Ricoh GXR Review

December 14, 2009 | Mark Goldstein | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star Half rating star

Introduction

It's not every day that a brand new photographic system is unveiled, but that's exactly what Ricoh have delivered in the form of the new GXR camera. The Ricoh GXR is the World's first "interchangeable unit camera system". Digital SLR's allow you to change the lens on the front of the camera - the GXR allows you to change the lens and the image sensor, which are combined into a single interchangeable unit. There are two such units available on launch - the S10, which features a 24-72mm zoom lens and 10 megapixel 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor, and the A12, which combines a 50mm macro lens and a 12.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor. Each unit simply slides into and out of the front of the GXR, with virtually all of the features of the camera body available for either unit. Ricoh are claiming that this new approach allows them to offer the best combinations of image quality and portability - one of the GXR's key selling points is its diminutive size, being much smaller than a traditional DSLR and even tinier than the Panasonic GF1 and Olympus E-P1/E-P2 Micro Four Thirds cameras. Compared to Ricoh's popular range of compacts, the GXR is bigger and heavier, but not by too much. The innovative Ricoh GXR does carry a rather substantial price premium, costing £419/€459/$550 for the body, £600/€670/$550 for the A12/50mm unit, and £330/€370/$440 for the S10/24-72mm unit.

Ease of Use

The Ricoh GXR is launching with two interchangeable camera units, the S10 / 24-72mm / 10 megapixel unit and the A12 / 50mm / 12 megapixel unit, both of which were supplied to us by Ricoh UK, along with the VF-2 external viewfinder and the clever LC-2 self-retaining lenscap (which only fits the S10 unit). We did briefly consider splitting this review into two separate articles, one for each camera unit, as the combined nature of the lens and image sensor makes the GXR seem like a different camera when each one is fitted, if not from a handling point-of-view then certainly from a image quality perspective. But there's enough common ground when either is fitted to merit a combined review.

The GXR will feel instantly familiar to anyone who has used a recent Ricoh compact before, as it inherits the design approach and many of the features from the GR and GX series cameras. For everyone else, the GXR is simply a joy to use for any photographer that wants full control over their camera, with proven handling and a seemingly infinite level of customisation.

The Ricoh GXR is a wide and fairly slim camera that is a little big bigger than the palm of my average sized hands, measuring 113.9 mm (W) x 70.2 mm (H) x 77.1 mm (D) with the S10 unit fitted, and weighing around 263g without a unit fitted and 423g with the S10 (although still not including the the battery or memory card). The GXR is bigger and heavier than the GR Digital III, but not by as much as you'd first imagine, and it's a little smaller and lighter than the Panasonic GF1, the previous holder of the "World's smallest and lightest interchangeable lens camera" title.

Utilising a magnesium alloy body, the GXR is an extremely well-built camera, continuing the long-established Ricoh tradition of producing serious photographic tools. It has an under-stated, all-black appearance which lends it a professional feel. There's a large rubberized handgrip on the front that allows you to get a good grip and a small area of the same material acting as a thumb rest on the rear of the body. The all-metal tripod mount is the final give-away sign that this is intended to be a serious product, although the design of the interchangeable unit camera system means that it's not in-line either with the lens or the centre of the body.

Ricoh GXR Ricoh GXR
Front Rear

As mentioned above, there are only two camera unit options available when the GXR launches towards the end of this month (with more promised by Ricoh for 2010), and we'll briefly consider each one here. You can also judge their image quality for yourself on Page 2 and see full-size samples (RAW and JPG) from each one on Page 3.

The S10 incorporates a 10 megapixel 1/1.7-inch image sensor and a 24-72mm, 3x zoom lens. This combination is strikingly similar to the now discontinued Ricoh GX100 compact, which had the same size sensor and the same zoom range, with the latest GX200 model increasing the megapixel count to 12. Even the maximum aperture range - f/2.5-4.4 - is identical! Disregarding any differences in image quality, it seems to us that the S10 is almost exactly replicating one of Ricoh's existing compacts in the GXR format, albeit in a larger size and perhaps more importantly with a much bigger price-tag.

More interesting is the A12 unit, which has a 12.3 APS-C image sensor and a 50mm f/2.5 fixed-focal macro lens. This is a unique offering in the Ricoh range, and is notably the first ever Ricoh camera to feature the same-sized sensor that the majority of DSLRs use. When the GXR is fitted with this unit, it's automatically in the same league as a DSLR or the other compact cameras that have an APS-C sensor, the Sigma DP1 and DP2. The Panasonic GF1 and Olympus E-P1 / E-P2 cameras all use the smaller Four Thirds sensor size, so in theory the GXR with the A12 unit should deliver better image quality. The choice of the 50mm macro lens is also interesting, in that a focal length of 50mm is useful for street photography as well as close-ups of flowers, providing an angle of view roughly equivalent to human vision, and the fast maximum aperture of f/2.5 is a real benefit for low-light shooting and creating that out-of-focus bokeh look.

In all this discussion about the benefits of particular lens and sensor combinations, it quickly becomes apparent that Ricoh are playing something of a guessing game with their camera unit offerings, hoping that they've hit upon the best solutions for the majority of photographers. That ultimately means that some photographers are going to be left out, as Ricoh obviously can't make every combination available. With a conventional DSLR, it's inherently much easier to change the lens and retain the same sensor - with the GXR system, at least on launch, you have to accept the change of both lens and sensor, and the particular combinations on offer.

Personally speaking, I would have preferred to see the S10 use an APS-C sensor rather than the tiny 1/1.7-inch sensor - if I'm going to use a larger camera than Ricoh's existing compacts, then I'd prefer a bigger sensor with all the image quality benefits that it hopefully provides. With regards to the A12 unit, the 50mm lens is a little too limiting in its outlook - ultimately I'd like the 24-72mm lens with the APS-C sensor. As Ricoh release more units, this kind of dilemma may become less prevalent, but there's no disputing that this is an inherent limitation of their new system that DSLRs don't suffer from in quite the same way.

Ricoh GXR Ricoh GXR
S10 Camera Unit A12 Camera Unit

One other benefit of the interchangeable camera unit that Ricoh is promoting is the avoidance of dust on the sensor. With a traditional DSLR, changing the lens exposes the image sensor, with dust inevitably finding its way onto it. Most DSLRs now employ some kind of built-in dust reduction / shake system to try and automatically remove the dust from the sensor, although you invariably need to clean it using a third-party solution or have it cleaned periodically by the manufacturer. With the GXR, the closed nature of the system promises to keep the image sensor dust-free, and I we certainly couldn't detect any in the images that we shot. On the flip side, though, dust can also get in via the lens barrel, particularly of a zoom lens, so it will be interesting to see if long-term users report problems, especially as there's obviously no way to clean the sensor yourself, or any automatic dust-reduction system built into the GXR body.

Returning to the camera body, there are four external controls which form the creative heart of the GXR. Located on the top right of the camera (viewed from the rear) are the Mode dial and what Ricoh refer to as the Up-down dial, and on the back is the Adj. dial. These controls allow you to choose which shooting mode you want to use, with a choice of full auto, program shift, aperture-priority, shutter-priority and full manual, and to control the settings of the particular mode that you have picked.

For example, in Manual mode, by default the Up-down dial sets the aperture and the Adj. button sets the shutter speed, providing quick and intuitive access. Furthermore, pressing the Adj. dial allows you to quickly adjust 5 different settings that are commonly used. Press it in to alter White Balance, ISO Speed, Quality, Image Settings and the AF Target, which allows you to shift the target for AF or AE or both without having to move the camera. Even better, the Adj. menu is customisable - you can choose what the first four settings do, allowing you to control exactly what you want quick access to.

A new addition to the GXR is the Direct button, positioned to the far left above the LCD screen. When pressed a graphical representation of most of the key settings is displayed on the LCD, very similar to the system that many DSLRs offer. You can use the navigation pad to move through the settings and change them, and the current shooting mode, aperture, shutter speed, flash setting, battery life and exposure compensation are also shown. This is a great feature the helps bridge the gap between compact and DSLR cameras.

Continuing the customisation theme, you can configure the GXR and save the current settings as one of three My Settings modes, which are accessible by setting the Mode dial to either the MY1, MY2 or MY3 option. This allows you to configure the GXR for different uses and allows quick access to each configuration (the camera remembers the settings when it's turned off). The two Function (Fn) buttons on the rear of the camera can also be customised to suit your particular needs. Finally, the GXR uses an up/down rocker switch on the back of the camera for operating the zoom when used with an applicable camera unit (and image magnification during playback), although disappointingly it can't be re-configured when used with the A12 / 50mm unit. The navigation pad on the rear offers Fn1 and Fn2 settings, both of which can be re-configured to (by default they change the focus type and the manual flash amount) and pressing up and down increases and decreases exposure compensation. The GXR is easily one of the most customisable compact cameras that we've ever reviewed.

Ricoh GXR Ricoh GXR
Front Direct Menu

The Ricoh GXR's 3 inch, 920K LCD screen is the same as the one used by the Ricoh CX1 and GR Digital III. Both text and images really come alive on a simply breath-taking display that's the best of any camera that we've ever reviewed, including those with comparable 920K dot screens. The high resolution LCD provides a wide viewing angle and high contrast., with a special fluorine coat and hard coating to help prevent scratches, and 100% sRGB coverage for more accurate color reproduction.

If you don't like composing your photos by holding the camera at arms length and looking at the LCD screen, there's also another way of framing your shots. You can additionally buy the completely removable optical viewfinder, the new VF-2. This slots into the hot-shoe on top of the camera, allowing you to hold the camera up to your eye and instantly giving the GXR the feel of a single-lens reflex camera. It's physically bigger and brighter than the VF-1 model supplied with Ricoh's compacts, making accurate manual focusing much easier to judge. Compared to the direct competition, it's better than the Panasonic GF1's viewfinder, but not quite as good as the Olympus E-P2's.

As the Ricoh GXR offers a full range of advanced exposure controls, it's quite complex in terms of its design. There are over 20 external controls, leaving just enough room for that gorgeous 3 inch LCD screen. Further appealing to the avid photographer in you, the Ricoh GXR has a range of focusing and metering modes that should cover most situations. On the focusing side, the multi AF system has 9 separate auto focus points, and there's also Spot AF, Manual focus, Snap mode (can be changed to focus at either 1m, 2.5m, 5m or Infinity) and Infinity.

The Full Press Snap option allows you to take a photo at one of the Snap mode distances with a full press of the shutter button. This means that you can use both the camera's auto-focus system by half-pressing the shutter button, and over-ride it to instantly shoot at at a pre-determined distance without having to wait for the camera to focus. Completing the GXR's extensive range of focusing options is Pre-AF. This accelerates the already snappy focusing time by following the subject's movement before the shutter release button is pressed half way (only works when the focus is set to Multi AF or Spot AF). In terms of metering, the multi metering mode is 256 segment, and there's also center weighted average and spot metering.

Multi-pattern auto white balance is a useful setting for scenes with mixed lighting - daylight and flash, or fluorescent and daylight, for example. Instead of just taking an average reading from the whole scene, which inevitably gets the white balance wrong for the secondary light source, the GXR breaks the image down into small areas and analyzes and sets the white balance for each one. In practice it produces a subtle but noticeable effect that is particularly useful for capturing more natural portraits when using flash. Also very useful is the ability to change the power of the built-in flash which can be set at 12 levels from full flash to 1/64, enabling you to balance the intensity for both the subject and background.

Ricoh GXR Ricoh GXR
VF-2 Electronic Viewfinder S10 and A12 Camera Units

There's the usual choice of Fine and Normal JPEGs, but Ricoh have also wisely provided a RAW mode setting. Even better, the RAW format that they have chosen is not a proprietary one, but Adobe's DNG format, which means that the Ricoh GXR's files are instantly available in any RAW software that supports DNG (virtually every one). This is an excellent move by Ricoh, with no waiting required for third-party software vendors like Adobe, Phase One DxO to play catch-up.

The electronic leveler is a neat feature that helps to ensure level shots while viewing through the LCD monitor, both in landscape and portrait mode. You can view the horizontal indicator on the LCD monitor to ensure that shots are aligned horizontally. If you're using the external viewfinder, or can't see the LCD screen in very bright sunlight, then the camera can also be set to make a sound to indicate a level horizon. It doesn't sound like a big deal in theory, but in practice it really helps to make all those wide-angle shots perfectly level.

The main menu system on the Ricoh GXR is straight-forward to use and is accessed by pressing the Menu/OK button in the middle of the navigation pad. There are three main menus, Shooting, Key Custom Options and Setup. Quite a lot of the camera's main options, such as image size, sharpness, metering mode and continuous mode, are accessed here, so the Shooting Settings menu has 23 options spread over 3 screens, the Key Custom Options menu has 16 options, and the Setup menu has 34 options. Due to the high-resolution LCD screen and restricting the number of on-screen choices to 10, the various options and icons are clear and legible.

If you have never used a digital camera before, or you're upgrading from a more basic model, reading the comprehensive and easy-to-follow manual before you start is a must. Thankfully Ricoh have chosen to supply it in printed format, rather than as a PDF on a CD, so you can also carry it with you for easy reference in the field.

Ricoh GXR Ricoh GXR
Memory Card Slot Battery Compartment

Ricoh are well known for delivering responsive cameras, and the GXR certainly continues that tradition. The start-up time from turning the Ricoh GXR on to being ready to take a photo is responsive at around 1.5 seconds. Focusing with the 24-72mm camera unit is quick in good light, taking less than 0.5 seconds, and the camera happily achieves focus most of the time indoors or in low-light situations. The 50mm unit is a little slower, with a distinct pause as it physically moves in and out before locking onto the subject, and it often failed to focus at all on low-contrast subjects. This is perfectly acceptable for its main use as a dedicated macro lens, but makes it less suitable for street photographer where every second counts. Thankfully Ricoh have included a manual focusing ring on this camera unit, which speeds up operation if you're used to focusing in this way. You can also manually over-ride the auto-focus system by using this focus ring.

It takes about 0.5 second to store a JPEG image, allowing you to keep shooting as they are being recorded onto the memory card, and there is virtually no LCD blackout between each image. Shooting in RAW mode is also very quick, with the GXR only taking around 1 second to store a RAW image, and you can also take another shot while it's being written to memory. In the fastest Continuous mode the camera takes 3 frames per second with the 50mm unit but only 1.6 fps with the 24-72mm unit, both rates for an unlimited number of JPEG or RAW images, which doesn't compare particularly well to even entry-level DSLRs.

Once you have captured a photo, the GXR has an above average range of options when it comes to playing, reviewing and managing your images. You can instantly scroll through the images that you have taken, view thumbnails (81 onscreen at once!), zoom in and out up to 16x magnification, view slideshows with audio, set the print order, delete, protect, trim and resize an image. Level Compensation allows you to correct the contrast and tone of an image after it has been taken, and White Balance Compensation the white balance. The Skew Correction function alters any photo that was taken at an angle so it appears as if it were taken directly in front of you. The new Flag Function Setting option allows you to choose up to 20 images that can then be quickly played back by selecting the Flag Function Display option, useful for showing off key images.

Images are automatically rotated during playback to fit the current orientation of the camera. Pushing the Adjust dial instantly displays the image at a previously defined magnification (by default 9.8x), handy for quickly checking focus. The Display button toggles detailed settings information about each picture on and off, such as the ISO rating and aperture / shutter speed, and there is a small histogram available during both shooting and playback. The White Saturation display mode during image playback indicates over-exposed highlights by flashing those areas on and off. When taking a photo, pressing the Display button toggles between the detailed information, the histogram and gridlines to aid composition.

In summary the Ricoh GXR is a remarkably intuitive and customisable camera, especially considering that it's a first-generation product in a completely new photographic system.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 10 or 12 megapixel Fine JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of between 3-4Mb.

The Ricoh GXR produced images of excellent quality during the review period. The Ricoh GXR's main drawback in terms of image quality when used with the S10 camera unit is noise, with ISO 800 showing some noise, blurring of detail and slight colour desaturation. The noise and loss of detail get progressively worse as you go from ISO 800 to 1600, although only the fastest setting of 3200 is not really worth using unless there's no other option. As you'd expect, the performance of the A12 camera unit with its much larger image sensor is better, with noise not really becoming objectionable until ISO 1600, and even 3200 looking good, easily putting the GXR on a par with entry-level DSLRs.

The Ricoh GXR handled chromatic aberrations very well with limited purple fringing effects appearing only in high contrast situations when used with either camera unit. Both the 10 and 12 megapixel images were just a little soft straight out of the camera at the default sharpen setting of Normal and either require some further sharpening in an application like Adobe Photoshop, or you should increase the built-in sharpening level.

The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 180 seconds allowing you to capture enough light for most situations. Macro performance is a stand-out highlight, allowing you to focus as close as 1cm away from the subject with the S10 camera unit and 7cms with the A12 unit, although there is a lot of lens distortion and shadowing at such a close distance. The GXR's small built-in pop-up flash worked well indoors at full power, with no red-eye and good overall exposure, and the ability to fine-tune the power output is very welcome.

Noise

There are 6 ISO settings available on the Ricoh GXR for the 24-72mm camera unit and 5 settings for the 50mm unit. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting for both JPEG and RAW files for both camera units.

24-72mm Camera Unit

JPEG

RAW

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

50mm Camera Unit

JPEG

RAW

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

ISO 1600 (100% Crop)

   

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

ISO 3200 (100% Crop)

Sharpening

Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are a little soft at the default sharpening setting of Normal. You can change the in-camera sharpening level to one of the preset levels if you don't like the default look.

Original (100% Crop)

Sharpened (100% Crop)

24-72mm Camera Unit
   
50mm Camera Unit

File Quality

The Ricoh GXR has 2 different image quality settings available, with Fine being the highest quality option. Here are some 100% crops which show the quality of the various options, with the file size shown in brackets, using the 24-72mm camera unit.

10M Fine (3.54Mb) (100% Crop) 10M Normal (2.02Mb) (100% Crop)
   
10M RAW (14.5Mb) (100% Crop)  
 

Chromatic Aberrations

The Ricoh GXR handled chromatic aberrations excellently during the review, with very limited purple fringing present around the edges of objects in certain high-contrast situations, as shown in the example below, using the 24-72mm camera unit.

Example 1 (100% Crop)

Macro

The Ricoh GXR with the 24-72mm camera unit offers a Macro setting that allows you to focus on a subject that is just 1cm away from the camera when the lens is set to wide-angle, while the 50mm Macro unit can focus as close as 7cms. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.

Macro Shot (24-72mm Camera Unit)

100% Crop

   

Macro Shot (50mm Camera Unit)

100% Crop

Flash

The flash settings on the Ricoh GXR are Auto, Red-eye-Reduction, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Manual Flash, and Flash Off. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m with the 24-72mm camera unit.

Flash Off - Wide Angle (24mm)

Flash On - Wide Angle (24mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64
   

Flash Off - Wide Angle (72mm)

Flash On - Wide Angle (72mm)

ISO 64 ISO 64

And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On or the Red-eye-Reduction settings caused any red-eye.

Flash On

Flash On (100% Crop)
   

Red-eye Reduction

Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop)

Night

The Ricoh GXR's maximum shutter speed is 180 seconds, which is excellent news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 15 seconds at ISO 200 with the 24-72mm camera unit. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.

Night Shot

Night Shot (100% Crop)

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the Ricoh GXR camera, which were all taken using the 10 megapixel Fine JPEG (S10 camera unit, numbers 01-30) and the 12 megapixel Fine JPEG (A12 camera unit, numbers 31-60) setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The Ricoh GXR enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some Ricoh RAW (DNG) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movie & Video

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 640x480 at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 25.2Mb in size.

Product Images

Ricoh GXR

Front of the Camera

 
Ricoh GXR

Isometric View

 
Ricoh GXR

Isometric View

 
Ricoh GXR

S10 Camera Unit / LC-2 Lens Cap

 
Ricoh GXR

S10 Camera Unit / LC-2 Lens Cap

 
Ricoh GXR

S10 Camera Unit

 
Ricoh GXR

A12 Camera Unit

 
Ricoh GXR

Isometric View

 
Ricoh GXR

Isometric View

 

Ricoh GXR

Isometric View

 
Ricoh GXR

Isometric View

 
Ricoh GXR

Pop-Up Flash

 
Ricoh GXR

Rear of the Camera

 
Ricoh GXR

Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed

 
Ricoh GXR

Rear of the Camera / Turned On

 
Ricoh GXR

Rear of the Camera / Main Menu

 
Ricoh GXR

Rear of the Camera / Direct Menu

 
Ricoh GXR

Rear of the Camera / ADJ. Menu

 
Ricoh GXR

Top of the Camera

 
Ricoh GXR

Bottom of the Camera

 
Ricoh GXR

Side of the Camera

 
Ricoh GXR

Side of the Camera

 
Ricoh GXR

Front of the Camera

 
Ricoh GXR

Front of the Camera

 
Ricoh GXR

Memory Card Slot

 
Ricoh GXR

Battery Compartment

 
Ricoh GXR

VF-2 External Viewfinder

 
Ricoh GXR

VF-2 External Viewfinder

 
Ricoh GXR

VF-2 External Viewfinder

 
Ricoh GXR

VF-2 External Viewfinder

 
Ricoh GXR

A12 and S10 Camera Units

 
Ricoh GXR

A12 and S10 Camera Units

 
Ricoh GXR

A12 and S10 Camera Units

 
Ricoh GXR

A12 and S10 Camera Units

 
Ricoh GXR

Magnesium Body

 
Ricoh GXR

Magnesium Body

 
Ricoh GXR

Magnesium Body

Conclusion

The Ricoh GXR is a remarkably mature first-generation product in an intriguing new photographic system, with excellent handling and image quality that will instantly appeal to all photographers who want to take pictures first and talk about gear second. The initial offering of interchangeable camera units is a little puzzling, though, and certainly won't suit everyone - achieving the "right" combination of sensor and lens is crucial to the GXR's future success.

Ricoh have hit the nail firmly on the head with the design of the GXR body, building on the proven handling of their well-regarded compact camera range. The highest compliment that I can pay the GXR is that after a week of solid use, changing camera units had quickly become second nature, and the novelty of this completely new system had worn off to be replaced by one of the most intuitive and photographer-friendly cameras that I've ever used. The ability to make an almost limitless number of customisations to the GXR's handling makes it easy to tailor the camera to your specific needs, although it's well thought-out even on the default settings.

As mentioned above, the two camera units are less satisfactory. The S10 is the natural choice for most users, but this uses the same tiny image sensor that Ricoh's compacts use, and it employs a zoom lever on the rear of the camera rather than a more intuitive zoom ring on the lens barrel. Although it delivers very good image quality up to ISO 800, employing such a small sensor in such a comparatively "large" camera seems like a wasted opportunity.

The APS-C DSLR sensor in the A12 unit is much more like it, with superb image quality up to ISO 1600 and fantastic bokeh at wide-open apertures, but the 50mm focal length and slow auto-focus performance limit its overall appeal. Combining the sensor and lens may achieve better images and avoid dust, but it only makes sense if your vision matches Ricoh's, something that the first two camera units don't quite get right. It remains to be seen if Ricoh will release a unit with a standard zoom and a large sensor - I certainly hope that they do, and quickly.

The other fly in the ointment is the eye-watering price. Body-only at £419/€459/$550 isn't too bad, certainly comparable to the similar Panasonic GF1, but adding the A12 unit with its tiny sensor costs a whopping £330/€370/$440. Another £600/€670/$550 for the A12 is not bad for a dedicated macro lens, but not good if you're only looking at it as a standard zoom. Once again the success of the GXR system rests almost entirely on the camera units and how they're perceived by photographers - only time will tell.

The Ricoh GXR is one of the most photographer-friendly cameras that we've ever reviewed, with near-faultless handling, hence our Highly Recommended rating, but you really do need to ensure that the camera units match your personal vision before making the substantial investment required.

4.5 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 5
Features 4
Ease-of-use 5
Image quality 4.5
Value for money 3

Specifications

Ricoh GXR
Items Specifications
Flash Mode Auto (flash fires when lighting is poor or subject is backlit), red-eye, on, slow sync, manual, off
Range (built-in flash) Refer to camera unit specifications.
Flash compensation ±2.0 EV in increments of 1/2EV or 1/3EV
Manual flash amount FULL, 1/1.4, 1/2, 1/2.8, 1/4, 1/5.6, 1/8, 1/11, 1/16, 1/22, 1/32, 1/64
Picture display 3.0" transparent LCD; approx. 920,000 pixels
Shooting mode Auto, program shift, aperture priority, shutter priority, manual, scene (movie, portrait, sports, landscape, nightscape, skew correction), " My Settings"
Picture quality Fine, Normal, RAW (DNG) *1
Storage SD/SDHC memory card, internal memory (approx. 86 MB)
File size Refer to camera unit specifications.
File format Photographs JPEG (Exif Ver. 2.21)*2, RAW (DNG)
Movies AVI*3(Open DML Motion JPEG compliant)
Compression JPEG baseline compliant (photographs and movies)
Other shooting options Continuous shooting (continuous, M-Cont Plus); self-timer (shutter release delay of approx. 10 s or 2 s, or custom setting); interval timer (intervals of 5 s to 1 hour in increments of 5 s)*4 color bracketing; B&W (TE); color space selection; noise reduction; histogram display; framing grid; depth-of-field indicator; tilt indicator; hot shoe
Other playback options Auto image rotation (when camera unit attached); multi-frame playback; playback zoom (up to 16x); resize
Interface USB 2.0 (High-Speed) Mini-B connector; Mass Storage*5; AV output (NTSC), HDMI connector (Mini HDMI Type C)
Video signal format NTSC, PAL
Power source DB-90 rechargeable battery (3.6V)
Battery life Refer to camera unit specifications.
Dimensions (W x H x D) 113.9 mm x 70.2 mm x 28.9 mm (excluding projections)
Weight Camera body (excluding battery, memory card, neck strap, and connector cap): 160 g
Battery, neck strap, and connector cap: 66 g
Tripod screw hole 1/4-20UNC
Operating temperature 0 °C to 40 °C
Date storage time Approx. 1 week
Operating humidity 85% or less
Storage temperature -20 °C to 60 °C
*1 A JPEG file is also recorded (the JPEG file may be a fine or normal quality file with the same dimensions as the RAW file or a VGA file). RAW files use the standard DNG format promoted by Adobe Systems Incorporated
*2 Compatible with the Design rule for Camera File system (DCF, a JEITA standard) and DPOF. Full compatibility with other devices is not guaranteed.
*3 Audio: PCM 32 kHz, 16 bit monaural
*4 Flash off.
*5 Mass Storage is supported under Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Vista®, and Mac OS X 10.4-10.5.7.
GR LENS A12 50 mm F2.5 MACRO
Items Specifications
Effective pixels Approximately 12.3 million
Image sensor 23.6 mm x 15.7 mm CMOS (total pixels: approx. 12.9 million)
Lens Focal length 33 mm (35 mm format equivalent: 50mm)
Aperture (f-number) f/2.5 - f/22 (ND filter used for apertures of f/22 in auto shooting mode)
Focus range (from lens) Normal shooting: Approx. 30 cm - infinity
Macro shooting: Approx. 7 cm - infinity (maximum magnification 1/2x)
Construction 9 elements in 8 groups (1 aspherical lens element with 2 surfaces)
Filter size 40.5 mm
Zoom 4.0x digital zoom (3.6x for movies)
5.9x auto resize zoom (VGA)
Focus mode Contrast AF-based multi and spot AF; MF; Snap; infinity (focus lock and AF-assist)
Shutter speed Photographs 180 - 1/3200 s (upper and lower limits vary according to shooting and flash mode)
Movies 1/30 - 1/2000 s
Exposure control Metering TTL-CCD metering in multi (256-segment), center-weighted, and spot modes with autoexposure lock
Mode Program AE, aperture priority AE, manual exposure, shutter priority AE, move target function
Exposure Compensation Manual (+4.0 to -4.0 EV in increments 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV), auto bracketing (-2 EV to +2 EV in increments 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV)
ISO sensitivity (Standard Output Sensitivity) AUTO, AUTO-HI, ISO200/ISO400/ISO800/ISO1600/ISO3200
White balance Auto / Multi-P AUTO / Outdoors / Cloudy / Incandescent Lamp / Fluorescent Lamp / Manual Settings / Detail; white balance Bracketing
Flash Range (built-in flash) Approx. 20 cm - 3.0 m (ISO auto)
Shooting mode Auto / program shift / aperture priority / shutter priority / manual /scene (movie, portrait, sports, landscape, nightscape, skew correction) / "My Settings"
Continuous mode Number of pictures shot in Continuous (Picture Size: RAW) Noise Reduction off or on (Weak): 4 pictures
Noise Reduction on (Strong): 3 pictures
Number of pictures shot in M-Cont Plus (1 set) HI (1280 x 854): 30 pictures (24 Frames/Sec)
LO (4228 x 2848): 15 pictures (3 Frames/Sec)
Picture quality*1 FINE, NORMAL, RAW (DNG)*2
Image size (pixels) Photographs 16:9 4288 x 2416, 3456 x 1944
4:3 3776 x 2832, 3072 x 2304, 2592 x 1944, 2048 x 1536, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480
3:2 4288 x 2848, 3456 x 2304
1:1 2848 x 2848, 2304 x 2304
Movies (24 Frames/Sec) 1280 x 720, 640 x 480, 320 x 240
File size (approx.) RAW 16:9 NORMAL: 17,800 KB/frame, FINE: 19,515 KB/frame, VGA: 15,587 KB/frame
4:3 NORMAL: 18,387 KB/frame, FINE: 20,157 KB/frame, VGA: 16,124 KB/frame
3:2 NORMAL: 20,946 KB/frame, FINE: 22,967 KB/frame, VGA: 18,337 KB/frame
1:1 NORMAL: 13,991 KB/frame, FINE: 15,333 KB/frame, VGA: 12,273 KB/frame
L 16:9 NORMAL: 2,222 KB/frame, FINE: 3,816 KB/frame
4:3 NORMAL: 2,315 KB/frame, FINE: 3,960 KB/frame
3:2 NORMAL: 2,615 KB/frame, FINE: 4,493 KB/frame
1:1 NORMAL: 1,761 KB/frame, FINE: 3,009 KB/frame
M 16:9 NORMAL: 1,475 KB/frame, FINE: 2,509 KB/frame
4:3 NORMAL: 1,574 KB/frame, FINE: 2,662 KB/frame
3:2 NORMAL: 1,744 KB/frame, FINE: 2,968 KB/frame
1:1 NORMAL: 1,186 KB/frame, FINE: 2,003 KB/frame
5M 4:3 FINE: 2,287 KB/frame
3M 4:3 FINE: 1,474 KB/frame
1M 4:3 FINE: 812 KB/frame
VGA 4:3 FINE: 197 KB/frame
Battery life Based on CIPA standard, DB-90: approx. 320 shots*3
Dimensions (W x H x D) Camera unit only: 68.7 mm x 57.9 mm x 71.3 mm (including the lens barrel; Excluding the connector)
When mounted on the camera body: 113.9 mm x 70.2 mm x 77.1 mm (including the lens barrel)
Weight (approx.) Camera unit only: 263 g (not including the lens cap or Connector cap)
When mounted on the camera body: 423 g (not including the Battery, memory card, neck strap, connector cap, or lens cap)
Operating temperature 0 °C to 40 °C
Operating humidity 85% or less
Storage temperature -20 °C to 60 °C
*1 The picture quality modes which can be set vary depending on the image size.
*2 A JPEG file is also recorded (the JPEG file may be a FINE- or NORMAL-quality file with the same dimensions as the RAW file or a VGA file 640 × 480 pixels in size). RAW files use the standard DNG format promoted by Adobe Systems Incorporated.
*3 For reference only; actual number of shots varies greatly according to how camera is used. We recommend that you carry spare batteries when in use for extended periods. (Shooting capacity was measured using CIPA-standard parameters. These are only estimates; performance may vary depending on usage conditions.)
RICOH LENS S10 24-72 mm F2.5-4.4 VC
Item Specifications
Effective pixels Approximately 10.0 million
Image sensor 1/1.7" CCD (total pixels: approx. 10.4 million)
Lens Focal length 5.1 mm - 15.3 mm (35 mm format equivalent: 24-72 mm)
Aperture (F-number) f/2.5 - f/4.4 (T) (wide-open f value)
Focus range (from the front of the lens) Normal shooting: Approx. 30 cm to infinity
Macro shooting: Approx. 1 cm to infinity (wide angle); Approx. 4 cm to infinity (telephoto); approx. 1 cm to infinity (zoom macro)
Construction 11 elements in 7 groups (4 aspherical lens elements with 4 surfaces)
Zoom 3.0 x optical zoom; 4.0 x digital zoom; approx. 5.7 x auto resize zoom (VGA)
Focus mode CCD-based multi and spot AF; MF; Snap; infinity (focus lock and AF-assist)
Camera shake correction function Image sensor shift method image stabilizer
Shutter speed Photographs 180 - 1/2000 s (upper and lower limits vary according to shooting and flash mode)
Movies 1/30 - 1/2000 s
Exposure control Metering TTL-CCD metering in multi (256-segment), center-weighted, and spot modes with autoexposure lock
Mode Program AE, aperture priority AE, manual exposure, shutter priority AE, move target function
Exposure compensation Manual (+4.0 to -4.0 EV in increments 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV), auto bracketing (-2 EV to +2 EV in increments 1/3 EV or 1/2 EV)
ISO sensitivity (Standard Output Sensitivity) Auto, Auto-Hi, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO 3200
White balance Auto / Multi-P AUTO / Outdoors / Cloudy / Incandescent Lamp / Fluorescent Lamp / Manual Settings / Detail; white balance Bracketing
Flash Range (built-in flash) Approx. 20 cm - 4.5 m (wide-angle), Approx. 15 cm -2.7 m (telephoto)
Shooting mode Auto / program shift / aperture priority / shutter priority / manual /scene (movie, portrait, sports, landscape, nightscape, skew correction, zoom macro) / "My Settings"
Continuous mode Number of pictures shot in Continuous (Picture Size: RAW) Noise Reduction off: 5 pictures (under ISO800), 4 pictures (ISO800 and higher); Noise Reduction on (Weak or Strong): 4 pictures
Number of pictures shot in M-Cont Plus (1 set) HI (640 x 480) : 30 pictures (30 Frames/Sec)
LO (3648 x 2736) : 15 pictures (1.6 Frames/Sec)
Picture quality*1 FINE, NORMAL, RAW (DNG)*2
Image size (pixels) Photographs 16:9 3648 x 2048, 3264 x 1840
4:3 3648 x 2736, 3264 x 2448, 2592 x 1944, 2048 x 1536, 1280 x 960, 640 x 480
3:2 3648 x 2432, 3648 x 2176
1:1 2736 x 2736, 2448 x 2448
Movies (30 Frames/Sec) 640 x 480, 320 x 240
File size (approx.) RAW 16:9 NORMAL: 12,923 KB/frame, FINE: 14,160 KB/frame, VGA: 11,347 KB/frame
4:3 NORMAL: 17,202 KB/frame, FINE: 18,854 KB/frame, VGA: 15,096 KB/frame
3:2 NORMAL: 15,311 KB/frame, FINE: 16,779 KB/frame, VGA: 13,439 KB/frame
1:1 NORMAL: 12,956 KB/frame, FINE: 14,195 KB/frame, VGA: 11,377 KB/frame
L 16:9 NORMAL: 1,630 KB/frame, FINE: 2,779 KB/frame
4:3 NORMAL: 2,169 KB/frame, FINE: 3,704 KB/frame
3:2 NORMAL: 1,930 KB/frame, FINE: 3,295 KB/frame
1:1 NORMAL: 1,633 KB/frame, FINE: 2,784 KB/frame
M 16:9 NORMAL: 1,329 KB/frame, FINE: 2,253 KB/frame
4:3 NORMAL: 1,761 KB/frame, FINE: 2,990 KB/frame
3:2 NORMAL: 1,567 KB/frame, FINE: 2,660 KB/frame
1:1 NORMAL: 1,327 KB/frame, FINE: 2,248 KB/frame
5M 4:3 FINE: 2,287 KB/frame
3M 4:3 FINE: 1,474 KB/frame
1M 4:3 FINE: 812 KB/frame
VGA 4:3 FINE: 197 KB/frame
Battery life Based on CIPA standard DB-90: approx. 410 shots )*3
Dimensions (W x H x D) Camera unit only: 68.7 mm x 57.9 mm x 38.6 mm (excluding projections)
When mounted on the camera body: 113.9 mm x 70.2 mm x 44.4 mm (excluding projections)
Weight (approx.) Camera unit only: 161 g (not including the lens cap or connector cap)
When mounted on the camera body: 325 g (not including the battery, memory card, neck strap, connector cap, or lens cap)
Operating temperature 0 °C to 40 °C
Operating humidity 85% or less
Storage temperature -20 °C to 60 °C

Your Comments

Loading comments…