Hi Matti, you're so relaxed in the warm environment. As an old (really old) film shooter I now only shoot jpeg and have tended toward classic chrome but with some small modifications of my own to tone it down just a little. I find the muted colour palette of your photos is quite refreshing and very appealing. It's also really interesting to compare your photos with Robin's super colourful shots from the same locations. Excellent thoughtful video, thanks.
I have a lot of .JPG Files!!! It is too bad that .JPG gets a bad rep. from most influence-rs :( :( :( There is a LOT of INFORMATION that can be modified (EDITED) in a .JPG file !!!!!!!! I know a group of people that have had Amazing Results!!!!!!!!!!! Maybe not for pro photogs. but You are not talking to pros. most of the time.......................
I hope Ricoh / Pentax start a line of new mirrorless cameras. I know it's a kind of impossible, but it would be nice. They have the experience, the optical designs, the JPEG treatment, the great build cameras like Pentax DSLR, and the things that they don't have then they can buy like the video AF algorithm, even the mount, like using the Z mount or L mount. Or maybe a new mount that allow MF (44x33mm), FF, and APSC with very small flange distance. A bit of wishful thinking but it would be great.
Pentax should just keep the K-Mount and work with it. They can still make a mirrorless camera with K-Mount or a SLT like Sony A-Mount cameras and they can make a film camera also. Best part all the lens work no matter what camera you have.
Fuji definitely enjoys the the well earned film simulation niche leadership. And the world of Fuji user developed "recipes" is unsurpassed. I sometimes wonder why Fuji doesn't have pleasing dedicated digital color profile that doesn't emulate an old film stock. Rather like the monochrom profile.
Well, I'm 70, and dislike software. I'd rather ride my bike to the gym and back, or ride 15 miles to the next town for coffee. My favorite shooter is an iPhone 12, Vibrant, add contrast, sometimes decrease exposure instead of adding contrast. Simple. 🙂I do like the idea of a Ricoh GR3X, but $900 for a camera with a lens that motors outward at ON would probably fail after one year in my travels.
I’m an old film shooter & it always makes me cringe a little, when someone passes on the GR3 because of the dust on the sensor issue. When I shot film, the thing I hated most, was touching up prints. Having to use ink & a brush & trying to match shade & tone was an art of its own & not one I was ever good at. I always ended up making a more noticeable blob than the dust 😂 I feel like once a more convenient technology comes out, we just expect it always & forget about our own knowledge of the past. Sure, I get it, it’s a $1000 camera & shouldn’t have this issue. Ricoh is a terrible corporation for not covering the cost to clean customer’s sensors & fixing it on future iterations. With that being said, don’t miss out on an amazing camera that provides gorgeous image files, just because you’ll have to click a mouse 3 more times…on some of your images, 90% of them won’t show it.
I agree. There's a place, time and purpose for RAW while JPG's do offer a sense of unshackling freedom. I always shoot RAW with my Olympus or Fuji systems...however I only shoot JPG's with my Ricoh GRIII. I love Ricoh's superb high contrast black and white modes - especially on bright sunny days I'll implement highlight weighted metering with high contrast blkwhte and wow. I treat my GR like I do a snap film camera. With practice you can get incredible results SOOC. The Positive Film simulation is no slouch either ;-)
Iʻve always thought to myself: if the gr series gets an updated f/2 aperture, it would be my grail document camera. I have the griiix and have been loving it. just wish it had an f/2!
@@fatherhooding That's because the GR Digital III has a tiny 1/1.7 inch sensor. The GR3 has a large APS-C sensor and a high quality F2 lens would be quite big.
The new color available in the Ricoh is very good, but I don't think it rivals Fuji for the primary reason Fuji film simulations aren't limited to one fixed lens.
Sorry, but IMO X-trans sensors are difficult to beat. The colors, greens in particular, and the film's look are unique. Anyway I like my GRIII almost as much as my Fujis, and in post-processing I can get similar results.
The luminosity in the shadows is just lovely, but without that godawful brightness you'd get with HDR. There's a nice cut-off for the shadows, but they aren't flat, either. And the gradations of colors in those stone walls are nice and subtle. Still obsessed with this camera, ever since trying one out a month ago. Purchase seems far off, but if I can find a good deal on the 40mm, I am dead set on getting one.
Matti, go ahead and let your "inner JPEG shooter" out to explore the possibilities; it is OK. ; - ) As an enthusiast that started in the film era, I can see where the Negative Film image control would appeal to you. It reminds me of the family pictures my mom captured with her Kodak Brownie camera from the 1950s and 1960s. I shot Kodak, Olympus, Minolta and Nikon in the film days. In the digital era I shoot Nikon and Olympus and prefer to shoot JPEG with an emphasis on fine tuning picture control settings before releasing the shutter. My inspiration for my style of JPEG shooting has been Gordon Laing with his book, . JPEGs from both Nikon and Olympus satisfy my tastes nicely. All the very best, Gordon
I tend to agree Gordon. Nothing wrong with JPEGs! I usually shoot RAW+JPEG and more times than not I use the JPEG from both Fuji and Ricoh's simulations depending on which camera I'm using. At this stage I really like the GR's Positive Film and High Contrast B&W profiles but am growing into the Negative Film with its muted look. I'm also a fan of Gordon Laing btw!
I switched to ricoh after my X70 died a few months ago. I've been with Fujifilm for about 7 years, and I was surprised by how much nicer the jpeg results are with Ricoh. I am considering selling my main body and XF lenses now too. 😂
Thanks. I though I had not tweaked it, but now after double checking, I realized I have done some minimal adjustments. High/Low Key +1, Contrast +1 and Contrast (Shadow -1).
That answers the question I was going to raise. So many commentators on this subject add their own “recipes” to the manufacturers jpeg profile and it has always seemed more “faf” to me to try out the numerous recipes suggested than jus to stick to editing the raw files.
When playing golf with my friends, the "Retro" JPEG profile produces a nostalgic look that I really like. Otherwise, I change it up depending on light, and what look I'm trying to get. I love my GR3x. It goes everywhere with me. Half of all the images I make, come from the Ricoh.
For me it is Pentax and it's Satobi, Miyabi and customized for my needs Bleach Bypass. I am JPEG shooter and Pentax colors suit my needs perfectly, though some Fuji colors are also great. I wonder how images from Foveon sensor would look like, but I am not rich enough to by Sigma camera :) And great photos. I always need to fight the urge to buy GR III each time I see someone showing photos from each. I know, it is about skill not the camera, but this small body is really attractive.
Ooof. I don’t know about that. I had the Ricoh Gr3 for a while and I just didn’t care for it beyond it’s extremely small footprint. It was a cool little camera but I was happy to sell it off and get some funds back to put elsewhere. I have a hard time finding color profiles with Fuji that I don’t really like. Ha
Hey Matti!! Glad to see you shot RAW + Jpeg for a change hehehe... Regarding your now favorite color profile, it is a good profile because your photos looked great. I think that negative film for Ricoh cameras, does resemble a lot like Fuji's classic chrome. It shows a lot of Muted colour's for sure. My personal favorite is Fuji' standard or provia, but to be honest, I think modern-day All the best for Jnana
I like more "subdued, muted" colours, as you put it. I like the the Olympus Bleach Bypass II for some shots. I shoot jpeg + raw, so if the camera doesn't get it right, I have a chance at editing the raw file after.
Great video, Matti! One reason I refuse to give up my Pentax K3ii is the Ricoh/Pentax color scheme. SOOC images are very good in that line. As i gradually learn Olympus/OMD, I am a huge fan of that color system SOOC images. I’m shooting far less RAW now and saving hours of post work. Granted my opinions are not for professional purposes anymore. My color profiles experiments include Kodachrome 64, Astia 100, and my winning choices include B&W Tri-X, Agfa 100! Fwiw, I’m aspiring to Kodak Tech Pan goal in progress. In some respects I’ve found that learning JPEG is sufficient for my uses, and Olympus LSF setting gives a sufficient file, saves time & power, and is pleasing. Thank you for shining a light on the Ricoh GR qualities!
yeah Olympus colors are really nice. I have a couple of pseudo-film profiles in Lightroom on hand, but I also have one that just applies the tone curve profile i use in each of them since sometimes it feels wrong to mess with the Olympus colors
Yes, I do street photography always in jpg (saving time editing) in my business-hobby (photo-walks) principally with two cameras: one Fujifilm X70 most of the time in chrome classic simulation; and the Olympus Pen F, with cooking in camera recipes of Kodachrome, Tri-x and Fujifilm simulations that I like so much. Saludos from Mexico City.
I’m likewise a big fan of Negative Film. I got my GR3 before the release of that profile, and never really got on with the JPEGs, despite initially thinking Positive Film would be the profile I’d naturally gravitate towards. Couldn’t ever find the right combination of settings to make it look nice, alas. But Negative Film is exactly what I had been missing. I’m also a Fuji (X-Pro3) shooter, and their Classic Negative has long been a favourite of mine (closely followed by Classic Chrome and Astia). Ricoh’s Negative Film has a lot in common with Fuji’s Classic Negative, but imo it’s a bit less heavy-handed, and therefore usable in a wider variety of conditions. That’s got me thinking now, maybe a blend of Classic Negative and Classic Chrome would be the perfect Fuji profile…
I must admit Fuji is my favourite as I have many cameras just love the colour from Fuji in the old day I only use Fuji film instead og Kodak Planing to buy another Fuji Fuji pro
I am not surprised you find the GR's colours better (though of course that is subjective). I shoot both Pentax DSLR and Fuji cameras. I have not shot a GR, but if it is anything like the Pentax, the various colour profiles are almost infinitely customizable to suit one's own particular taste. It is one of the main reasons I have stuck with Pentax over the years (that and loving old K mount glass and a real optical viewfinder). I do much prefer my Fuji cameras for B&W though and I do find them better in artificial lighting, but for most of the time, if I am shooting colour I want to use my Pentax gear.
@Martin - I will say I love both JPEG engines. The Ricoh GR's JPEG engine is fantastically flexible and can do *a lot* more than one thinks at first. Also Kudos to Ricoh for having what seems to be the one and only raw-> jpeg converter that supports fixing tilt. I have not seen that elsewhere (GRIII/GRIIIx). What Fuji is doing well is they allow film grin simulation on color JPEGS and their "chrome/chrome blue" settings.
I shoot Raw plus jpeg with Olympus and Lumix. For the jpegs I use the natural colour profile and it looks good enough for me. Since I shoot only for myself, it’s really not that important.
Hi Matti, I agree, RAW ist the better Format, but with the GR and the jpg profiles I paint with light - the results are so awesome and the process is so easy like the GR itself. Thank you for your video!
Hi Matti, there is another reason for raws. And this one is not entirely insignificant: advances in image processing software. I can denoise and process images (raws) better today with DxO or Topaz than was possible, say, 10 years ago at the time of creation. And the images are much better to develop than with a JPG out of camera.
I'm new to photography but seems very similar to audio tape plugins people are obsessed with... I recorded back in the tape days, I'm 100percent digital and have been for over 20 years... I love the flexibility of Raw over JPEG even if it's just a tiny tweak of color or shadow... like you said it only takes a few seconds or minutes and only the keepers anyway!
I have owned three Fuji cameras and now on the Rico GR3 I find the color in the Rico to be much better than Fuji I also think the color on the Rico holds up better on the difficult light where Fuji color tends to get waxy
I'm sure you'll always find one😀 Take a look at your photo archive and see what was your most used lens. Use that info to determine whether you should go for 28 or 40.
Also, keep in mind its not really 40mm lens, its a 40mm equivalent. I usually shoot Pentax with a 43mm and thought this camera would be a dream, but now in reality I'm shooting 1:1 ratio just to get close to what im used to. In Pentax terms, the iiix is closer to the 21mm lens.
I’m always interested in new cameras and their potential for photography. I really appreciate your detailed review of these Ricoh cameras. Although I’ve know about these cameras for sometime, I’ve never heard a detailed review. Well done 👍📷😎
Do the Ricoh cameras allow adjustments to the negative film or other color profiles in camera before image capture? If so have you done that? If so and you have not, that process and experience would make an interesting video.
But if you go that extra step surely logic then means you probably need to make different adjustments for many different shooting scenarios which perhaps defeats the purpose of simplifying the process by shooting JPEG’s and you may as well shoot raw and adjust in post processing?
Hi Matt interesting video for this gr3. True that colors are quite good but not sure I will swap my Fuji … 1200 euros new with a fixed lens is rather expensive and for this price you have a used xt2 with a far more versatile but excellent zoom 18-55 … and the film simulation from Fuji that I find really amazing. So good review , probably good camera but for me highly too expensive. Sony Canon and Fuji with their supremacy on digital high end may put the price they want. I am afraid that Ricoh needs to reconquer people to their brand so 800€ should be more adequate.
Thanks for your thoughts. Sure, you can have many cameras for the price of the GR, but those cameras are for other purpose. The GR is for a certain group of photographers and it's not meant to please everyone.
Pity it's more of a phone than a camera, its bloody expensive for a "camera" without a viewfinder, it seems to gather dust on the sensor etc etc. Go IPhone model xxxx!
