RICOH GR 28mm (L39)

Review and Photo example of hte Ricoh GR 28mm (L39).

Gallery

Example film photo taken with HEXAR-RF and Fortia 50

Digital photo example taken with EPSON R-D1

Review

GR 28mm is one of the lenses released by RICOH for L39 screw mount.
This lens was adapted from the GR series of film cameras.
As with the GR film, the images are well-delineated right down to the edges, and I don’t see any problems when looking at the results taken with 35mm film. Compared to the GR 21mm, which packs 21mm into a small aperture and produces unique images, it gives the impression of an ordinary lens. I think the G-Rokkor 28mm, which was adapted from the MINOLTA TC-1, is similar to the 21mm.

28mm is one of my favorite focal lengths, and I’ve used many lenses with it. With rangefinder cameras such as Elmarit-M, SUMMICRON, CANON, Minolta, Konica, Cosina, Avenon, MS-OPTICS, etc., excluding the 4th generation, the sense of distance is probably just right without being too wide for a wide-angle lens. This is a versatile lens that can be used for everything from snapshots to landscapes. On the other hand, with a single-lens reflex camera, I don’t remember using it much, probably the Minolta AF28/2, and I don’t remember much about it since I didn’t use it that much and let it go. The 28mm Leica R lens also has a low usage rate, but I often use the first-generation Elmarito 28mm for film R8, so I feel like it’s just a matter of mood.

I liked the GR28 among the L39 mounts because it produced unique images, but when I got the first generation Elmarit-M 28mm, I liked it so much that I ended up selling it. This is also an old lens, so I have no intention of getting it again and using it. The complete product comes with a circular screw-in hood and a 28mm viewfinder.

Exterior view taken from the official RICOH website

Lens configuration diagram taken from the official RICOH website

Specification

Items	GR 21mm	GR 28mm
Focal length(mm)	21	28
Max aperture	3.5	2.8
Min aperture	22	16
Leaf blade	10	←
Lens Construction	9elements in 6groups	7elements in 4groups
Min distance(m)	0.5	0.7
Lens length(mm)	25.5	23	Distance from L-mount surface
Max diameter(mm)	49.5	49.5	Excluding focus knob
Filter Size(mm)	40.5	40.5
Weight(g)	200	180	Taken from the reference link
Production numbers	1700 (Black: 700) (Silver: 1000)	3000 (Black: 1000) (Silver: 2000)
Release date	1999	1997
Price(Yen/No-tax)	115,000- I think it was, but no source.	98,000-