Ever since I got my
Fuji Klasse W, I have been craving some type of digital version. Something I can take everywhere and just snap away happily without feeling guilty about wasting film. I considered a Leica X1, and thought about waiting for the Fuji X100. But the focal length of both of them put me off - 35mm just doesn't do anything for me. 24mm to 28mm is what I really wanted. I considered a Sony NEX with the 16mm pancake lens, and I even went to the Sony Store to check it out. I tried to like it, I really did. But the body was just a little too small in my hands, and there was just something about it that felt cheap. I just couldn't bring myself to buy it.
Enter the Ricoh GXR with the A12 28mm module. Could this be the one? There are no camera stores around here that have even heard of Ricoh, so I ordered it from Amazon and figured if I really hated it I would send it back.
Well, it arrived, and I'm keeping it (even though the screen is practically useless in bright sunlight).
The build quality is very nice. It is similar in size to my Canon G10, but lighter, and with a less confusing menu.
It does pretty much exactly what my Klasse W does, but without film. The f2.5 lens is nice and sharp, has a pleasing bokeh, and has only minor chromatic aberration that is easily corrected Lightroom. The autofocus is quicker than my G10. And it takes filters (40.5 mm size).
I am underwhelmed by the color rendition, but I admit I have not really made much effort in that department. I bought this camera to make B&W pictures of life's little banalities (and the occasional snapshot of my dog), and it's good for doing exactly that. I'm a happy camper.
FYI: These were all converted to B&W in Silver Efex Pro (v1).
