Comments on: Ricoh GR meets the Leica X1/2: Which is the best travel camera?

By: Hank

Hank — Thu, 21 Mar 2019 16:34:10 +0000

I had preordered the GRIII as it promised to be an updated replacement for my beloved, but aging, X2. But initial first hand reviews seem to indicate that this is a not-quite-ready-for-prime-time camera, with very poor battery life, sub-par autofocus in dim light, and build quality issues. Most of this could (probably) be fixed with a firmware update or two, but right now, it sounds like it, at its best, equals the X2, and in some respects (battery) falls behind the X2.
So I’ve cancelled my order. Long live the X2!

By: Rick Osman

Rick Osman — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 18:25:56 +0000

In reply to Rick Osman. Meant to add, I use an external non-electronic viewfinder on the GF1 (Ricoh 28mm + 40mm) and X-E (currently nasty plastic 32mm). Stops all that silly and all too obvious arm's-length stuff.

By: Rick Osman

Rick Osman — Fri, 15 Mar 2019 18:22:24 +0000

Just bought an X-E now they are cheap(!) enough; it means when I travel I don’t always need to take my M8 which seems to be getting heavier every day nor my Lumix GF1 which has served me very well over the years but is getting outclassed.

By: Henry Buchanan

Henry Buchanan — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 15:22:07 +0000

In reply to Jean.

Thank you so much — awaiting delivery
Henry

By: Mike Evans

Mike Evans — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 10:15:26 +0000

In reply to Jean. Thanks for responding, Jean.

By: Jean

Jean — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 09:24:45 +0000

In reply to Henry Corley Buchanan.

My settings are a sfollow
Button on the left hand side of the camera: self-timer
Fn 1 : crop mode
Fn 2 ; Image rendering (black and white, high contrast, positive film …)
adjust button: in camera default settings
Frony wheel: aperture
Top right button : EV +/-
Press the button at the center of ael or afl on single shot mode to have the DOF on the left hand side of the screen
I rarely use the MY 1,2&3 as they keep the aperture you log in when choosing your settings and if you know the camera well it’s blazzing fast to navigate the menu.
Otherwise in snap mode I have 1.5 meters
Imagin; saturation 7 or sometimes 9
contrast: 9
sharpness: 9
This is how I feel it works for me but it may not suit everyone. Hope it helps and please send some feedback or a review once you get hold of the gr iii.
Jean

By: Mike Evans

Mike Evans — Thu, 14 Mar 2019 08:41:42 +0000

In reply to Henry Corley Buchanan.

Henry, I now use the GR very sparingly and don’t have any favourite settings to share. And, since I normally shoot RAW, they wouldn’t be very interesting. We have some keen GR users here, including Jean, and he might be able to add some facts. Eric Kim, too, is a longtime GR fan and has published a lot on favourite settings. You could search his site at

http://erickimphotography.com

By: Henry Corley Buchanan

Henry Corley Buchanan — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 23:37:32 +0000

In reply to StephenJ.

Would you mind sharing a few of your favorite __ my settings– for the Ricoh?
I have the new GR lll on the way and I am anxious to do some testing.

Thanks

By: Tony Vidler

Tony Vidler — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 22:59:35 +0000

I still stand by the X 2 even though my go everywhere camera has been the CL with the 18/2.8 for the last trips

By: Mike Evans

Mike Evans — Wed, 13 Mar 2019 22:10:33 +0000

In reply to Jean. Thanks for all this useful additional information, Jean. I think you have given a very fair assessment of both cameras in their role as travel companions. Personally, I find the controls on the Ricoh a little fiddly and prefer the overall feel and direct control facilities of the X1 or X2. In the end, it all comes down to choice and it's good to have so much long experience to rely on.