[souless]

Ok, I get it.

Personally I rarely go f/5.6, (usually locked into f/8 or higher) or below with my GR, and normally a 2M distance, so DOF is not a problem with snap focus.

Thanks drypenn for your tips!
I love GR for street/snap shot photography

[astron]

One note that I don't think anyone's properly addressed: the X70 is not a great one-handed camera. The fact that the lens doesn't retract (you need to pull a lens cap on and off constantly) is a big downgrade in my opinion. There's also the control scheme: you need to use the aperture ring or shutter dial to control those two things. The more boiled-down controls of the GR let me take the camera from a pocket, hit the power button, dial in my preferred control (I shoot Av all the time) and adjust exposure comp on the rocker. And just as easily, the camera goes back. Easy peasy.

That said, the X70 is easily the better performer. AF speed is gonna be faster, and I'd also bet that the WiFi app is probably much nicer (Fuji's been doing smartphone connectivity much longer than Ricoh).

[Zav]

Is snap focus not enough?

Please don't take offense at this.
I sometimes use my GR as my sole camera when I travel so, I use it at night as well. And no, snap focus is not good enough when you don't have much light. It's to the point that using my iPhone is sometimes a better option.

[drypenn]

Please don't take offense at this.
I sometimes use my GR as my sole camera when I travel so, I use it at night as well. And no, snap focus is not good enough when you don't have much light. It's to the point that using my iPhone is sometimes a better option.

Offense? None taken

I've long accepted that the snap focus is far from being pin sharp. I guess it boils down to my GR's main purpose. For me it serves as a high quality memory recorder, it's handy, very quick, and controla are smartly placed.

The focal length may be challenging, and the snap focus is not perfect but I guess therein lies the charm of the GR!

[deadwolfbones]

I currently have both. I'm a longtime GR user (you can see a lot of my shots in the threads on this subforum) and I bought the X70 to try out after handling it at CP+ a couple weeks ago.

After four days using the X70, I still prefer the GR. The X70, however, is a spectacular camera.


WHY I LIKE THE GR BETTER:

1. I like the GR's JPEGs and even its "film simulations" better.

When I was primarily shooting my Pentax and Nikon DSLRs, I always shot RAW. Always. But the GR changed that for me. I fell in love with the Positive Film JPEG preset and I've shot pretty much exclusively with it (with occasional detours to High-Contrast B&W) since. The X-Pro1 is the only Fuji I've used extensively before this (I wrote the review for Adam's other site, camera-enthusiast.com), and I liked its film simulations well enough back then. But I've played with the X70's simulations pretty extensively and I don't like any of them as well as Positive Film (not even Classic Chrome!). Then there's the actual quality of the JPEGs. I guess I just don't like the X-Trans look, but the JPEGs out of this camera look a little muddy to me at 100% and just generally aren't as crisp as my GR shots. There's also a surprising amount of NR at relatively low ISOs. I'm sure that can be tweaked, but I've never been one to do that. The GR just works for me out of the box and that's what I want. Obviously, this is very personal.

2. I like the GR's controls better.

It may be that I've just been shooting the GR for too long, but the X70's manual controls (while undeniably cool) just tend to get in the way for me. They're also not laid out as well. The left button on the d-pad, for instance, is right up against the edge of the tilt screen, which makes it really hard to hit. The playback and trash buttons are way too small and finnicky. The X70's touchscreen is nice for tap-to-focus, but I'm a center point/focus and recompose guy 95% of the time, so I don't get much use out of it.

3. The X70 feels too nice.

This is probably dumb, but I handle the X70 really carefully because it's so beautifully made that I'm afraid of damaging it/scratching the paint/etc. I hate the lens cap—never thought I'd say that, but I love that I don't have to worry about stashing one when I use the GR. The GR (strangely) feels more rugged and reliable, like I can just throw it in my bag and not worry.

4. I really love the GR's horizon level.

Again, minor and maybe dumb, but I love the fact that the GR's level does both roll and pitch. The X70's, in contrast, only does roll.


WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE X70:

1. The screen. I think the GR actually has the better display, but the articulation of the X70's screen is a real godsend for off-angle shots.

2. It's beautiful. Going back to #3 on the dislikes, this thing is gorgeous.

3. Like the GR, it's very customizable. You can customize a total of 8 function buttons, plus the control ring around front. Pretty impressive.

4. The AF is indeed faster. This isn't a huge deal for me (see above comments about being a center point/recompose shooter), but there's no denying that the X70 has an edge here.

5. The electronic shutter is a big plus. The GR's built-in ND filter more or less does the same thing w/r/t wide-aperture bright light shooting, but being able to shoot completely silently is pretty awesome.


SOME PHOTOS:

Here are some shots from the X70—all SOOC JPEGs tweaked in PS.

... After four days using the X70, I still prefer the GR. The X70, however, is a spectacular camera. ...

This are some really nice pictures. Thanks for sharing.

You approved my thoughts about the X70. It's a beautiful camera, but although I like the Fujis very much, I think the Ricoh GR still has the better usability. If I would like to buy a new camera, today, I would have a look at it and maybe consider to buy it. But as I own a GR II, I do not see a reason to replace it by the X70.

[deadwolfbones]

This are some really nice pictures. Thanks for sharing.

You approved my thoughts about the X70. It's a beautiful camera, but although I like the Fujis very much, I think the Ricoh GR still has the better usability. If I would like to buy a new camera, today, I would have a look at it and maybe consider to buy it. But as I own a GR II, I do not see a reason to replace it by the X70.

Yeah. Generally, I see nothing to draw GR users over to the Fuji side. The only exception could be the tilting screen, which makes a big difference in certain situations.

[hed1117]

I currently have both. I'm a longtime GR user (you can see a lot of my shots in the threads on this subforum) and I bought the X70 to try out after handling it at CP+ a couple weeks ago.

After four days using the X70, I still prefer the GR. The X70, however, is a spectacular camera.


WHY I LIKE THE GR BETTER:

1. I like the GR's JPEGs and even its "film simulations" better.

When I was primarily shooting my Pentax and Nikon DSLRs, I always shot RAW. Always. But the GR changed that for me. I fell in love with the Positive Film JPEG preset and I've shot pretty much exclusively with it (with occasional detours to High-Contrast B&W) since. The X-Pro1 is the only Fuji I've used extensively before this (I wrote the review for Adam's other site, camera-enthusiast.com), and I liked its film simulations well enough back then. But I've played with the X70's simulations pretty extensively and I don't like any of them as well as Positive Film (not even Classic Chrome!). Then there's the actual quality of the JPEGs. I guess I just don't like the X-Trans look, but the JPEGs out of this camera look a little muddy to me at 100% and just generally aren't as crisp as my GR shots. There's also a surprising amount of NR at relatively low ISOs. I'm sure that can be tweaked, but I've never been one to do that. The GR just works for me out of the box and that's what I want. Obviously, this is very personal.

2. I like the GR's controls better.

It may be that I've just been shooting the GR for too long, but the X70's manual controls (while undeniably cool) just tend to get in the way for me. They're also not laid out as well. The left button on the d-pad, for instance, is right up against the edge of the tilt screen, which makes it really hard to hit. The playback and trash buttons are way too small and finnicky. The X70's touchscreen is nice for tap-to-focus, but I'm a center point/focus and recompose guy 95% of the time, so I don't get much use out of it.

3. The X70 feels too nice.

This is probably dumb, but I handle the X70 really carefully because it's so beautifully made that I'm afraid of damaging it/scratching the paint/etc. I hate the lens cap—never thought I'd say that, but I love that I don't have to worry about stashing one when I use the GR. The GR (strangely) feels more rugged and reliable, like I can just throw it in my bag and not worry.

4. I really love the GR's horizon level.

Again, minor and maybe dumb, but I love the fact that the GR's level does both roll and pitch. The X70's, in contrast, only does roll.


WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE X70:

1. The screen. I think the GR actually has the better display, but the articulation of the X70's screen is a real godsend for off-angle shots.

2. It's beautiful. Going back to #3 on the dislikes, this thing is gorgeous.

3. Like the GR, it's very customizable. You can customize a total of 8 function buttons, plus the control ring around front. Pretty impressive.

4. The AF is indeed faster. This isn't a huge deal for me (see above comments about being a center point/recompose shooter), but there's no denying that the X70 has an edge here.

5. The electronic shutter is a big plus. The GR's built-in ND filter more or less does the same thing w/r/t wide-aperture bright light shooting, but being able to shoot completely silently is pretty awesome.


SOME PHOTOS:

Here are some shots from the X70—all SOOC JPEGs tweaked in PS.

Beautiful photos. Blissful pup!

[deadwolfbones]

Here are a couple of SOOC JPEG comparisons between the GR and X70. Handheld, no tripod, but you can still compare pretty well. GR first, X70 2nd. GR using Positive Film preset, X70 using Classic Chrome.

#1:



Full res: https://deadwolfbones.smugmug.com/GR-vs-X70/i-w47Czr9/0/O/BK912443.jpg



Full res: https://deadwolfbones.smugmug.com/GR-vs-X70/i-mqTBNrp/0/O/DSCF0010.jpg

#2:



Full res: https://deadwolfbones.smugmug.com/GR-vs-X70/i-5KrBwhX/0/O/BK912447.jpg



Full res: https://deadwolfbones.smugmug.com/GR-vs-X70/i-Q5LPmwZ/0/O/DSCF0096%202.jpg

[souless]

Thanks deadwolfbones for you efforts and beautiful photos!
your thoughts on x70 reminds me the first time I got my macbook air.
so beautiful that I was always worried that I would drop or scratch it.

BTW, I cannot help smiling every time I see this photo

your dog is sooo cute

[deadwolfbones]

Thanks! She's the best, pretty much. Girlfriend ain't bad either.

[souless]

Thanks! She's the best, pretty much. Girlfriend ain't bad either.

ohhh~~ I am sorry that I thought you were the girl in the photo......
I totally agree with you that they both are adorable!!!

[oldfashioned_aj]

i do love the fuji sensor more than GR, but for the size, quick control and one hand access nobody can beat GR. Recently covered the holi festival in india with the GR.

[indy]

i do love the fuji sensor more than GR, but for the size, quick control and one hand access nobody can beat GR. Recently covered the holi festival in india with the GR.

Would love to see a few shots of this.

[oldfashioned_aj]

Would love to see a few shots of this.

It's available on my Flickr here- https://flic.kr/s/aHskwJqwb7