becauseitsnice
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Has anyone tried out the Ricoh R1 Panarama camera. I'm thinking about getting one on ebay. Is it as nice as the GR1, GR1s, GR1v? etc. etc.
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Tell your friends about us!R1 vs GR1
- Thread starter becauseitsnice
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ZDP-189
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Before you dismiss the R1 totally, remember that all these cameras are legends in their own rights.
In addition to the R1, I own a R1E, GR1V and GR21. Hear me describe all these before you decide whether the R1 is good or not.
The GR1V is the consummate street shooter with a a fast 28mm f/2.8 lens, robust magnesium body, EV compensation, aperture priority, ISO over-ride, a flash mode slider switch, etc. It is my most used camera because it is totally slimline. It will set you back about $350 to $400 second hand.
The GR21 has all this but the most characterful vignetting 21mm wide lens, the widest lens ever on a full frame compact. It has all that the GR1 has, but adds timer bulb mode, etc. exposure bracketing and a PC socket. The lens protrudes a bit even when switched off, and it requires a lens cap, but can take screw in filters. It is a great street shooter and even better compact landscape camera. The down side is the rarity. If you can even find one you will pay between $1,000 to $1,200.
The R1E is at the other end of the scale. It is economically downgraded compared to the GR1. Magnesium became all plastic, leatherette trim became plastic, there is no aperture priority, and the lens is half a stop slower and 30mm rather than 28mm, there is no date function, backlight comp instead of EV compensation and a button cycling flash mode instead of a physical slider. Otherwise it is basically the same camera. The size and form factor is about the same. It still has a lovely lens. It still has the same multi-AF, single point AF, infinity focus, auto flash, red eye reduction, slow synchro, manual flash on/off. Heck, it even adds a crop mask panorama. I don't like this feature normally, but it's sprung and returns to normal if you don't actively select it. All in all the downgrade is mostly in prestige, rather than actual performance as long as you can live without EV comp and AP. Best of all, they are cheap and plentiful. Last year I was even able to find one new under warranty for only $90. I bet you could find one on eBay for a pittance. This is a great camera to slip into your pocket and take on holiday and not have to freak out if it gets lifted or lost.
The R1 shares characteristics with of all of these cameras. Not as extreme but somewhere in the happy middle ground. It is the exact same shape as the R1E, but has a strong metal (aluminium) body, adds the GR1's date function. It has the R1E's lens and panoramic feature too, but the slider can be left in place. It has one killer feature that makes it highly sought after: a further slider position that gives it a 24mm focal length, still cropped to panoramic height, just wider. There is a well known trick where you can jam the panoramic mask and reversibly disable it. That gives a 30mm full frame and a 24mm full frame. The lack of corner sharpness and vignetting that results is no big deal at all, in fact it gives the photos character and emphasis. I bought an R1 second hand in a photo developer's store for about $65 but eBay can go up to $100. It's still a far cry from the price of a GR1 and it's no big deal if it's mislaid.
So rather than dismiss the R1 as a not being up to GR Series quality, remember that it's horses for courses and there's a Ricoh camera for everyone (or half a dozen Ricohs if the fancy takes you).
In addition to the R1, I own a R1E, GR1V and GR21. Hear me describe all these before you decide whether the R1 is good or not.
The GR1V is the consummate street shooter with a a fast 28mm f/2.8 lens, robust magnesium body, EV compensation, aperture priority, ISO over-ride, a flash mode slider switch, etc. It is my most used camera because it is totally slimline. It will set you back about $350 to $400 second hand.
The GR21 has all this but the most characterful vignetting 21mm wide lens, the widest lens ever on a full frame compact. It has all that the GR1 has, but adds timer bulb mode, etc. exposure bracketing and a PC socket. The lens protrudes a bit even when switched off, and it requires a lens cap, but can take screw in filters. It is a great street shooter and even better compact landscape camera. The down side is the rarity. If you can even find one you will pay between $1,000 to $1,200.
The R1E is at the other end of the scale. It is economically downgraded compared to the GR1. Magnesium became all plastic, leatherette trim became plastic, there is no aperture priority, and the lens is half a stop slower and 30mm rather than 28mm, there is no date function, backlight comp instead of EV compensation and a button cycling flash mode instead of a physical slider. Otherwise it is basically the same camera. The size and form factor is about the same. It still has a lovely lens. It still has the same multi-AF, single point AF, infinity focus, auto flash, red eye reduction, slow synchro, manual flash on/off. Heck, it even adds a crop mask panorama. I don't like this feature normally, but it's sprung and returns to normal if you don't actively select it. All in all the downgrade is mostly in prestige, rather than actual performance as long as you can live without EV comp and AP. Best of all, they are cheap and plentiful. Last year I was even able to find one new under warranty for only $90. I bet you could find one on eBay for a pittance. This is a great camera to slip into your pocket and take on holiday and not have to freak out if it gets lifted or lost.
The R1 shares characteristics with of all of these cameras. Not as extreme but somewhere in the happy middle ground. It is the exact same shape as the R1E, but has a strong metal (aluminium) body, adds the GR1's date function. It has the R1E's lens and panoramic feature too, but the slider can be left in place. It has one killer feature that makes it highly sought after: a further slider position that gives it a 24mm focal length, still cropped to panoramic height, just wider. There is a well known trick where you can jam the panoramic mask and reversibly disable it. That gives a 30mm full frame and a 24mm full frame. The lack of corner sharpness and vignetting that results is no big deal at all, in fact it gives the photos character and emphasis. I bought an R1 second hand in a photo developer's store for about $65 but eBay can go up to $100. It's still a far cry from the price of a GR1 and it's no big deal if it's mislaid.
So rather than dismiss the R1 as a not being up to GR Series quality, remember that it's horses for courses and there's a Ricoh camera for everyone (or half a dozen Ricohs if the fancy takes you).
mine does intermittently. Not all do.