I'm beginning to settle in with the Ricoh GX100 in a way that I never realized with the Canon G7. The following is just a simple photo which highlights a few aspects that make the Ricoh special amongst current compact digital camera offerings. 
The first and perhaps the most significant feature is that the zoom range starts at 24mm (35mm film equivalent), which is the focal length I used here. Second, it gives one access to the RAW file, which I needed in order to bring push the exposure enough to selectively bring out some shadow detail to match the scene as I recalled it. The image stabilization performs well, allowing me to get a blur-free ISO 80 image in this relatively low light. Finally, it is very compact, facilitating the important matter of having the camera present.
As an aside, my family recently moved from Baltimore City out to the Maryland suburbs, very close to this great park which is home (or hunting grounds) for a variety of wildlife including herons, beavers, swans, geese, and eagles. For the first time, I am tempted to get some equipment with true reach. Still not sure whether I should stay compact (eg. Panasonic FZ50) or think about carting around a long lens for the DSLR. If I weren't lugging around two small children with me, it would be a much easier decision!
More GX100 Appreciation
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Posted by Amin
Labels:
Centennial Park,
G7,
GX100,
RAW,
wide angle
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Hi Amin, found you from your posts on dpreview. Nice little blog you have here.
That's a great picture.
A new GX100 is UPSing its way to me right now, and I'm very excited.
What you need to do is think laterally about this problem: the gear, the kids...
The answer is simple. Have the kids carry the gear!
Thanks for the kind comment. Having the kids carry the gear would be a very expensive mistake =). My four-year-old would try to be careful, but his two year old brother breaks stuff as often as he can!
What you need is a well-padded, wheeled bag that the four year old can pull for you. I have a Tamrac one that I use to carry all my gear (sans tripods) when I travel. It's almost indestructible. You may want to padlock the zipper though. :)
hi amin,
found your blog while doing research on compact cameras. it was really helpful
eventually i bought a gx100.
how do u feel using the lcd to review photos taken? I feel like it doesnt give me a good judge... it shows your photos in such a "gorgeous light". besides a let down when i am fiddling around with an absolutely flat picture on my computer. I find it hard to decide whether I need to up/down the exposure etc while taking second shots.
sorry if my camera language is off and if this seems like a stupid question, i am self taught! i usually throw the manual out, but this ricoh is something else.
@mcculloch - That sounds like a great way to go. Thanks for the suggestion!
@anonymous - I've never found any LCD to be a great judge to review photos. The histogram can be helpful, and the LCD is nice in that you can set it to show where highlight info has been clipped. Glad my blog helped you decide on the GX100!