[H.Abendsen]

The price of S1 and S1R will be higher than Canon and Nikon.


Pentax is the brand name only for a long time already.

a)I dont think so... most websites already state that it will be priced very competitive to Sony also...

b)Also wrong in my oppinion....

PENTAX -in my eyes- was and still is a design directive... that got a bit hurt by the K-1, but not totally corrupted.
(Dont get me wrong, the first K-1 overall is a good camera and it is built very well, but the additional wheels... the weird LCD, all the LEDs... *phew* ...nicely said: hard to take. after nearly perfectly designed cameras like the K-5IIs and the 645Z for instance.)

I overall like how those cameras handle and feel, and the simplicity and "straight-aheadness" of their firmware/menus....

And looking at all that... RICOH and PENTAX fit together like bread and butter or chocolate and milk if you wish so.


But looking at the Panasonic S1 ... i would say... this (except being mirrorless)
is EXACTLY what would/should have grown out of K-5II and K-3 experience and incorporating technological advances ...

except its "contour-lines" of course... they are still very "panasonicy"...
but the button placement... one mode dial... just as less buttons as it makes sense...
and not only thos f... incorporated AI-learning in their Autofocus software intelligence... no,
i also bet some, that they got the idea of photographers who want to compose the pix themselves and so it will have a thumb-joystick for selecting where to focus...

I still believe we can get back there where we once where and leave the bells&whistles section and take the train back to usability land....
I sincerly hope pentax is not embarassed and brave enough to learn from others...
(before we get an additional exposure correction wheel also... god beware. )

[Mistral75]

I would assume that part of redesigning the lens has something to do with not sucking up dust too, don't you think?

With that and also with making the autofocus quicker and quieter (think 55-300 PLM RE).

[tulon]

the weird LCD, all the LEDs...

I can say that the weird lcd and leds come in handy quite a bit when trying to do stuff in the dark. In particular for astrophotography, though I know it's a rather nitch group of us, having a light to show you the lens mount is just bright enough to see your red dots... or the jack for your shutter goes, those can save you some frustration that you'd otherwise have. I understand it's not conditions a lot of photographers tend to find themselves in though.


We likely don't need any extra wheels at this point though.

[Dan]

This looks great to me. I was hoping for shake reduction, but wasn't sure if it was possible without making the camera larger. It turns out that they manged to add shake reduction while making the camera smaller. This also allows for dust removal. Well done, Ricoh! The thing that is great about the GR series is its TINY size, combined with an APS-C sensor, and an excellent lens. I am also a fan of the 18mm focal length ("28mm-equivalent"), since that's my most-used field of view. And now they have added SR and a modern sensor.

What competing camera has an APS-C sensor, such a small a body, shake reduction, and a "28mm-equivalent" field of view? None that I know of. The GRIII stands alone.

Very exciting!

[ogl]

(before we get an additional exposure correction wheel also... god beware. )

your texts look like stream of consciousness

[Dan]

When you know what Panasonic release (in 30 min or so), this will be like a very small fart in a hurricane.

I'm not sure that I understand this comment. The new Panasonic series competes in a completely different market, and serves a different use case. As impressive as it is, the new Panasonic will not fit in a shirt pocket (even without a 28mm lens attached). Indeed, I would not be surprised if some people who buy one of the new FF cameras also buy (or already own) a tiny pocketable camera. The one is not a substitute for the other.

Dan

[reh321]

I'm not sure that I understand this comment. The new Panasonic series competes in a completely different market, and serves a different use case. As impressive as it is, the new Panasonic will not fit in a shirt pocket (even without a 28mm lens attached). Indeed, I would not be surprised if some people who buy one of the new FF cameras also buy (or already own) a tiny pocketable camera. The one is not a substitute for the other.

Dan

If you look at stories coming out of Photokina, the Panasonic will be mentioned prominently ......Ricoh will be an after thought, if at all.

[Rico]

The GRIII RAW file spec says 14-bit. This is a major image quality upgrade. The GR & GRII should be 14-bit.

The GRIII should be UHS-II. It adds many benefits beyond write speed.

What about Pixel-shift? Would be great to have Pixel-Shift. Astro-Tracer using the optional GPS Unit? Or is 5-axis IBIS needed?

WR would be an added benefit.

The smaller size is welcome.

[victormeldrew]

The GRIII RAW file spec says 14-bit. This is a major image quality upgrade. The GR & GRII should be 14-bit.

The GRIII should be UHS-II. It adds many benefits beyond write speed.

What about Pixel-shift? Would be great to have Pixel-Shift. Astro-Tracer using the optional GPS Unit? Or is 5-axis IBIS needed?

WR would be an added benefit.

The smaller size is welcome.

Yes, 14-bit, SR and smaller, all good. I'm not sure what UHS-II benefits you refer to, but as long as it saves the images as fast as the camera produces them, I don't see what they can really add to the purpose of this camera. Speaking of which, pixel shift and astrotracer are both well off-message for what the GR is made for - putting it on a tripod seems odd for a compact, if you're carrying a tripod you might as well take your DSLR and get a choice of lenses, a big battery and ergonomics and all that. This camera is made to be in your pocket, whipped out to shoot a snap, then put away again, all without being noticed.


WR is a definite missing piece. However, most users complained about dust (the camera is small enough to shelter under a cap peak, so rain less of an issue) - so the DR should address that (mostly)

[RonHendriks1966]

The GRIII RAW file spec says 14-bit. This is a major image quality upgrade. The GR & GRII should be 14-bit.

It is very likely that the new image engine is the change that makes 14-bit possible while the older models are limited to 12-bit.

[reh321]

We likely don't need any extra wheels at this point though.

According the reviews I've read, the 'extra wheel' can be used to control ISO - I would find that to be extremely useful.

[Eyewanders]

No need to compare by photos.

There are specs.

GRIII
109.4(W)×61.9(H)×33.2(D) mm

Ricoh GR Digital IV
109 x 60 x 33 mm

GRII
117.0 mm (W) × 62.8 mm (H) × 34.7(D) mm

The camera is same dimension as Ricoh GR Digital IV with 1/1.7" sensor !!!!!!!

Precisely what I was just noting and to me, that ticks the only two major boxes I had in mind for this release:
namely the smaller size of the GRDIII and GRDIV (check)
and the reintroduction of hybrid AF including phase detection (check check).

The GR (based on my previous experience with the older varieties and the specs presented for it pre-release that remained true to design philosophy) was the only camera I have ever pre-ordered. This may be a repeat of spring 2013 for me personally.

[swanlefitte]

Doing some quick research the gr3 seems to be in a class by itself. The fujifilm x100f has an apsc sensor but the gr2 was already significantly smaller. The rest all have smaller sensors.

[Rico]

Yes, 14-bit, SR and smaller, all good. I'm not sure what UHS-II benefits you refer to, but as long as it saves the images as fast as the camera produces them, I don't see what they can really add to the purpose of this camera. Speaking of which, pixel shift and astrotracer are both well off-message for what the GR is made for - putting it on a tripod seems odd for a compact, if you're carrying a tripod you might as well take your DSLR and get a choice of lenses, a big battery and ergonomics and all that. This camera is made to be in your pocket, whipped out to shoot a snap, then put away again, all without being noticed.


WR is a definite missing piece. However, most users complained about dust (the camera is small enough to shelter under a cap peak, so rain less of an issue) - so the DR should address that (mostly)

UHS-II would bring a more responsive camera. UHS-II would bring 4k video. UHS-II would bring better battery life.

Pixel-Shift and AstroTracer are not well off-message. There are plenty of tripod supports that can be put into a pocket that work with the GR. This Manfrotto Pocket support can be on the GR and still fit your pocket.

[RonHendriks1966]

I'm going to quote Thom Hogan from his article about the new L-mount alliance:

The Leica/Panasonic/Sigma announcement is classic FUD marketing: try to get people to hold off committing to competitive products because of something that might be better. Or not. Or delayed. Or the competitors are faster at coming up with their lenses and iterating their products than people expect.

Well if you put Ricoh GRIII in that place it does sound the same. Let's get this camera in shops. Not like those Nikon people still waiting for their DL compacts that never came.

Spring ends on may 6th.