Ricoh GXR Specimen Setup Matrix

[Tom Caldwell]

Worked out some settings for my camera with P10 module.

Thought that it might be a useful starting point for others intimidated by depth of Box Setting Menu. Even if you are not intimidated it might make the picture clearer to see it in spreadsheet form.

The names for the Boxes are quite my own and the settings I have chosen are far from final or even definitive. But they are a starting position. I have highlighted in red the settings I think are the best for me. In blue ones that I am trying out and in yellow the ones I might change but have no real opinion on as of yet. The others not highlighted I have no current use to change but others may care to do so for their own requirements.

The information comes from the order of settings shown in the Box Editing Menu - note that there are a number of settings there that do not show elsewhere. Adj direct ISO control and MAX noise reduction are not described in the manual. There are three menus - Shooting at page 59, Key Custom Settings at page 127, and Setup Menu at page 128. The order of listing of items in the Shooting Menu is not the same order as the listing appears in the Box Editing Menu and the differences are shown. Some items can be set in the Box Editing Menu that are from the Key Custom Settings or Setup Menus - these are noted as "KC" or "S". Some items are dependent on another flag being set or are related to one another in use and I have shown these as linked settings - eg: My setitngs for Fn Settings to Set Fn1 and Set Fn2.

I have also tried to list the shortcuts but I may have missed some. The quick way to enter PASM modes from within a MY Mode is "OK->Uparrow->Uparrow->Rightarrow" (then select) one keypress more than in the GRDIII - but a quick method no less once one has the hang of it.

Hope this is useful.

Tom Caldwell
Coffs Harbour

 

[Tom Caldwell]

Addendum - I have set B&W to max contrast as well in the Box Mode

 

[odklizec]

Great work Tom! I'm sure people would find it useful!

 

[Tom Caldwell]

Re: Ricoh GXR Transferring Mode Settings

This is more of a query to those who might have more than one GXR body unit.

Obviously it is a big effort to hand code and refine specimen settings into the GXR (or GRDIII for that matter).

I have also suggested that a user could simply use the camera adjusting it along the way and simply save and name any setting where they think it has become optimal. In this matter getting a set of modes together would be relatively painless. The only real danger is that this approach should be disciplined and naming the settings created would be essential otherwise a nightmare mish-mash might arise.

Already we have discussed the possibility that Ricoh might provide a method to uplift, store and distribute specimen settings.

The purpose of this post is to determine whether Ricoh has in fact already addressed this need in a round about limited way.

On page 150 of the manual they note that the start settings are saved to body and camera unit when the camera is swithced off but the user can choose whether on start up it reads from the body or the camera unit.

If these settings refer to saved modes then it might be possible to take a camera unit from one camera and insert it in another body that has been set to read from camera unit. In this manner the settings from one body might be transferred to another.

Ricoh of course gives few clues of working purpose in what is in fact a very brief mention in the manual.

Obviously this ability is restricted (even if it works as I have described) to the very close range of personal ownership of more than one GXR or to friends who are living not too far apart.

But at least it is something.

 

[Tom Caldwell]

Re: Ricoh GXR Simple Matrix method

Forgot to mention that there are nine settings that can only be set from within the My Mode Editing section. Hoever on looking at it closer I guess most of them could be set by the user by other means and this is not really an issue. It would be simpler to use the menu really but more painless sin use just to use the camera and save where appropriate.

 

[Tom Caldwell]

Can take a lot of setting up (three hours for me and I had done it before).
Suggest the following for those that like to make things up as they trot:
Every time you are out and about using your camera in a different set of shooting situation you record the camera settings into a box mode and give it a name last thing before putting the camera away.
Then next time this type of shooting situation comes up call down that saved box mode and store it in a my mode. Change the settings as you wish and if they are working fine store the new ones back into that my mode. If this seems to be fixed after a while then store this my mode into the box mode overwriting what was there before.
When actually shooting in more tricky situations - start with the closest my mode to what is necessary and then switch to PASM mode (menu, up then right). Fiddle as necessary and then store in the my mode if you think that you are on a winner. Repeat as is necessary. Will refine things to your own taste soon enough and hardly any effort at all (smile).

 

[Tom Caldwell]

A post on Ricoh Forum of dpreview

I made a comprehensive analysis and some suggested settings for MY and BOX modes. It is in spreadsheet form and Pavel Kurdrys has kindly hosted it on his site.

You can find it here -

http://www.ricohforum.com/viewtopic.php ... rix#p24078

This set up matrix should help anyone trying to plumb the depths of custom setting a GRDIII or GRX (there is a GRDIII version of this matrix on Pavel's site as well).

This is the sort of thing that Ricoh could do well to incorporate into their manual. Preferably with some standard custom settings suggested by someone more knowledgeable than myself.

There is no way to download or upload these custom settings between cameras or place them on public domain. However there may be a way to fox the GXR system to transfer from one body to another by saving the settings in a lens module, swapping the module into another back and then uploading from lens module to the new back. But it is only a theory I have not been in a position to try this out.

However the idea is to talk about Ricoh's manuals.

My opinion is that the Ricoh manuals are very good, and if you have ever seen a Samsung manual to compare with you will know why.

The Ricoh manuals could nevertheless be divided into three parts.

A once only reader for startup and mainly directed at new users - things like "what is a camera"; charging batteries and where to put them, how to hold the camera, etc - you will understand what I mean. Read this once in a lifetime and it is unnecessary baggage ever after.

The technical bits and index of the current manual. Worth keeping handy.

An experienced users guide provided in pdf form for downloading from the Ricoh site. This would include expanded information from the trickier bits of the current manual, the bits left out and things such as my "settings matrix" which I will happily donate. It might include words on technical matters and how to set up the complex Ricoh firmware to cover certain shooting situations. Godfrey might help there.

There are others who have good insights and practical knowledge that are worth sharing.

If Ricoh were not interested then I am sure Pavel would be willing to set up an "Extended Manual" section for each Ricoh camera as part of his site.

 

[ZDP-189]

Excellent work, Tom!

 

[SimoninEaston]

Belated, but whopping Thank You, Tom ))
Great starting point for me!

 

[Tom Caldwell]

Belated, but whopping Thank You, Tom ))
Great starting point for me!

Thanks Simon, I am glad that it was of some use. For those that need to ask there is in fact a quick method of swapping the settings from one GXR to another using a pre-setup module using the facility that the camera always saves to camera body and module inserted but can be set via menu to read from either body or module. With a slow consideration of this fact and maybe a sketch diagram it can be worked out that a module already set up can ship the setting into a clean body and from there into a clean module. Just do it in the right order lest you clean up a complex carefully calculated setup by over-writing it with an out of the box version. Furthermore if you are using more than one GXR outfit this provides a method of re-synchronising them all in a matter of minutes. No other system is this smart when using more than one "camera". (Use read from module - the standard in my way of doing things - then swap the to be used module into another camera body when it will read all the settings into that camera body whilst that module is on place change to "read from body" switch off then attach it's normal module which once attached a further on/off and the first lot of settings will be completely transferred. Then you can change back to "read from module". The first module simply returns to it's normal host body).

I noticed in the GR that Ricoh has decided just to put a minimal number of settings to get started and therefore the first custom set up menus are relatively brief but once you start using them a whole basketful of extra menu controls will appear. Also much of the GR (in particular) menu selections are context sensitive and quite a few functions that can be set up only appear when the mode dial is in an applicable mode - eg: TAv mode.

Finally for the GRDIV mavins - I suggest that you try out function button pairing (It is in the manual). Out of the box it is not set up at all.

"Pairs" the Fn1/Fn2 can be set up to satisfy any sort of use and get labelled on screen to help remember/identify - they can be duplicated - eg: you might want Fn1 to always remain the same but are happy to have Fn2 represent various things.

Here are my four pairs as an example:

Fn1: AF/Subj Tracking
Fn2: AF/MF

Fn1: Color>High-B&W
Fn2: AF/MF

Fn1: Snap Focus Dist
Fn2: AF/Snap

There is a lot to choose from and this is unique to the GRDIV. Up-arrow brings up a screen with the pairs listed and whilst holding it you cans scroll through and select your function keys to select.

Tom
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