Comments about Ricoh Ricoh GXR Interchangeable Unit Body with GR LENS A12 50mm F2.5 MACRO Camera Unit, 12 Megapixel:

This is a correction to the review I made recently in which I griped about the Snap Focus feature. Yesterday I accidently discovered that the Function 2 part of the directional pad on the back of the camera body is pre-programmed for Snap Focus. And, I remembered pressing it a few times by mistake (once with gloves on) and, thus, inadvertently activating Snap Focus. I plan to assign another function to this part of the pad. So, if there's something to be learned here it's: get to know the controls well and be careful in using them. I'm keeping the star rating the same for the product.

Comments about Ricoh Ricoh GXR Interchangeable Unit Body with GR LENS A12 50mm F2.5 MACRO Camera Unit, 12 Megapixel:

I needed a compact, high quality camera to carry on my travel assignments. My D300 and lenses are sometimes just too bulky and heavy to take with me. So, without ever having a GXR in my hands, I ordered this combo from Adorama and was extremely pleased with how well it handled and with the superb images it captures. Prior to this I read as much as I could online, and checked out GXR user forums for info and sample images. The attached images were made on my first full day with the camera. For the most part it was a sunny, but windy day, and all images were handheld. The image of the artist, however, was made in cloudy light (WB on "cloudy"). No adjustments were made to these Jpegs, except to resize them for this review. I agree with the first reviewer that it does take a little while to get used to the camera's operation, but after that, using it becomes second nature. My only gripe is that Ricoh added what I call a "dummy" feature of Snap Focus, which consists of a number of preset focus points in place of AF or MF. For some odd reason, I find the camera occasionally gets off my chosen AF or MF setting and locks on to this idiotic Snap Focus. If I'm not keeping an eye on what focus mode the camera is in, I sometimes end up with out of focus images because Snap Focus popped in. I wish this could be effectively disabled. I also updated the firmware to the latest addition and all of the problems I read about (like slow AF, etc.) seem to have been rectified. Perhaps they'll fix my problem with the next update. All in all, it's a pretty amazing camera with this lens unit. I'm betting that it will be giving the Leica X1 a good run for the money.

Comments about Ricoh Ricoh GXR Interchangeable Unit Body with GR LENS A12 50mm F2.5 MACRO Camera Unit, 12 Megapixel:

The GXR is a beautiful camera with a wonderful feel. It is very well balanced and proportioned. No, it doesn't slide in your shirt pocket, after using it for a week, you'll be glad it doesn't. I carry mine on my shoulder and barely know it's there, it is always ready for use.

This camera isn't perfect, it's just very good.... The auto focus gets a certain amount of criticism. It hasn't been a problem for me, the camera offers some features such as snap focus or manual zone focus that (with the coming wide angle lens in particular) allow plenty of good things to happen. The focussing seemed a bit of a conscious effort for the first day, that's all.

Image quality is very fine. Good enough that I have had people asking me if I got a new camera for my last trip. That was a function of its inherent image quality as a camera with a large sensor. It was also reflective of the camera being quite enjoyable to use.

So, the camera is beautifully made. The layout of controls and user interface are excellent. This is not however intended to be a camera (the A-12) for the casual user, in my opinion. Expect to need to read the manual and play around with it for a couple of days. You will find a couple of ways to set it up so it works for you That is not what I normally enjoy doing, with the GXR, it was a pleasant experience. After you learn it; the camera is designed to let it get out of your way, enjoy what your doing and make photographs.

If you like the Konica Hexar, Mamaiya7, Contax G2, Fuji 6x7 etc, you will be quick to like this camera.