Have you ever had a camera that screams at you “I can do it all!.” Well, I believe the Ricoh GR is one of them. I can do portraits, I can document inconspicuously, I can do street photography, what else do I want. Well, I have an idea, in my perfect world, I’d love a 85mm version of the Ricoh GR so I can do strict portraiture but I can’t have it all, though you have to admit, it would be nice. In the meantime, I have a perfectly capable Nikon dslr with a 50mm 1.8G that’s outstanding but I’m open to suggestions. Perhaps moving that part of my kit over to the Pentax-Ricoh side of things if they have something comparable in IQ and lens quality.
Ricoh GR ― Silver Efex & Lightroom
Ledesma Photography 
Love this one. The B&W is gorgeous.
thanks Victor I appreciate it
Wonderful street frame, Jorge!
Thank you Pat, I’m still wrestling with the GR but little by little, I’m taming this bad boy.
Being on a fixed income now as a member of the 47% i need to watch my spending but I am really impressed with what I’m seeing … at some point in time I will need to upgrade my GF1 and this latest edition to the line is tempting me ….
Agreed. Pat, do you have the Panny 20mm 1.7, Oly 17mm 2.8, and the Panny 14mm 2.5?
the 20mm 1.7 it rarely if ever comes off – used it exclusively last Sunday night on The Lower East Side
Ok, then you’re there already. Some of my best images or better said favorites came from the Olympus 17mm 2.8. I loved the bokeh, I loved how it handled manual focusing, just about everything → check this out ― http://goo.gl/HSOc5. I also loved the 14mm 2.5 and let me tell you I loved the Panasonic G2, love it, love it.
as a former IT worker I’m a firm believer in the KISS principle (keep it simple &stupid) and have always considered myself more of a Dead Head than a gear head my other cameras are the NEX7 and the LX3, Lately I’ve been using some of my old Pentax primes with a Voitlander adaptor and getting some good results
Then you don’t need a GR, you’re good, the Nex 7 is an amazing camera. I could trial one I would. The LX3, have you seen this http://wp.me/P2AlGJ-450 I loved the LX series, both 3 and 5. The LX5 is a great camera, I loved mine as well. Its a notch above the LX3 and well worth it even in today’s market. Cool to see that you have some old Pentax primes, I’m a bit of sucker for legacy lenses. As far as Voigtlander, I’m trying to get a 28mm Viewfinder or any kind. I’m not a big viewfinder kind of guy but I’d like to give it a try.
The lens on the LX3 is why I got it.
Its keeper, even today’s market.
If memory serves I shot those strips of my “contact print” with it and tweaked them in Picasa for Mac – simple…
Stunning composition
Thanks James!
It seems you really like the Ricoh GR and for quite a few good reasons too. I’m sure you know that every camera system has its benefits an drawbacks. Ricoh Pentax has some of the most compact cameras around plus weather sealing on most as well. If you are thinking about switching. A K-5II and any of the DA Limiteds will be a very discreet dlsr. As for portrait lenses, either the DA* 55 /1,4, DA LTD 70/2,4, or the FA LTD 77 1,8 stand out as excellent choices for portrait lenses in pentax’s stable of lenses. I had the FA 77 and its spectacular. I really hated selling it. Have a peak at the lens reviews of these lenses and see which one appeals to you most :-). Happy clicking away!
Thanks so much for the mini review. I will most certainly follow up on your leads. I like the idea of weather sealing especially for Miami’s weather. Triple thanks.
A fixed lens camera with a long lens is a rare breed indeed. Tele Rolleiflex comes to mind, and among newer digital ones only Sigma DP3 Merrill. Ricoh GXR has a 50mm equivalent module which could be a suitable compromise and companion to the GR. Shame that it uses a different battery and the EVF is not usable in the GR. But at
least the controls and menu system are quite similar.
Good point Ilkka. I’ve always had a soft spot for the GXR, the fact I can stick an Oly OM 50mm 1.8(one of my favorite legacy lenses) is certainly an attractive feature, although I’d love to have a 50mm effective focal length as well. I remember my days with the little pancake, Canon 40mm 2.8, and it was a ton of fun. Approximately about a 65mm, sharp, and super small.
I’d love to have the 50mm macro as well.
I know right, traditionally I have not much a 50mm shooter but I have to force myself to use that focal length. That’s one of the reason I love the Ricoh Gr, its lock in at 28mm, and luckily for us now, 35mm as well. Its like 2 cameras in one, or actually, 10 cameras, I’ll explain on a later post.
Jorge, you seem to be doing well so far. Don’t fix something that’s not broken.
The YOU is just starting to shine thru the GR……..
Don
Thanks! No, its not broken, its just there, untouched, sitting in the bag and lonely lol. I’m still in that “beginning” period with the GR.