Ricoh GR Digital II, Elegant Point & Shoot 10mp Digital Camera, 4x Digital Zoom, 2.7" LCD

Average customer rating:

What it is and what it isn't - v.2

Disappointed

Ricoh GR Digital II, Elegant Point & Shoot 10mp Digital Camera, 4x Digital Zoom, 2.7" LCD

Manufacturer: RICOH
ProductGroup: Photography
Binding: Electronics

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Product Features:

1/1.75-inch CCD with 10.01 million effective pixels

Newly developed GR ENGINE II image processing engine to keep the excellent resolution, tone characteristics, and color saturation of the GR DIGITAL, while achieving dramatic reduction in noise.

An electronic level function that allows users to know if the camera is level while looking at the LCD monitor

Square format photography enabled. A 1:1 aspect ratio (vertical/horizontal ratio) image size that allows for easy photography of square format images is included.

A variety of monochromatic expressions possible with black-and-white (TE = Toning effect) settings.

ASIN: B001022HWG

Product Description

New GR DIGITAL II. This compact digital camera succeeds the high image quality GR DIGITAL released inOctober 2005. The multi-award winning GR DIGITAL was launched as the successor to the GR Series of 35mm compact film cameras (first released in 1996) popular for their superb image quality. Its depictive performance that satisfied even professional photographers was condensedinto a compact 25-mm thin magnesium alloy body has been highly accepted by a wide range of users including high-end amateur and professional photographers in the two years since its release. The new GR DIGITAL II retains the concept of the GR DIGITAL that is the idea of being a high image quality compact camera that achieves excellent resolving power from edge to edge, low noise, and low color aberration. It tops that off with, expressive power, operability, and expandability for even higher image quality. The GR DIGITAL II is equipped with the newly developed GR ENGINE II image processing engine to keep the excellent resolution, tone characteristics, and color saturation of the GR DIGITAL, while achieving dramatic reduction in noise. With the addition of an acceleration sensor, the GR DIGITAL II could be equipped with an electronic level function that allows usersto know if the camera is level while looking at the LCD monitor. Adjusting levelness when taking pictures of buildings or scenery takes further advantage of the characteristics of GR LENS with its small distort

Customer Reviews:

What it is and what it isn't - v.2.......2007-12-19

This is a very nice camera, with a ton of little tweaks that show Ricoh has again listened to users. But the image quality is virtually identical to the previous model so it's hard to justify the price.

The camera is beautifully made and in this respect, essentially identical to the GR-1 film cameras. The flash on mine isn't loose although it is a manual pop-up which is a mixed blessing, in my opinion.

As with the original GRD, the lens is quite good. There are cheaper cameras with zoom lenses that are sharper in the center but if they go down to a 28mm equivalent, the corners are awful, whereas the performance on this Ricoh stays good, right to the corners. Most point and shoots solve the poor quality/wide angle problem by not going there, which is probably just as well. Consumers, by and large, don't know the difference, as they think they will need a telephoto to shoot a charging Rhino vs. needing a wide angle to photograph a birthday party in a small room.

How's the image quality? Identical to the original GR-Digital but with one advantage: the newer camera writes RAW files with reasonable speed and since RAW does give a bit of extra detail, you could say the GRD II is better in that it makes it practical to shoot RAW. No, the GR Digital II does not give the quality of the GR-1, but the GR-1 is a film camera. An iPod doesn't sound as good as a McIntosh stereo system but we're in the digital world now. Three things matter: (1) convenience, (2) convenience and (3) convenience. Things like lenses optimized for a specific focal length, and tripods are so yesterday.

GRD II feature changes:

Good
--Writes RAW in a few seconds
--Buffer allows writing a second RAW immediately after first (but not a third)
--Fabulous new LCD, extremely bright and clear
--Battery retaining clip
--Two, top-mounted "my settings" for instant recall of personal settings.
--Faster preview.
--Preview auto rotates shots taken vertically
--Terrific, easy to access menus. Even better than previous GRD. Faster, too.
--"High ISO" options to cap off maximum ISO (helpful with noise).

Bad
--Price.
--Same (small) sized sensor as previous camera creates unsolvable high-ISO noise problem.
--Focus sometimes slower than on original GR Digital (different mechanism--see photos of front of cameras)

Neutral
--Auto leveling indicator. Works, but only for rotation (easily corrected in Photoshop). Does not indicate if camera is tilted up/down or if parallel to subject.
--Skew correction. Believe it or not, camera attempts to straighten tilted subjects but usually says "recognition failed".
--Switchable noise reduction. Haven't tried this.
--Manual, pop up flash. Can't go off by accident but also slows you down when you need it.
--On screen, depth-of-field indicator. Clever idea but I'm not sure I see the need.
--Wheel on rear of camera replaced by spring loaded switch. A wash, as far as I can tell.
--10 megapixels vs. 8.

The fact is, these days, most people WON'T buy a camera with a fixed focal length lens, no matter how good so don't expect one from Canon or Nikon anytime soon. Olympus tends to be a wild card so you never know. Sigma has promised one but with their quality, I'd be very cautious.

It should be obvious that this is not an all-purpose camera, nor is it for everyone. I wouldn't have bought it, but I found I used my first GR Digital much more than my Elph or even my SLRs. Its fun! Unless you are going to use film, you won't get better quality with a wide angle in any camera close to this size.

Disappointed.......2007-12-10

I owned a Ricoh GR1v film camera (RIP) and hoped the GR Digital 2 would provide a similarly high level of image sharpness and color rendition, along with the 28mm fixed lens and great minimalist design.

Unfortunately, I was disappointed: the GRD2 is not the digital equivalent of the GR1v in terms of image quality. Color rendition was OK in good outdoor light, but images were not sharp and focus was inconsistent in all settings, even in SNAP and infinity.

Write speed in RAW seemed OK to me, but it's probably not fast enough for someone looking to shoot a lot of action.

When set to 3:2 the image isn't perfectly aligned in the view screen--it's as if the image is slightly rotated to the right. Maybe this explains the level feature? Regardless, the images seemed to be level on my computer. (It was always a pain to get images level with my GR1v.)

Which leads me too...the overall build quality of the GRD2 is poor--maybe average for digital p&s cameras, but worse than the GR1v and not what you'd expect for $700. The flash, for example, is a bit loose when closed.

Another thing mail-orderers should know: the GRD2 is also a lot smaller than the GR1v. (This made me sad.)

The ability to set aperture, film speed and exposure compensation, and the ability to customize the control functions, are great features, but the image quality is just not good enough to justify the price.

I really wanted to love this camera--even like it--but the image quality just isn't there. Ricoh: please, please figure this out! People will buy a high quality fixed lens digital point and shoot with a great minimalist design, but the images have to be SHARPER than zoom point & shoots!

Ricoh GR Digital, Elegant Point & Shoot 8mp Digital Camera, 4x Digital Zoom, 2.5" LCD

Average customer rating:

What it is and what it isn't.
Architects' dream camera

Ricoh GR Digital, Elegant Point & Shoot 8mp Digital Camera, 4x Digital Zoom, 2.5" LCD

Manufacturer: RICOH
ProductGroup: Photography
Binding: Electronics

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Accessories:

Product Features:

Ricoh's unrivaled GR Lens enters the digital age
Exceptional resolution and low distortion in a single lens unit
Retractable 5-group 6-lens unit showcases original Ricoh technology
Beautiful blurred backgrounds through seven aperture blades
8-megapixel CCD and new GR Engine faithfully capture every scene

ASIN: B000EF2KUO

Product Description

The GR Digital inherits the superb image quality that made the award winning GR Series of 35mm compact film cameras so popular, as well as the depictive performance to satisfy professional photographers, distilled into a compact 25-mm thin body. With a high-quality feel and superb expandability, this is the perfect tool for both professional photographers and advanced amateurs.When planning the GR Digital, Ricoh's engineers began by identifying the elements needed to provide the high picture quality demanded by discerning photographers. After extensive tests and research, Ricoh placed special emphasis on resolution, noise level, color aberration correction, color reproduction, tone, and distortion characteristics. In order to achieve extremely high levels in each of these areas, Ricoh gave the GR Digital a CCD with 8, 130, 000 effective pixels.

Customer Reviews:

What it is and what it isn't........2007-06-24

To understand who this camera is for it helps to know its history. It seems that camera manufacturers with mediocre reputations are capable of making a really top-notch product, if they want to and if you're willing to pay. Obvious examples would be the Minolta CLE or the Contax cameras made by Yashica.

A few years ago, when pro 35mm cameras were getting bigger and bigger (as digital SLRs are now) Ricoh decided to pack a great 8-element lens into a tiny point and shoot camera. The GR-1 became a classic and its 28mm lens was as good as any Nikon or Canon (actually better since it didn't have to be designed to clear the mirror in an SLR but that's another story). To really appreciate this achievement, consider that a really good 35mm camera with slow film should deliver the equivalent of (depending on who you ask) around 20 megapixels and you see why people still think film is worth the extra effort.

Well time moves on and the GR Digital is Ricoh's attempt to get GR-1 film quality in a tiny digital camera. Of course this isn't currently possible because affordable digital sensors are inferior to high quality 35mm film. So the GR Digital will not give you the quality of the GR-1. Nor will the Canon Rebel for that matter. This is partly because 8 megapixels isn't enough but its also because small sensors have way too much noise (grain) unless you use them at a low ISO speed.

But here's what the GR Digital will give you. A 28mm equivalent wide angle lens that's absolutely great right into the corners and near zero barrel distortion so you can photograph buildings, doorways, artwork, etc and they won't look like pillows. Great, sharp prints to 8x10 and if you are as undiscerning as most digital camera users you can probably go to 20x24. You'll also get a really fun, Leica-like shooting experience for street photography and grab shots. All in a high quality, black on black magnesium housing that won't impress anyone.

I was a little surprised that the GR Digital doesn't have a built-in viewfinder. Sure, the big guys are always looking for ways to make things cheaper and many people don't use a viewfinder, preferring to extend their arms 2 or 3 feet when taking a picture--a great way to hold a camera steady. But the reason the GRD doesn't have a viewfinder is because a really good viewfinder would be large (and expensive) so they offer an accessory viewfinder separately. Its much better than the peepholes in most point and shoots but I found I liked the Voightlander viewfinder better and since the GRD has a standard flash shoe, the viewfinder of your choice will just slip into place.

So, if you can live with 100-200 ISO and high quality .JPG files (it does RAW but too slowly and RAW is completely overrated for this type of camera) you will have a blast. But if you need a little camera with a so-so zoom, get an Elph. And if you need quality close to film, get a Canon 5D and a gym membership so you can build up your shoulders.

Architects' dream camera .......2007-05-27

As the architect owner of Nikon analog and digital cameras and lenses I was more than pleasantly suprised to find the Ricoh GR, with its wide angle lens (21mm 35mm equivalent) and high resolution it is the idea architects' camera, small, matte black and discreet it is perfect for site documentation and final building presentation.

Ricoh GR Digital, Elegant Point & Shoot 8mp Digital Camera, 4x Digital Zoom, 2.5" LCD - Anniversary Model

Average customer rating:

Ricoh GR Digital, Elegant Point & Shoot 8mp Digital Camera, 4x Digital Zoom, 2.5" LCD - Anniversary Model

Manufacturer: RICOH
ProductGroup: Photography
Binding: Electronics

All Digital Cameras | Digital Cameras | Camera & Photo | Categories | Electronics

Other Digital Cameras | Digital Cameras | Camera & Photo | Categories | Electronics

Point-and-Shoot Digital Cameras | Digital Cameras | Camera & Photo | Categories | Electronics
Accessories:

Product Features:

Ricoh's unrivaled GR Lens enters the digital age
Exceptional resolution and low distortion in a single lens unit
Retractable 5-group 6-lens unit showcases original Ricoh technology
Beautiful blurred backgrounds through seven aperture blades
8-megapixel CCD and new GR Engine faithfully capture every scene

ASIN: B000NP940O

Product Description

Honoring the 1st anniversary of the GR Digital and marking the 10th anniversary since the debut of the popular GR Series film camera, as a gesture of Ricoh's appreciation of their customers Ricoh has announced a limited edition of a special GR Digital 1st Anniversary Commemorative Model. Renowned Japanese illustrator Katsuya Terada has deigned the commemorative model to feature a blue sky and clouds as the base colour for the camera with figures of angels beside the lens and on the top of the camera body

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