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macsareback

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Hey I was wondering how extension lenses work on this system, is there some sort of adapter for other lenses such as wide, zoom etc?

I plan to get a viewfinder when I have the extra money. Is it pretty good? Thanks
 
Hi macsareback and welcome here! I believe you just bought the P10? I'm afraid, there is no direct way to use the extension lenses with P10 module. The only way is to adapt the Ricoh HA3 tube originally made for GXR S10. There is unfortunately no way to make it usable with wide extension lenses. At best you can use it with some tele lenses. See for example this post...
viewtopic.php?f=60&t=5483
Hope this helps?

And yes, the GXR VF is great. The only real problem I have with it is the absence of proximity sensor. In other words, one needs to switch between the EVF/LCD using a very oddly placed button, which is impossible to reach by the right thumb.
 
Ty Pavel for the welcome. I was wondering are they planning to release another model with a higher MP soon? I would be kind of annoyed by spending a lot of money on a new system that is just getting replaced fairly fast. These lens kits are good I'm sure as far as the build goes, but they are not cheap. $300 for a S10, $700 for the macro, $700 for the A12. This is a lot of money, so I would like to be able to use the system for a long period of time before an upgrade. I noticed some of the lens modules are 10MP and the newer ones are 12MP.
 
I honestly don't know what will be the megapixel count of future modules. There is of course a very good chance that the newer modules will use recent sensors with more MP. I personally hope they will stick with 10MP for P10 successor. There is really no need for more megapixels in case of this module.

BTW, are you aware that the P10, S10 and A12 modules use completely different sensors (hence the different pricing)? The P10 uses the smallest sensor (the same sensor as used in Ricoh CX3/4), while the A12 uses large APSC sensor like used in many DLSRs (for example Nikon D300 or even Leica X1). And the larger the sensor is, the more complicated is the lens design. And finally, the GR mark is a symbol of quality. This all makes the A12 modules somewhat more expensive ;)
 
Thanks for providing me some clarity about this camera, I was wondering what all the rave was about in regard to the APS-C. I would hope that they don't make this a model that they will not provide backward compatibility for the modules if a new one is released. I will not buy a new model for a long time, this will be over $2000 of spending for this one camera, which is ok. I could have bought a K-7 with an 18-55mm lense for $1000, it is weather sealed but I believe this brand has the best colors of any I've seen out there. Some of the shots that are monochromatic are amazing on this forum.
 
Hi macsareback,

I bought my GXR with the A12 28mm unit just last Friday. That's the one Pavel described as having the large APS-C sensor.

I got mine for $1050 Singapore dollars (about $800 US dollars), and I think it's a very good piece of investment. I'm a basic photographer (I like to shoot in auto mode a lot) but it's very easy to get around Ricoh's menu system if you want to try out other advanced shooting modes. I'm not sure how you will use your camera but I'm using mine for landscape and street photography -- the A12 28mm with its wide angle lens is suited for this. At this stage, I admit I'm still getting used to the GXR (snap focus mode is fun!) and I think I can get accustomed to not having certain functions like tele-zoom and 1080 video recording which were available in my previous Sony HX5V camera.

Cheers
 
If I had the extra money I would have spent another $500 for that lense module, but I don't at the time. So I will have to wait sadly, I look forward to doing street photography primarily and portraits.
 
P10 is not great when it comes to low light photography, especially in JPEG. But if there is enough light or you have patient models, P10 should serve you good. Even portraits with somewhat blurred background are not a problem with P10. All you need to do is to use max zoom. At 300mm and let's say 1-2m distance you will get nicely smoothed background. True, not as much blurred as you would get with A12 50, but it still looks good. But of course, this works only with enough light and shutter speeds around 1/200 and higher. It's very hard to keep the camera still at 300mm so it's only for good light.
 
So what should I do? should I return it and grab a GR3? Or should I just wait and buy a S10 module? The A12 will take me about 4-5 months to save up for.
 
If you can get a full refund, maybe it is a good idea to return it. With this kind of money, you can get some really good cameras with a decent lens for snap / street shots, like the NEX-5 or GF1.

It is true that GXR system can give you some pretty stunning pictures, but it is a machine for you to LOVE :oops:

When I said love, that means this system has its good points, but you have to put up with those bad things about it too. For the GXR, the lack of AF ability is really a big turn off, but if you can get over it and discover the kind of control it provides and the image quality that comes out of it, you will LOVE it, just like most of us on this forum I guess.

Still, if you are the kind of person who would like to "point-and-shoot" or "capture the moment", GXR is really not for you, neither does the GRD3. Even if the "snap mode" is used, the chances for me to capture a good photo of a baby / any fast moving object with the GXR is around 10% only (vs. 80% when using the NEX5).
 
I don't mind learning how to use it properly, I just want to make sure the lense mount was a good choice, and some clearly think it may not have been. I could just save up to buy the s10 in a month or two.
 
I'm not sure the S10 is THAT much better than P10? Of course, there is visibly less noise. But on the other hand, its noticeably slower sensor is not that good in continuous mode and S10 AF is slower too. I first thought the P10 is just a gimmick GXR module, but now I like it more than the S10 ;)

My advice is to keep the P10, learn how to use it and save money for A12 module (either A12 50, 28 or next year planned A12 zoom, most probably 24-90mm). P10 can deliver surprisingly good results, especially if processed with good RAW editor. I personally consider Adobe LR3 great for P10 files. Its color noise reduction is simply great and allows to extract surprisingly useful results even from ISO800/1600 files (see for example these examples). I guess the Adobe Photoshop Elements 9 with ACR plugin should be similarly good in noise processing. Both LR3 a PSE shares the same ACR engine, so the basic results should be very similar. If you cannot afford LR3, PSE 9 could be a very good alternative?
 
Hi macsareback,

I agree with Pavel on this one. You can use the P10 unit to familiarize yourself with the Ricoh system so by the time you get the A12, you will be quite accustomed to it. I've played around with the P10 myself and I can say that it's a very fast focus unit that's quite versatile. The noise it produces in lowlight can get on the nerves but as Pavel said, if you shoot in RAW, Lightroom can greatly reduce the noise.

I think Pavel has also posted some customized P10 settings on the forum on getting indoor shots with very "dreamy look" but for the life of me I can't seem to find the post. Lol...

Cheers!
 
The entire reason I was interested in this system is the compact size, and the rugged body. I think I will stay with it, but shelling out a lot of money on these modules is the negative about the system. I hope they make these backwards compatible with future models.
 
macsareback - are you sure that you want to start into this system before you really understand the differences between the modules?

I'm sorry if that's a silly question as I'm coming into this conversation late, and I apologise upfront if this isn't the case.

I'm the sort of person to research a camera for months (and months) before buying one. (My GF is looking over my shoulder and enthusiastically nodding at my recognition of 'that problem'.)

Personally, I am saving up for an A12 based module because as large sensor modules they have better image quality. My GX100 is a small sensor camera, with relatively poorer image quality, as are the P10 and S10 modules, so I am not so interested in those.

I'm not buying until I'm very clear about what the GXR has to offer me. Knowing the strengths and weaknesses of the lens modules and which best suits you is very important with the GXR. It is a very different camera based on the different modules and each module is a lot of money.

I may be totally off-base and I'm not trying to discourage you from the GXR, but it is important to make sure you buy the best module for your needs.

The only argument I have for you keeping your current GXR plus P10 is that if you are in the US (and it seems you are), that the P10 kit is a relatively inexpensive starting point. The P10 is only about $150 on top of the GXR body. Assuming that you are comfortable with the GXR system, it's not a bad place to start.

Otherwise, you could return the camera in the short term and ask all your questions here and on dpreview to solidify exactly what you are looking for and which module is best for you. Everyone in Ricohland is very friendly and would be happy to answer your questions. :D
 
For the capabilities of the lens of P10 unit (I guess it is mainly about ZOOM!), there are a lot of options out there with a much lower price and much smaller size (Compact super zoom cameras: http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q210grouptravelzoom/)

For the control and performance that can match with GXR+P10, there are quite a few cameras released lately that offers similar outcome (e.g. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/q42010h ... pactgroup/)

For compact size and being able to switch lens, those M4/3 cameras, Sony NEX, Samsung NX100 are not bad too (mind you, if you want a 10x zoom lens, they cost quite a bit too)!

The question is, what do you really want? Before you make your next move (either returning the GXR+P10 or buying another GXR unit), please, take some time to learn about the GXR first, it is truly one of the kind. It is much like a camera, instead of a gadget that can take photo.
 
macsareback":agp5ckxn said:
The entire reason I was interested in this system is the compact size, and the rugged body. I think I will stay with it, but shelling out a lot of money on these modules is the negative about the system. I hope they make these backwards compatible with future models.
Click to expand...
The problem is that you probably want one small camera for all purposes? I'm afraid, there is no and most probably never will be camera like this? I'm sorry to say this, but if you are not interested in purchasing additional modules, GXR is probably not best choice for you?

GXR modular system is not much different from DSLR or EVIL cameras, except that instead of lenses, one buys optimized lens/sensor combo. You just have to decide, which module or modules fit your needs best? It's unfortunately impossible to make compact module/camera with 28-300mm lens and APSC (or even 1/1.7) sensor. So if you are looking for long zoom in small body, you will have to stick with cameras using the tiny sensors, like P10, CX or any of the ultrazooms made by other brands. But all of them use the same small sensor, which is not really suitable for low light photography. The "only" real advantage of GXR P10 over the CX4 is availability of RAW, which makes the P10 somewhat more usable at ISO400-1600. But it requires good RAW editor and some time spent behind the computer. Availability of RAW and the possibility to expand the body with other modules makes the GXR P10 better choice than CX. But when it comes to pocketability, CX wins hands down.

I have no doubt that existing GXR modules will be compatible with future GXR body as most of today's Nikon/Canon lenses will be usable with future DSLR bodies. It's very unlikely Ricoh is going to change the connection mechanism to prevent the existing modules to work with future body. GXR is just one year old and there is no reason for such change. It would be like if Canon would suddenly decide to change their lens mount to upset all existing customers ;)
 
Hey I was wondering, is the firmware going to be difficult to update? I will be getting mine tomorrow. I plan to do that first thing.
 
"The entire reason I was interested in this system is the compact size, and the rugged body. I think I will stay with it, but shelling out a lot of money on these modules is the negative about the system. I hope they make these backwards compatible with future models."

I think this was a bit misunderstood, I will stay with the system because it is compact and a user must know some things about photography to get the right shots. I don't want a point and shoot, if I wanted one I would have bought a Canon for that. I think this system is a great concept, but my gripe with it is the prices of the modules go from affordable to expensive fairly fast when looking at your options. This I can deal with, I will save up for the A12 28 and get one eventually.
 
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