with the GX100 - a electronic viewfinder (which tilts up), macro (according to a review of the oly I googled, it is not very good on that camera), and manual controls in a very easy interface.

It also has RAW, which I haven't had much experience with, but is like openning up a file in a viewer and saving it - it's no big deal. It's pretty easy to get better pictures than the incamera JPEGS, although I choose to keep the incamera JPEGS about 30% of the time.

In other words, the GX100 is very flexible and easy to use if you don't have much experience with cameras, like I do.

I would avoid the GX200 if you can find a GX100 - I don't think the extra cost is worth it. The only feature on the 200 I would probably like is the electronic level - otherwise, I'm not a fast snapper and the speed improvements would probably be wasted on me.

 

[socket]

Oh ... there's a caveat to my recommendation of the GX100.

I went to a wedding reception the other day and just took a few snaps of the people sitting at the table with me. I didn't think the camera would have much problem with them, but most of the pictures came out out of focus or much too noisy to be used. I'm sure a regular point and shoot would have done better. But I don't blame the camera and it will motive me to figure out what went wrong for the future. I'm sure that I'll be able to figure it out .

So if you don't want to go through the exercise of taking pictures and figuring out what settings will improve the bad pictures in the future, the Ricoh to go with is probably the CX1, being the most mainstream.

Personally, I don't mind having bad photos in these situations. I'm not 'photo-mad' and there are plenty of other, regular 'point and shot' cameras at these events. I'd rather risk things coming out badly and junking the pictures to have the opportunity to develop some photography skills. It makes life more interesting

 

[thelps]

I took my GRD II on holiday once and used it exclusively. I did take another camera with me as a backup, but it stayed in the room - I think I took 2 frames with it the whole week.

The GRD II worked for me for about 95% of images - a few hundred over the 5 days. I sometimes moved to get framing right, but often I just looked for images to suit 28mm, perhaps I find it easy to not complicate my vision? I even took some video with the GRD, which because of the subject matter was eagerly watched by my audience with no complaints about IQ.

Each to their own but the GRD works well for me.

Just a thought - Many people rely on their phone camera totally for photography and most of these only have one focal length so I suspect if you did statistics on the worlds camera users you would find most are working with single focal length?? :lol:

Another thought - I am thinking of experimenting with a small over shoulder bag that will take the GRD and maybe a DP2 or LX3 or GX200 or even GRD with accessory lenses. The total package will still be less than a DSLR.