[pinholecam]

Seeing what has been done for GR, I am optimistic of where Ricoh/Pentax will go for their other cameras.

Looks like they will take on Canikon spec for spec, for less money and with cameras designed sensibly for the photographer.


Hope its a KO against Canikon for the other products they will announce in the near future.

[Lukinosity]

If it had instead off 28mm equivilent lens a 35mm equivilent lens then a new group off users would be attrackted.

It offers a 35mm crop at 10MP, so you really get your choice of both focal lengths. And for when you need to shoot wide, they are offering a conversion lens to make a 21mm.

[Alex Zhang]

It looks like a very nice camera. I've been using Pentax DLSRs for over a year and often wished that I had a pocket camera with similar optical performance. This looks very much like a perfect fit. Now the question is will the wife say yes or no

[Aristophanes]

Offer in a reasonably priced optical VF attached to the hotshot and perhaps a couple of optional lens screw-ins (wider angle and maybe a macro ) like the Fuji X100 and you have an exceptional little system.

Blows away Nikon and Canon's offerings, and Fuji, too. About time. Get the price right from the start and people will look not just at the camera, but at the brand.

[Aristophanes]

Here's the accessories:

Accessories?GR?PENTAX RICOH IMAGING

Note the wide angle lens attachment and the detail that one of the OVF's can accommodate. Very nice.

Standard 49mm filters. Bonus.

Let's hope the prices on the accessories meet the stellar pricing of the body.

[falconeye]

Let's hope the prices on the accessories meet the stellar pricing of the body.

The B&H price for the VFs is 220/230$ resp. The VF for Nikon A from the same supplier is 380$. But obviously, you can exchange one for another as the frame the same image and both are hot shoe accessories.

[johnmflores]

Wait, did Ricoh/Pentax just make a bunch of people fall out of love with the Sony RX100 and Nikon A? Is the sky still falling?

[wigelII]

Seeing what has been done for GR, I am optimistic of where Ricoh/Pentax will go for their other cameras.

What do you mean?
Does the release of a fixed lens wide angle camera (who uses these?) with an old 16 MP sensor have to make us optimistic for the future?

Being cheaper than the others might be an advantage but it definitely isn't a quality of a camera

[grispie]

Does the release of a fixed lens wide angle camera (who uses these?) with an old 16 MP sensor

1. who uses these? apparently more people than you have in mind...
2. the release of a APSC sensor in a small quality body with the specs described does make me optimistic for the future. yes

[Clavius]

What do you mean?
Does the release of a fixed lens wide angle camera (who uses these?) with an old 16 MP sensor have to make us optimistic for the future?

Being cheaper than the others might be an advantage but it definitely isn't a quality of a camera

I like this camera, but I have to admit, I don't grasp this from a marketing point of view. Why wouldn't someone grab a (for example) NEX5N instead? It's cheaper, tiny, and has the ability to switch lenses to boot.

Btw, did Sony trick Pentax/Ricoh into buying a gazillion of these sensors? They're having the same dish for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day without getting bored, huh?

[tibersun]

I own the GRD IV. My observations are that this new lens is about 1.33 stops slower than the existing camera. However it has a larger sensor (APS-C CMOS) than the existing camera which will provide good noise performance in low light. Not sure that the existing camera and sensor combination are directly comparable in terms of stops to this camera lens and sensor combination. The achievement here is that they have been able to fit that sensor in a camera not much larger than the existing version (it can easily fit in my pocket). Can't tell from the specs but the current camera has useful features like 'Full Press Snap'(eliminates need to half shutter pre-focus) and 'Snap Focus Distance' (similar to zone focusing). With the 28mm equivalent lens, people will be able to use their existing optical viewfinders (I have the brilliant GV-1). The current version has stabilization however this new camera does not, and I don't know the reason. Will wait for reviews before I decide whether to eventually upgrade or not. For now I'm delighted with my GRD IV camera when I use it for its intended purposes. Not to sound like a fan boy, however the price is very competitive for this category of camera.

[grispie]

Why wouldn't someone grab a (for example) NEX5N instead? It's cheaper, tiny, and has the ability to switch lenses to boot.

I can understand the reasoning, but for someone that already has a dslr (or systemcamera) with multiple lenses, the reason for buying this has more to do with a quality pocket cam to always have with her or him. At least, for me it is... and then for some it's the form factor i guess.

[gazonk]

I like this camera, but I have to admit, I don't grasp this from a marketing point of view. Why wouldn't someone grab a (for example) NEX5N instead? It's cheaper, tiny, and has the ability to switch lenses to boot.

Well, even with the Sigma 19mm mounted, it wouldn't be as pocketable.

Btw, did Sony trick Pentax/Ricoh into buying a gazillion of these sensors? They're having the same dish for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day without getting bored, huh?

They're not even close to the number of cameras Sony has released with this excellent sensor themselves...

[JPT]

This report has some interesting pictures from the Japanese launch event, including custom models and more branded watches!

http://dc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/news/20130417_596344.html

I think that slide that graphs their line-up is interesting because it still includes the GXR system.

Google translated
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=http://dc.watch.impress....ed=0CDQQ7gEwAA

[rawr]

This report has some interesting pictures from the Japanese launch event

Interesting to see Pentax Ricoh using the DxO Analyser software to analyse their optics...