Originally posted by ogl FF GR with EVF would be just the imitation of other FF cameras with fixed lens. No any sense at all.
Why are you talking about non-existent FF GR and compare GR with Leica? Leica at which camera?
If you are very rich man, you don't care 1000 or 4000 USD. But your argue that 4000 USD is not much higher than 1000 is not serious.
Zeiss will be more expensive than Sony and you will be pay for Lightroom ater expiry date
Quattro is already history. It's not FF. APS-C and APS-H. Very big body. Sigma enters in L-mount now.
IQ of GR is always superb. It couldn't be worse or the same with 24 MP, new sensor, new lens and processor than GRII.
Sorry, I wasn't clear enough.
It makes no sense to compare cameras as "this one imitates another". From timeline and sensor size original Ricoh GR could imitate Fuji X100S or Sigma Merill line, that were introduced before. But that would mean nothing. GR has its own unique strengths and market niche where it excells. And that original is missing some features that appeared in later versions or not even then. Sorry, but it took two years to introduce wi-fi and five to make LCD tiltable. In my opinion this is too slow development.
One of my main reasons to buy GR was availability of wide converter, that make great, light 21mm/28mm landscape combo. And in past Ricoh know how to make excellent wide angle lenses with LTM GR 21mm and 28mm. So from that standpoint making FF single lens camera would make sense. It is another niche, perhaps not exactly for street shooters and pocketable, but with great sensor form K-1 and pixel shift option it would be great, light landscape camera. I just see GR III as partially missed oportunity.
If it does not make sense, why then RX1 variants and now ZX1 exists? RX1 best part is lens and IQ quality, perhaps not measurable, but percievable. And Ricoh could play on this card too. Price-wise of course FF is pricier. Price of RX1 is in a A7R range. So if Ricoh/Pentax make hypotetical FF in a K1 price range, camera can be viable with proper marketing. And Ricoh/Pentax needs such gems to survive in a very competitive and (over) crowded DSLR/ mirrorless market. Just another gem(s) beside GR III.
My point about Leica Elmarit-M 2,8/28 (sorry, I choose wrong one, Summarit 2,4/35mm) is that Leica is a 8/6 design of Distagon-type with one aspheric element. Most 28mm designs in a past were 7/7, 8/7 or 9/7 designs. Original GR lens is 7/5 design akin to Leica, with Leica having additional biconvex lens directly behind aperture.
Now single lens cameras could benefit from fact, that last lens element can be closer to sensor (like RX1), which benefits field curvature and perhaps even symmetrical systems (like double Gauss) are possible. So it seems it is quite brave decision to reduce lens count to 6/4 (basically 7/4 because of double aspherics) and I hope IQ will deserve Ricoh reputation. But if Leica designers needs 8 lenses in Elmarit it is not easy task to get top image quality with two lens elements less. Let's wait and see...