Ricoh GXR

The Ricoh GXR ($349 list, body only) is a throwback to a bygone era. Its interchangeable sensor concept harkens back to a day when all cameras had them?we just called it film. You could trade out a roll to best suit your needs. Shooting an event in available light? Best to reach for a high speed stock like Superia 1600. Going for shallow depth of field on a bright day? Kodachrome 25 will do nicely. While it's not practical to remove an image sensor as you would a spent roll of film, Ricoh came up with a solution: a sealed, modular lens module that contains both an optic and sensor. The addition of a Leica M mount sensor module has turned the GXR into a camera that should excite enthusiasts?but it does lack some of the more consumer friendly features found in the camera that remains our Editors' Choice for compact interchangeable lens cameras, the Sony Alpha NEX-C3 ($649.99 with lens, 4.5 stars).

Lens Modules, Design, and Features
I tested the GXR with along with three of the available modules?the GR Lens A12 50mm F2.5 Macro, the GR Lens A12 28mm F2.5, and the GXR Mount A12. Each of these modules uses a 12-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor and sells for $649?making the GXR a rather expensive proposition if you'd like to have more than one module in your gear bag. Serious photography can be an expensive hobby, and if you choose to add the VF-2 External LCD Viewfinder ($219 list) the cost of the system continues to mount.

Ricoh also offers three modules with zoom lenses. The GR Lens S10 24-72mm F2.5-4.4 VC ($329 list) is a 10-megapixel unit with a 1/1.7-inch CCD image sensor, the same size that is found in nicer point-and-shoot cameras like our Editors' Choice Canon PowerShot S100 ($429.99, 4.5 stars). If you're looking for a longer zoom, the GR Lens P10 28-300mm F3.5-5.6 VC ($249 list) uses a 10-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor that is equal in size to the one found in almost every consumer point-and-shoot camera. Finally, the GR Lens A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 ($599 list) is a 16-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with a zoom lens attached. As sensor sizes do vary, Ricoh identifies each module using its 35mm equivalent focal length to avoid confusion.

Depending on what lens you have installed, the GXR is a pretty compact camera. It measures 2.8 by 4.5 by 1.5 inches (HWD) and weighs 5.6 ounces. Adding a lens only adds to the depth, although the modules can be heavier than the camera?the 50mm Macro weighs 9.3 ounces by itself, bringing the total to 14.9 ounces. To compare, the Sony Alpha NEX-5N ($699.99 with lens, 4.5 stars) weighs 14.2 ounces with its standard zoom lens and its body is slightly smaller at 2.3 by 4.4 by 1.5 inches.

The camera's body features magnesium alloy construction and a discrete black finish. An integrated front handgrip and rear thumb grip give it a comfortable feel. The most commonly used controls, the Shutter and Control Wheel, are located on the top right of the camera, right near where your index finger rests when holding the camera. There's also a top-mounted Mode Dial, although adjusting that requires two fingers?you'll need to hold a button down while turning it. This prevents you from changing modes accidentally, but can slow you down a bit when shooting.

Rear controls include a standard four-way directional Pad that can be customized, a Macro button, a Self Timer button, an adjustment lever, a Flash control button, and a button to toggle between the rear LCD and the optional LCD viewfinder. There's also a Direct button, which?brings up an on-screen display that gives you quick access to many common shooting settings, including lens aperture, ISO, White Balance, and the Metering mode. The camera also has a Menu button that takes you to a dedicated menu screen. It offers several pages of options that can be adjusted, presented as clear white text on a black background.

The GXR's rear LCD is 3 inches in size and features a very sharp 920k-dot resolution. It is bright and and crisp, making it a pleasure to use for image framing and review. However, it is fixed?so you won't be abe to use it at waist-level like you can with a camera like the Olympus PEN E-PL3 ($699.99 with lens, 3.5 stars), which features a tilting rear LCD. You also get a built-in pop-up flash and a standard hot shoe with an accessory port.

The hot shoe is used to add the optional LCD Electronic Viewfinder, which is a quite useful add-on for shooters who prefer to work with the camera at eye-level. This is especially useful if you opt for the A12 Mount module, as you'll be required to manually focus lenses. The camera supports Focus Peaking, a visual aid that highlights the in-focus parts of an image to allow for quicker, more accurate manual focus. The EVF, which uses LCD technology, isn't quite as sharp or crisp as the optional FDAEV1S Electronic Viewfinder ($349.95), which can be added to the Sony NEX-5N. That camera also supports Focus Peaking, but its OLED finder is faster to refresh and packs two and a half times the pixels than the GXR's 920k-dot EVF.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/2W3WUJoRu0U/0,2817,2401858,00.asp

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