Cameras

[aizan]

anyone had experience with bessas? im thinking about grabbing and R2A for my bag, since my mamiya rzii is way too big to lug around daily.

funny bumping into you here. :)

any voigtlander is a solid recommend. r2s nhs limited edition with 50/3.5 heliar for ultimate goth ninja kit.

[laughed]

alright, pulling the trigger on one of these
Ricoh GRII or III
Sigma DP1
or Leica d-lux 4
thoughts?

[lowrey]

all 3 of those are roughly cabable of the same shots. I've heard some random negative things about the DP1, slow focus, slow write time for the images.. but the image quality is still pretty good. I've heard less negative things about the Ricoh and Leica though, the GR should be really nice with the even lower aperture. I have a GRII myself and have been pretty happy.

to compare the Leica a bit, I haven't tried the D-Lux properly but on paper it looks even a bit better to me, like the GR it also has very good aperture to use in low light conditions but also an optical zoom compared to only a digital one on the ricoh, along with a stabilizer. ISO goes up to 3200 which might come in handy in some cases, the Ricoh is very noisy at even ISO800 so I'd imagine the Leica being a bit better at higher ISO's.

one other that might be worth considering is the upcoming Canon S90, I'm considering switching from GRII to this partly because as a Canon dslr user I like how the controls look and also because the specs seem very good.

don't know if you've looked at sample shots, but you can find tons on flickr by searching for the model names as there are groups for all of the cameras. there are of course some bad photographers and some good ones, and more or less edited shots, but theres a ton of pics so it gives some sort of an idea what each camera is cabable of.

[image]

I looked at the same cameras, the Ricoh is the only one that will fit into a pocket comfortably (lense goes completely into camera body) and that was the most important thing to me. I heard the same thing about the DP1 that Mike mentioned, slow autofocus.

If you don't care about that size issue, I'd also consider the Canon G9 or better yet if you can wait a month or so, Leica is coming out with the X1 for $2000, and nikon is supposed to come out with a very similar camera at around the same time.

The X1 has a larger sensor than a typical pocket camera (lower noise in low light, better dynamic range) and I've never seen a small camera built so beautifully. No one really knows how good it will be yet since there are very few photo sample out there so far. The G9 I mentioned because I know several pros that carry that as their point and shoot.

alright, pulling the trigger on one of these
Ricoh GRII or III
Sigma DP1
or Leica d-lux 4
thoughts?

[laughed]

I like the graininess of the Ricoh GR - the first one, but have read that that pretty much is gone with the II and III, BUT the flaws that were found in the first GR are gone. Speaking of pros that use these, I also read that Daido Moriyama uses Ricoh GRs. I do like more of a street-style photo, like daido, antoine d'agata, michael ackermann, etc...and I think maybe the Ricoh would be best for me for that...also using it for documentation/research. I have tried and owned a couple Canons and just find them pretty "sony"...Also thinking about pulling the trigger on the Leica M6 or contax g2 but I really need a new digital so I think I may lean a little towards the Ricoh, now it's a matter of figuring out which one the gr-2-3, etc..and a good deal!

[lowrey]

the graininess can be fun occasionally, but when you can't take a shot without it (in low light), it gets a bit annoying after a while. I'd say there is more then enough grain in the GR II, not sure how it compares to the first one as I never owned one.

[image]

You can pick up a digital Leica M8 for around 2500 now, and grab a top quality voigtlander lens for less than 500... if you're even considering something like an M6 but want digital that's the way I'd go. Leica is a great street photography camera, just set it at infinity focus and use it like a point and shoot with much better results.

I like the graininess of the Ricoh GR - the first one, but have read that that pretty much is gone with the II and III, BUT the flaws that were found in the first GR are gone. Speaking of pros that use these, I also read that Daido Moriyama uses Ricoh GRs. I do like more of a street-style photo, like daido, antoine d'agata, michael ackermann, etc...and I think maybe the Ricoh would be best for me for that...also using it for documentation/research. I have tried and owned a couple Canons and just find them pretty "sony"...Also thinking about pulling the trigger on the Leica M6 or contax g2 but I really need a new digital so I think I may lean a little towards the Ricoh, now it's a matter of figuring out which one the gr-2-3, etc..and a good deal!

[laughed]

Wow, the X1 is amazing. Wonder how it compares to the M8

[image]

No one really knows yet but it has the potential to be the best compact camera on the market. Sensor size is the big plus:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/peterlueck/3874184540/

Wow, the X1 is amazing. Wonder how it compares to the M8

[swych]

Just wanted to jump in on the GR vs LX conversation.

I used to own the GRD 2 until it got stolen. When I was about to buy a new one to replace it, I was given the LX 3 instead.

I love the grain distribution on the GRD 2, especially in monochrome. It's fantastic for street photography and makes nice moody pictures but as Mike Lowrey said, it's annoying when you can only shoot in grain, especially for some of the architecture work that I do where its undesirable. The LX3 gets much better results without question. the problem with the LX3 is that it's less 'fast'. it's harder to just whip it out and shoot.

I also own a Nikon D300 and find that the double dials and user interface of the GRD much faster to use, allowing for on the dot customization, especially if you like to shoot manual. In fact I like it so much I'm willing to sacrifice image quality just to get 'that shot' spur of the moment.

The other issue with the LX 3 I find is that the built in flash gives really flat results and gives very bright flash spots. I've already reduced teh flash to - 2 ev but it still creates an imbalanced image. this is the driving factor for me, waiting desperately to get the GRD 3, as soon as i can flog the LX.

I think the main contenders right now at that price range are GRD 3 vs G10

[laughed]

to owners of any of the grs ---- how does this thing feel? it looks like it might be a little on the cheap side, as far as the build...or is it just me?

[endersgame]

anyone here into film? large format? wet plate?

*crickets*

[swych]

to owners of any of the grs ---- how does this thing feel? it looks like it might be a little on the cheap side, as far as the build...or is it just me?

it's sturdy and been bashed around a bit. fits in your pocket nicely too. i like the leathery layer on top, helps the grip a bunch. i failed to mention above that its better to handle than the lx3, not only in terms of user interface but also ergonomics.

its not as sturdy as a canon g9 or 10 though, but that things a tank.

[lowrey]

to owners of any of the grs ---- how does this thing feel? it looks like it might be a little on the cheap side, as far as the build...or is it just me?

feels quite good to me, the body is magnesium so its light but sturdy. it doesn't have the "metallic" feel of some cameras, but I like the matte surface, looks very stealthy.

anyone here into film? large format? wet plate?

*crickets*

I have a Mamiya 645, Avanster shoots 120 film as well.

[Acid, Bitter and Sad]

alright, pulling the trigger on one of these
Ricoh GRII or III
Sigma DP1
or Leica d-lux 4
thoughts?

Do not even go near the DP1. It's extremely slow. Don't know if the DP2's any better.
Am using GRDII now...happy with it.
Planning to upgrade to the GRDIII, but will now be waiting for the Leica X1 instead!!
Got eyes on the M9 too.......