Ricoh updates the K-1, K-1 II, GR III, GR IIIx
New features for the GRs; bug fixes for the K-1s
By cjfeola in Firmware Updates on Apr 20, 2024
Ricoh has released firmware updates incorporating new features for the GR series, plus bug and stability fixes for the K-1 and K-1 II.
The GR series gets Custom 1, 2 and 3 white balance settings, which allow users to store white balance settings and fine-tuning. The series also gets a new Zone Select AF option in the focus selection menu. This allows users to freely move the 3×3 focus area and automatically focus on the appropriate position within the area.
The new firmware versions – Version 1.91 for the GR III, and Version 1.41 for the GR IIIx – also improves stability.
RICOH GR IIIx users can download and install the new firmware update below:
Note that the original special power-off graphic screen remains even after a firmware update of the RICOH GR III Street Edition, RICOH GR III Diary Edition, and GR IIIx Urban Edition.
Ricoh launches the RICOH GR III HDF and RICOH GR IIIx HDF
Highlight Diffusion Filter softens light for more expressive images
By cjfeola in Pentax Announcements on Mar 28, 2024
Ricoh is introducing two new GRs with its newly developed Highlight Diffusion Filter (HDF), which diffuses highlights for softer light, creating more expressive images with a sense of depth and emotion. The HDF, which can be turned on and off in a single action, allows users to add a totally different kind of visual expression to their images.
The RICOH GR III HDF and RICOH GR IIIx HDF will be available in April at www.us.ricoh-imaging.com, as well as at Ricoh Imaging-authorized retail outlets. The suggested retail prices are $1,069.95 for the RICOH GR III HDF and $1,149.95 for the RICOH GR IIIx HDF.
Ricoh developed HDF through the years-long cultivation of its advanced inkjet technology. HDR is a special-effect filter that diffuses highlight areas and creates a blurred effect along the image’s edges, producing images resembling those captured in film photography or vintage movies.
HDF can be instantly switched on and off with a single action, allowing effortless switching between the clear, sharply focused images characteristic of the RICOH GR series, and the softer HDF images. HDR replaces the Neutral Density filter, which is not available in the new models.
“The RICOH GR III HDF and RICOH GR IIIx HDF inherit the fundamental merits of our GR series–exceptional image quality, flawless point-and-shoot operation and outstanding portability,” said Ken Curry, president, Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation. “The new GR HDF models give users a new creative option that expands the visual boundaries of snapshot photography.”
Join Ricoh for the April 6 GR Photo Walk in Las Vegas
Don't have a GR? Loaners will be available!
By cjfeola in Photography on Mar 27, 2024
Explore Las Vegas with a GR and Ricoh! Explore Freemont Street and the surrounding area Saturday, April 6 from 4 - 8:30pm PDT.
Don't have a GR? Want to try one out? Ricoh has a limited number of loaner GRs available. There is no cost for this event; you can sign up here. EventBrite was showing the event as sold out last week; Ricoh has added more slots and you now sign up again.
2024 Total Solar Eclipse Photo Contest
Announcing a special contest with a $100 1st prize!
By cjfeola in Giveaways and Events on Mar 23, 2024
We're pleased to announce a special edition of our monthly photo contest for the April 8 total eclipse of the sun. First prize is a $100 USD gift card to a photo/software retailer of your choice, such as B&H, Amazon, Adorama, Henrys, Adobe, Topaz, eBay, etc. The winner will then be featured in a Pentax Forums homepage article where they can explain how they got the shot!
Click here to submit a photo for the contest.
Second prize is a one-year forum account upgrade, and third prize is a box of photo paper from Red River.
NASA photo of the Diamond Ring eclipse effect
All photos must be submitted by April 24.
The winners will be determined through a poll and voted on by the community. If there are more than 100 entries, we will first hold a nomination round and advance the top 100 photos, similar to our monthly photos contest.
You may browse all submissions in our special gallery:
2024 Solar Eclipse Photo Contest Gallery View - PentaxForums.com
The Best Gear for Eclipse Photography
An interview with Ken Curry, president, Ricoh Imaging Americas, plus more from NASA
By cjfeola in Articles and Tips on Mar 18, 2024
The April 8 Eclipse has turned into an international festival. More than 30 million people are in the path of the totality, which will stretch thousands of miles from the Pacific coast of Mexico to the Atlantic coast of Canada. A partial eclipse will be visible across almost the entire North American continent.
We’re photographers here at Pentax Forums, so we plan to participate in this festival the usual way-by photographing it! We kicked off our coverage with The Total Eclipse Viewing Guide, which laid out everything you need to know about the eclipse itself; the path of totality, the timing, and even dealing with the traffic snarled by the event. (Traffic is projected to be so bad that several Texas counties have already declared disasters for the event.)
Then bdery gave us How To Photograph A Solar Eclipse, a step-by-step guide to safely and successfully capture photos of the sun, covering filters and other gear, camera settings and lens selections.
Today we have more advice on photographing the eclipse. And who better to advise on photographing an eclipse – or anything really – with Pentax gear than…Pentax! Here’s Ken Curry, president, Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation.
“ANY camera and photographer should practice safety first as it pertains to the solar eclipse. Approved solar glasses and filters should be used when viewing or photographing the eclipse. Not using this protection will damage your camera and your retina,” Curry told Pentax Forums.
Pentax cameras run the gamut from the screw mount Spotmatic to the K-3 III, so Curry spoke about photographing the eclipse with both film and digital cameras.
“Most of the tactics when shooting the eclipse will be the same for both film and digital. However, DSLRs can offer a better experience due to "live view." A film camera will require the photographer to repeatedly view through the viewfinder and, since the camera will be on a tripod angled upwards toward the sun, they will need to bend frequently to adjust the camera to compensate for the Earth’s rotation. Additionally, since the photographer is looking through the optical viewfinder, a solar, not ND, filter is required. A remote control can also aid in the image capture, once the framing has been set.”
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Christopher J Feola's unfinished autobiography is entitled Things I did While Planning to do Completely Different Things. He has accidentally or serendipitously been Banned from the Pacific Rim, taught at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism before receiving his B.S., and been granted four patents in data architecture, none of which made good use - any use, really - of his major in Theatre or his minor in Modern Dance. He serendipitously became a photojournalist when his first editor handed him a Pentax ME and said Reporters have to take pictures. He was the founding director of The Media Center at the American Press Institute, and taught at the graduate level at Columbia and Indiana universities, among others. Feola was named one of the 50 most influential people in new media by Online Journalism Review, appeared on The News Hour with Jim Lehrer on PBS and Talk of the Nation on NPR, been written up in Business 2.0 and The New York Times; and addressed a joint session of the World Newspaper Congress and the World Editors Forum in Kobe, Japan. He worked at seven papers in 18 states and five countries on a couple of continents, including a two-year stint covering Asia as a foreign correspondent for Pacific Stars & Stripes. He has more than 4,000 published articles and 6,000 published photos to his credit, and his photos on Google Maps have racked up 35 million views, which is in the top 100 worldwide. He is the founding partner of The PrivacyChain, where he is surprised by Web3 on a daily basis. 