RICOH GXR
Review and Photo example of the RICOH GXR
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Review
The GXR is a digital camera with an interchangeable lens unit released by Ricoh in 2009.
A total of six types of lens units were released, including those with APS-C size sensors and those with 1/1.7 inch sensors.
I am writing this in 2024, but I was using the GXR in 2011 when the Leica M mount unit was released.
I purchased the A12-28mm lens unit because I couldn’t go without the 28mm equivalent, which is part of the lineage of the GR series, which is synonymous with Ricoh lenses. I also purchased the Mount-A12, which has an APS-C sensor and can use the Leica M mount.
Since the GXR itself is an old camera, all units equipped with APS-C size sensors that process a large amount of data, such as the A12-28mm, were slow to operate. I couldn’t shoot snaps around town like I could with the film GR1.
Mount-A12 was released in 2011 and had good points such as being able to use Leica M mount and L39 mount lenses, and being able to input the lens focal length into EXIF. When I look at the images I took, I’m impressed that the sensor really brings out the characteristics of the lens. The image quality is such that I’d want to use it again if it wasn’t for the slow movements.
Mount-A12 was released at the wrong time, with mirrorless cameras NEX-3 and NEX-5 released in 2010 with the same APS-C size sensor. Leica M mount lens adapters for Sony E mount have been released by all companies, and it is assumed that users who use Leica M mount with APS-C size sensors are already using these. In fact, I also own a NEX-5 and an M mount adapter, which I still have on hand.
Therefore, if Mount-A12 had been released at the same time as GXR in 2009, it would have had a big impact, but when it was released in 2011, it became a product that was lost.
Alternatively, if it had been equipped with a 35mm full-frame sensor in 2011, it would have had a huge impact. The price of a 35mm full-frame sensor at this time was high, and it was necessary to wait until the release of the α7 in 2015 before a 35mm full-frame sensor at an affordable price that general users could purchase appeared on the market.
Personally, I usually use the LEICA M9, which has a 35mm full-size sensor, so I didn’t really appreciate the APS-C size sensor. Due to the poor visibility of the LCD viewfinder VF-2, I sold the GXR system after using it for a while.
If the body part of a digital camera, such as the liquid crystal display, were the most expensive part, this concept would have been viable. Unfortunately, the most expensive parts of a digital camera are the shutter, sensor, and image processing device, so every time you buy a lens unit, it’s like buying a new digital camera, so this concept was unfortunately a failure. The fact that they even planned a printer unit may be proof that Ricoh was serious about it.
Specification
| Model name | GXR | GX100 | GX200 |
| Number of effective pixels (million pixels) sensor size | variable | 1000 1/1.75 | 1240 1/1.7 |
| Focal length(mm) 35mm format | variable | 24-72 | 24-72 |
| View finder | external | ← | ← |
| Max Shutter speed | variable | 1/2000 | ← |
| Battery | DB-90 | DB-60 | ← |
| Back lcd | 3.0-inch color LCD 920,000 pixels | 2.5-inch color LCD 230,000 pixels | 2.7-inch color LCD 460,000 pixels |
| Recorded media | SD/SDHC | ← | ← |
| Size(mm) (H x W x D) | 70 x 114 x 38 | 58 x 112 x 25 | ← |
| Weight (Body only) | 160+Lens unit | 220 | 208 |
| Body color | Black | ← | ← |
| Release date | 2009 | 2007 | 2008 |
Options
- LCD viewfinder VF-2
- Cable switch CA-1
- AC adapter AC-5
- Rechargeable battery DB-90
- Battery charger BJ-9
| Unit name | A12 50 | A12 28 | A16 24-85 | MOUNT A12 | S10 24-72 | P10 28-300 |
| Sensor size | APS-C | ← | ← | ← | 1/1.7 | 1/2.3 |
| Number of effective pixels (million pixels) | 1230 | ← | 1620 | 1230 | 1000 | ← |
| Focal length | 50 | 28 | 24-85 | – | 24-72 | 28-300 |
| Max aperture | 2.5 | ← | 3.5-5.5 | – | 2.5-4.4 | 3.5-5.6 |
| Image stavilation | None | ← | ← | ← | Exist | ← |
| Min distance(mm) | 70 | 200 | 250 | – | 10 | ← |
| Option-1 | – | Viewfinder GV-1 | Automatic opening/closing lens cap LC-3 | – | Automatic opening/closing lens cap LC-2 | ← |
| Option-2 | – | Viewfinder GV-2 | Lens hood LH-2 | – | Tele conversion lens TC-1 | – |
| Option-3 | – | Lens hood LH-1 | – | – | Wide conversion lens DW-6 | – |
| Option-4 | – | – | – | – | Hood & Adapter HA-3 | – |
Reference links
Update history
- 2024.03.25
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