KAP Cameras
Contemporary KAPpers use cameras ranging from single use film cheapies to Digital SLRs. Use this category to tell us what you use and why or to pose questions on matters photographic.
Ricoh GR - APS-C - fixed 28mm equivalent - intervalometer
The new Ricoh GR looks interesting:
Big sensor (full APS-C), very good 28mm f2.8 lens, intervalometer, 245g (8.64 oz) with battery and card.
The sensor is 8 times bigger than earlier Ricoh GRD models, but the camera is not much bigger or heavier.
The MY1-3 controls enable you switch immediately to your KAP settings.
The GR has the Pentax Time and Aperture priority mode (TAv) where you can set both shutter speed and aperture and the camera automatically adjust the ISO. This sounds like a useful KAP option.
At f2.8 the corner performance destroys the heavier Nikon Coolpix A (more expensive & no intervalometer):
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/ricoh-gr/5
Spec. comparison with Nikon Coolpix A:
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=nikon_cpa&products=ricoh_gr
The only potential disadvantage I can see is the lack of anti-aliasing filter. Urban Kappers are going to have a problem with the moire fringing (roof tiles and bricks etc). It might be easy enough to remove in raw processing.
Note: Max shutter speed wide open is 1/2000, as you stop down it increases to 1/4000 at f5.6 and smaller apertures.
Big sensor (full APS-C), very good 28mm f2.8 lens, intervalometer, 245g (8.64 oz) with battery and card.
The sensor is 8 times bigger than earlier Ricoh GRD models, but the camera is not much bigger or heavier.
The MY1-3 controls enable you switch immediately to your KAP settings.
The GR has the Pentax Time and Aperture priority mode (TAv) where you can set both shutter speed and aperture and the camera automatically adjust the ISO. This sounds like a useful KAP option.
At f2.8 the corner performance destroys the heavier Nikon Coolpix A (more expensive & no intervalometer):
http://www.dpreview.com/previews/ricoh-gr/5
Spec. comparison with Nikon Coolpix A:
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=nikon_cpa&products=ricoh_gr
The only potential disadvantage I can see is the lack of anti-aliasing filter. Urban Kappers are going to have a problem with the moire fringing (roof tiles and bricks etc). It might be easy enough to remove in raw processing.
Note: Max shutter speed wide open is 1/2000, as you stop down it increases to 1/4000 at f5.6 and smaller apertures.
Comments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3lS_Ldx7Fs&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Menus:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvzHmz3Y1us&feature=youtu.be
Review conclusions:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2417768,00.asp
Here's another YouTube review:
"Ports on the Ricoh GR include a combined USB 2.0 High Speed and NTSC / PAL-compatible standard-definition audio/video connector, and a Type-D Micro HDMI high-definition video output. The latter allows output at 1080p, 720p, or 480p resolution, selected automatically or manually. The combined USB / AV port, meanwhile, is also compatible with Ricoh's CA-2 cable release."
The above quote is from this review that also includes a photo of the outputs:
http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/ricoh-gr/ricoh-grA.HTM
It means a proprietary USB cable (also used for charging), but at least you should be able to easily fit a video downlink without the the HDMI conversion misery that occurs with the Sony NEX cameras.
Battery life is great with everything turned off: all sounds, LCD screen. I have shot upwards of 1000 frames on a single battery, and that is with a 16 MP APS-C sensor shooting at the highest resolution. The reviews Tony posted above are great and I am impressed so far. Camera is still new but I love what I am seeing on my computer screen, much to learn and try, let's go fly some more.
Have you tried the Time and Aperture priority mode (TAv), where the camera changes the ISO automatically and shutter speed and aperture are fixed by you. I'm really curious about that, can you set ISO limits?
Yes, hi res jpg is what I was shooting. My first KAP camera was a Pentax Optio A20 and I used to shoot 35mm film using a Pentax so I am very familiar with the TAv mode. When the Ricoh GR arrived I setup MY1 in TAv mode with a max of 1600 ISO before even shooting a single picture with the camera. I took it out of the box, popped the battery into the charger, my GX200 charger which charges the DB-60 is compatible with the DB-65 of the GR and set the camera up. Very first shot taken by the camera was on the line under a Dopero, and up she went.
Yes, you can set limits to the ISO when using TAv mode. It is amazing how much customization you can do with this camera. I have been reading every review I can for the last couple of months and so am fairly familiar with the camera and what it can do. Having used the GX200 for the last couple of years has really helped with the new camera. You can set the ISO limits and then even determine for each ISO setting how much noise correction to automatically dial in. The one feature that I noticed right away that I really like is the way in which the menu settings remember the last thing you set and go straight there. Being able to turn the sound off, the preview off, and the LCD off all dramatically help conserve power.
In the reviews I read before making the purchase RAW write time lag was a concern but in a recent review from Europe I read that there is virtually no lag time for writing RAW files. I have yet to test that and will do so soon, you want to know the results? Yours on order yet?
I also don't believe battery life would be an issue. Assuming you're shooting RAW only (vs. RAW+JPG), you're trading power to write the RAW image to the card vs. CPU processing power to convert it to JPG.
Post some KAP results!
I’ve been closely following this discussion and would like to thank you and Tony for bringing us all up to speed on this new toy. The reviews discuss the USB port for AV (PAL or NTSC) and also shutter release via the CA-2. Are you able to determine if these two functions (remote shutter and video downlink) are available simultaneously from the USB port and if this would require a special connector like Canon S90? It’s hard to tell from the pictures I’ve seen whether the USB connector is a standard mini (most cameras); or standard micro which is even smaller; or a special connector like the Canon S90 which has several more pins than the standard mini USB.
Al
I am using Scandisk Extreme Class 10 cards in my cameras, but thanks for the note on the Lexar, 95MB/s - Wow!
skysnaps99
I will check your question out and see if I can provide you with an answer.
Here is a shot kaptured last night using the new GR
For RC use gentWIRE-USB and for autoKAP use clickPAN-USB
are available for cameras that support both CA-1 and CA-2.
These products (and any that use the USB as a remote interface) effectively stop use of the USB port for video since getting cables that do "both" is difficult - the hdmi port is still available...
James
hqasm - thanks for the CA-1 reference, here is another one http://ostro.ced.berkeley.edu/~crisr/discuss/comments.php?DiscussionID=3972 which provides some insight into a similar problem on the Ricoh CX5.
As far as I can determine the USB port on the Ricoh GR is the 8 pin UC-E6. This connector is used for multiple purposes including battery charging, AV out and shutter control in. To find out if AV and shutter control can be used simultaneously we would need to plug in a cable with all 8 pins connected but so far I haven’t found one on the web. As James points out getting cables to do both is difficult. I have the CA-2 shutter release switch but only 5 of the 8 pins are connected. The plot thickens....................
Al
I have taken pictures under varying conditions and settings and have posted them to flickr for those who wish to see what the camera can do in the air. I have created a Ricoh GR set for those who want to take a look. Here is the set:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kapmalman/sets/72157634183743308/
skysnaps99 I have done some research on your question regarding the USB port but do not have an answer for you, do you want some photographs of the port?
Mine's now on order so don't worry about following up on the USB port issues as I'll be able to investigate the video output and shutter control capabilities and post the results soon I hope.
Al
GR would be a good kap camera, but usb triggering doen't seem effective: Pentax/Ricoh support in France informed that the Gr has no remote triggering option.
Surprising ! after the - very - long story of Ricoh remote control tradition.
I suppose it is also possible to use the built-in intervalometer for triggering and a video downlink via the USB on either an RC rig or an auto-rig. With big memory cards available at lower prices this seems a reasonable option. I do this sometimes with my Sony NEX and a gentLED-AUTO intervalometer and the results are usually the same as when I trigger the camera myself.
As far as I can determine the USB socket on the camera has 8 pins. Some of these are dedicated to the Ricoh CA-2 cable release and others to the Ricoh AV-1 audio/video cable. I have both of these products and can verify that each uses a different set of pins on the USB connector as shown for the Ricoh CX5 in my June 14 posting above.
Tony – I believe that you are right; the gentWire-USB should be OK for remote triggering. As long as the AV video out operates in “shoot” mode as well as “playback” mode; then it may be possible to use a new 8 pin UC-E6 plug with the CA-2 pins connected to the gentWire and the AV-1 pins connected to the video downlink transmitter. If all goes well this would provide remote shutter control and video downlink simultaneously. Here’s hoping!
Al
Al
Peter
Definitely on my wish list.
The GR data is lacking in a few spots, Flash modes, Scene modes, Orientation sensor to name a few. Ricoh has come close to the full frame Sonys in quite a few areas other than the sensor size, which is the biggest on the list after the full frames! The Sony Nex 5 and 7 weights are body only I believe and do not include lens weight.
Here is the mix with the Ricoh GR thrown in:
http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/side-by-side?products=ricoh_gr&products=canon_s100&products=sony_nex5&products=sony_nex7&products=sony_dscrx1&products=sony_dscrx1r&sortDir=ascending
http://www.adorama.com/IBYCGAS005.html
During the past few weeks while I waited for the cable to arrive I’ve built a new rig, purpose built for the GR, aiming for the lowest weight possible. It’s a 2.4 Ghz RC rig with 3 servos covering pan, tilt and twist as well as allowing for portrait orientation. The live video is transmitted at 5.8Ghz using a tiny ground plane antenna. The all up weigh of camera and rig is 462 grams and with the Picavet attached it weighs in right on 500 grams.
It’s winter here now and it’s been raining on and off over the weekends but as soon as the weather improves I’ll be out with the kite to test things out. Hope to post some photos in the coming weeks.
Al