GR as only vacation camera?

infrequent said:
Yes the secondary (56mm) lens is only engaged if you choose the Portrait mode but in practice if its engaged, it typically stays in that mode until you change it back. For example if you picked Pano option and shot one, the next time you invoke the camera app it is in Pano mode. Presumably this will hold true until the app state memory is cleared or the phone is switched on/off.
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Perhaps a nitpick but: this is not true.
The secondary lens is engaged during two situations: when the camera is set to "zoom 2x", and when the camera is in "portrait mode". The functions of the two situations are different. During "Portrait Mode" both lenses are used and the software pretends to create blurred, out-of-focus areas behind the main subject (which it guesses at). The results really aren't bad, but you have to know what they are (given the size of the sensor and the fixed aperture basically everything is in focus). When any of the camera modes are selected besides "Portrait Mode" and the zoom is set to "2x" then the secondary lens is used alone. Only the primary lens has image stabilization built in, so in 2x mode this isn't available.
 
Henry Schimke said:
Perhaps a nitpick but: this is not true.
The secondary lens is engaged during two situations: when the camera is set to "zoom 2x", and when the camera is in "portrait mode". The functions of the two situations are different. During "Portrait Mode" both lenses are used and the software pretends to create blurred, out-of-focus areas behind the main subject (which it guesses at). The results really aren't bad, but you have to know what they are (given the size of the sensor and the fixed aperture basically everything is in focus). When any of the camera modes are selected besides "Portrait Mode" and the zoom is set to "2x" then the secondary lens is used alone. Only the primary lens has image stabilization built in, so in 2x mode this isn't available.
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Yes...you are correct.
 
I used my GR alone on several trips and never regretted it.
It's my favorite trip photo setup.
With an Eye-Fi SD card, I can even upload some photos on social media for instant gratification.
 
Ricoh also has a 21mm conversion lens for the GR. You do need to buy the adapter. The image quality is excellent. It changes the GR with additional size and weight but it isn't bad. An amazing, versatile combo in a tiny package. Also, depending on print size, the GR has 35 and 47 mm options. Less pixels. I think 10 and 6, but plenty depending on your final output.
 
The only thing I would miss about only having the GR is the ability to shoot decent video. For this reason, my primary pocket camera is the Panasonic LX7, despite having a smaller sensor, and loving the GR so much. GR video is pretty bad compared with what other cameras can produce.

If video isn't a concern, and you are happy with 28, 35 and 47mm - thanks to crop mode - the GR would be a superb one-camera holiday solution. But it would be prudent to have a small backup camera just in case the GR fails during the trip.

Someone mentioned the 21mm adapter, and I second that. It's a great addition and will allow you to take photos that would be otherwise impossible with the GR alone.
 
Don't have the GR but have no problem using my Fuji X70 as my only travel camera. There is something totally liberating about a small camera with fixed focal length.

So, I usually carry a X70 or M2/M5 with a 50 depending on my mood.
 
MarkoKovacevic said:
I'm heading to Indonesia later next month and was considering leaving my mirror less at home and just going with the GR. I was wondering if anyone's done this and your thoughts on it. Sometimes restrictions make you more creative.
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Hi Marko,
I believe you finished your trip to Indonesia.
Would you share with us some pictures and experiences of use Ricoh GR only during this trip

~ron~
 
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GR or any camera is at its best if it is the only camera you have. In the same vein, having a single camera along on a vacation will result in your enjoying your time much more, as well as having fewer photographic decisions to make. This will result in your taking better pictures than you would if you spend your time making decisions about "which camera/lens to would be (slightly) better".
 
MarkoKovacevic said:
I'm heading to Indonesia later next month and was considering leaving my mirror less at home and just going with the GR. I was wondering if anyone's done this and your thoughts on it. Sometimes restrictions make you more creative.
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You will be fine. My Nikon Coolpix A and X100 cameras have served me very well while travelling :)
 
GR is great and I would take it over any APS-C or mirrorless alternative. I take mine on every trip. I once sold mine and tried a Fuji XE-2 with a 28 and regretted it. Fought with the metering the whole trip and sold it immediately on return and bought another GR.

However, I still find that I don't get as much satisfaction from shooting with it or from the photos I take with it as my M9. So if possible I bring them both.
 
I was trying to find some nice pictures to show a friend that highlighted the performance of a Canon L zoom. I was surprised to find that most of the pictures I thought were taken with a full-frame DSLR were in fact taken with my wife's GR II. These were the "best" of our travel pictures. I use the Ricoh at least as much as she does.

I bought the GR II for her because I accidentally bounced her GRD III off of a granite rock. The flash door got cracked and didn't pop up correctly anymore, so I superglued it shut. She was not pleased, hence the upgrade.

Just noticed I'm a year late. :/
 
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Mysteriously, @MarkoKovacevic made his last post in this thread, saying he was editing his photos from Indonesia and would post soon. That was almost two years ago...


The GR is one of only two cameras I've found that comes close to the M9 in both sharpness/detail and colour. The other is the Ricoh GXR-M module. The GR has even better highlight retention than the M9 as well, although it lacks the very fine gradation of colours that I see in the M9. As an everyday camera, it's more than excellent if you like 28mm.
 
For my needs, the GR is about as perfect as I can find. Exceptional prints, fantastic interface etc etc. The same could be said about a lot of cameras today. As Archiver has already demonstrated.

The question then becomes relative to the focal length. Is 28mm for you? For me, it works so well i use it (or the relative version) in 4x5 and 120
 
I just wish my Ricoh cameras were more reliable. All have developed faults sooner than I would like. My first Ricoh GXR body bricked itself one day. It just wouldn't power up. GRD III lens block malfunctioned and had to be replaced, and is starting to play up again. GR shutter now gets stuck when the camera turns on.
If I was a going on a trip, I'd definitely take a backup if the GR was the main camera. At this time, it would be a Panasonic LX10 for the extra wide angle, zoom, and superb video.
 
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