The GR has been with us for a while now and I love it. I still find the GR is my primary go-to camera. Its APS-C sensor yields a sharp, nicely detailed image that is probably enough for my general print sizes - the GR is the best replacement for a film GR1v. Sometimes the GRD IV struggled a bit with Dynamic Range or detail in the harsh light here in Australia and the RAW was called upon, the GR is certainly a welcome improvement in all these areas.
The GR is the culmination of a camera we had been waiting for and I question “do we need more”, but I still would like to ask where to from here for Ricoh and the GR? What will Ricoh call a GR successor? The GR II perhaps? Will this differentiate from the old "GR Digital 2"?
I have been thinking about the GR successor because I've observed a general move in the marketplace to full frame. Firstly the Sony RX1 then the Sony A7 followed by the Nikon Df and even some rumors of a Pentax LX Digital. Will Ricoh move to a full frame for what I will call the GR II?
Some considerations - Will you be happy to accept a likely increase in camera body size or loss of max aperture - I suspect the lens designers may struggle to make a compact lens like the GR has to cover the full frame area, so something may have to give, like max aperture. The dimensions of the current GR is about the same as the GR1v. Note that the Sony RX1 with its F2 lens is not exactly compact. A full frame sensor is a different beast and behaves differently, with less depth of field compared to the APS-C GR which in turn has less than the small GRD IV sensor. Street photographers likely will find a full frame GR II somewhat different to work with.
Price - The full frame sensor will cost more to make, but increased sales tend to bring prices down. Nonetheless, will you be prepared to pay even more for a full frame GR II, I will.
My thoughts. I would like to see a FF GR II but again so long as the size is not compromised too much - however I will not be disappointed to see an upgraded APS-C version either. I'd rather lose aperture on the lens than physical camera size. I would also like to see a native 21mm full frame version


Your thoughts?
