What's Next for the GXR?

[Rog Tallbloke]

Hi Tom,

The Q sensor is a 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) ladies pinky fingernail sized thing. My other half's Canon SX230 uses the same sensor I think. It's a very good BSI-CMOS sensor, which my P10 struggles to match in bright light at the far end of the zoom. (the P10 slightly better under cloud though). But I'd like to see the bigger 1" sensor in a GXR unit, whatever mount is used, because IS could be squeezed in with it I think. The image circle on Q lenses would be too small for that sensor wouldn't it?

The S10 is basically a GX200 lens in a GXR unit. And a very good unit it is, I've bought one. But I can't think of this as a successor to the GX200. It's the same lens and sensor with slightly better exposure control and metering from the GXR body as far as I can tell. The GX300 should be something more like the new Sony RX100 which squeezes a 1" BSI-CMOS sensor and bright lens into a body less than the size of the old GX200. With a hot-shoe and a bigger battery inside a bigger grip, it looks good to me as a worthy GX300. And the same IS module and sensor could be fitted into a GXR unit I would hope.

So which mount would best suit it? The Nikon J1/V1 uses the same size 1" sensor and its lenses are a bit bigger than the Q and a bit smaller than Micro 4/3 lenses. Maybe there is the opportunity for the new range of GR lenses which you spoke of? 'Micro' PK mount?

In the meantime, I may take up your idea of fitting a PK adaptor to an A12 M unit, if I don't get offered an A12 28. Can't afford both at the moment.
Or a bagful of Leica and Zeiss lenses

[MikePenn]

Interesting.

http://photorumors.com/2012/07/13/penta ... s-shuffle/

[streetshooter]

A very smart move would be to make a m4/3 mount. That crowd loves changing lenses. I think enough units would sell to keep Ricoh able to work on other mounts without the fear of financial issues. M4/3 glass is very nice and coupled with the GXR, the unit will sell like hotcakes. The image quality would be superior to anything native in that format.This would bring an entire format of shooters to the GXR.

Then Ricoh could follow thru on whatever they want and be more GXR user specific. The current crop of users have ideas and this would allow Ricoh to develop those ideas.

For me, personally.... I couldn't care less if they ever improve the GXR or add another module. I'm already a very happy camper.

[MikePenn]

Ricoh announced today that they will make compacts and leave the mirrorless and DSLRs to Pentax. What that means for the GXR ? Who knows ? I'm more interested in the next GRD.

[Rog Tallbloke]

Now they have backtracked a bit:
http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/07/17 ... x-compacts
"Pentax Ricoh Imaging has said no decision has yet been made about dropping the Pentax name from compact cameras. Japanese newspaper newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported, in a subscriber-only interview with the company's President Noboru Akahane, that the Pentax name would be used only for DSLRs in a subscriber-only interview. This was then repeated by Japanese blog Digicame.info, prompting much internet speculation about Pentax stopping compact camera production.

We approached the company and were told: 'The article is part of a wider interview where many issues were discussed. The product branding approach highlighted by the article is one option that was discussed but the final decision has not been made.'

However, it does seem likely that Pentax Ricoh will want to create some distinction between its product lines, rather than selling competing mass-market models under different brand names. The Ricoh brand is still fairly strong outside the US, so a move to use the Pentax name for interchangeable lens cameras may well make sense. However, the question of which model lines will continue does not appear to have been discussed, just which brand name would appear on which type of camera."

[Tom Caldwell]

1" sensor seems good, M4/3 mount seems good, Q-mount from GRD or GXR (or both) seems good.

I think we all agree that the Q mount needs a larger sensor.

I agree with Don that I am already a happy camper and in no rush for something radically new.

To get into the 4/3 consortium Ricoh needs to want to make the move and Olympus and Panasonic have to agree. Not sure that even Pentax/Ricoh wants to share a cave with a bear. Ricoh has survived as a camera company by exploiting niche areas. It cleverly stayed out of making their very own dslr and when the bear moved into their GX model's territory Ricoh shut the GX model down perhaps because they didn't want a hug friendly or otherwise. So the theory is that Ricoh will get some M4/3 customers moving over? I am sure that the bear will soon enough find a way to get the business back again. Could get ugly.

They already own a small format mount called the Q mount and it remains to be seen just how large a sensor it will talk to.

Meanwhile a small fixed clip on evf that can be left semi-permanently on camera without worrying on what it might snag next? More buffer, better designed, to allow better continuous shooting? If the buffering needs a new back then consider scrapping the inbuilt flash and replacing it with an evf?

FF sensor - when they are ready, no rush.

Tom

[vincent66]

Any chance to see a 16/18mm equiv. A12/16 GR lensor released ?

[MikePenn]

1" sensor seems good, M4/3 mount seems good, Q-mount from GRD or GXR (or both) seems good.

I think we all agree that the Q mount needs a larger sensor.

I agree with Don that I am already a happy camper and in no rush for something radically new.

To get into the 4/3 consortium Ricoh needs to want to make the move and Olympus and Panasonic have to agree. Not sure that even Pentax/Ricoh wants to share a cave with a bear. Ricoh has survived as a camera company by exploiting niche areas. It cleverly stayed out of making their very own dslr and when the bear moved into their GX model's territory Ricoh shut the GX model down perhaps because they didn't want a hug friendly or otherwise. So the theory is that Ricoh will get some M4/3 customers moving over? I am sure that the bear will soon enough find a way to get the business back again. Could get ugly.

They already own a small format mount called the Q mount and it remains to be seen just how large a sensor it will talk to.

Meanwhile a small fixed clip on evf that can be left semi-permanently on camera without worrying on what it might snag next? More buffer, better designed, to allow better continuous shooting? If the buffering needs a new back then consider scrapping the inbuilt flash and replacing it with an evf?

FF sensor - when they are ready, no rush.

Tom

The 4/3 consortium is in trouble if they can't keep up with Sony, Canon and a couple of others.

[Rog Tallbloke]

The new 16MP 4/3 sensor looks pretty good. Although it might not 'keep up with' APS-C sized sensors, there is an established market for the smaller overall package the use of the smaller sensor enables. The Olympus E-PM1 get in-body image stabilisation into an impressively light package, albeit with minimal external controls.

The GXR M unit already offers the ultimate platform for high lens quality with APS-C sensor size. There is room for a unit which uses the biggest possible sensor *with IS* in my opinion. It makes the handheld use of longer focal lengths feasible at lower ISO values.

[Tom Caldwell]

Radical thought.

The "next" mount module perhaps with image stabilisation? A very first LM mount from anyone with built in IS - should be possible if not "pure" - but whether it is a worthwhile direction to go is another thing.

Tom