After discovering sensor dust in his Ricoh GX100 for the third time this year, Serious Compacts contributor Wouter Brandsma has posted an open letter to Ricoh on his blog. At this point, I think that Ricoh ought to offer a replacement for Wouter's GX100. The best thing for Ricoh would be to replace it with a GX200. Through his wonderful photos on his blog, on Flickr, and in the GetDPI forums, Wouter has influenced many people to buy the GX100. His GX100 thread in the GetDPI forums should be required reading for anyone considering the camera. I can think of no one better to represent the capabilities of the GX200.

PhotographyBlog published their Ricoh GX200 review. You can read it here.
They really liked the camera and gave it a "Highly Recommended" rating although also point out that noise becomes a problem when using ISO 400 or higher.

TrustedReviews today posted the first review of the new Ricoh GX200. They are impressed with the build quality and features. But, according to TrustedReviews the GX200 is a bit of a mixed bag. At lower ISO's in good light it can produce good looking images (jpegs), but from ISO 400 image noise spoils the pictures. You can read the entire review here.

Today, Ricoh announced the successor to the GX100. It is unsurprisingly called GX200 and boasts some interesting new features. It now has a RAW buffer, the electronic leveler from the GRD II and also records RAW in the 1:1 format.

Features:
- 12MP 1/1.7" CCD with a new "Smooth Engine III"
- 2.7" 460k-pixel LCD
- 1:1 RAW and RAW buffer that allows 5 successive RAW shots in continuous or bracketing mode
- Electronic leveler and sensor orientation
- Mode dial has now MY 1, MY 2 and MY 3 for quick changes to user settings
- In addition to the FN1 there is now and FN2 button that is user programmable
- Flash compensation has been added (+/- 2EV)
- Automatic dynamic range correction for high contrast scenes
- New b&w color filters and color bracketing option
- In-camera white balance correction
- A new 135mm tele adapter (TC-1) lens and a new optional automatic lens cap (LC-1) that allows the camera to start without removing it. Both accessories will also fit on the GX-100 from the looks of it.

All other specs should be identical to the GX100.

Addendum:
PhotographyBLOG has 36 full-res in-camera JPEG and six RAW (DNG) format GX200 image samples for download.

Addendum:
Discussion of the GX200 ongoing in our discussion area.

In the previous post, I compared the bokeh produced by the Olympus ZD 25mm f/2.8 prime to that rendered by the Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 when both lenses were used with the same depth of field, framing, perspective, and output size. Given that the ZD 25mm lens was used on an E-420 and the EF 50mm lens on a 5D, this meant stopping down the Canon by two stops relative to the Olympus in each case. In response to the post, I received a request to also share comparison images from the Canon lens used at f/1.4 and f/2.8. For equal perspective, framing, and magnification, these Canon f-numbers correspond to a more shallow depth of field than the Olympus can produce with this particular lens. While I don't think this test is as useful to those interested in understanding how the different lenses draw the same picture differently, it may be helpful in understanding the relative differences in depth of field between the two formats.

In each comparison below, the aperture used is indicated on the images. Click on each image to view at the intended viewing size, then use your browser "Back" button to return. Some browser/display combinations will require two clicks to get to the intended viewing size.


Here is the Canon at f/1.4 and f/2:

Both cameras at f/2.8:

Both at f/4:

Both at f/5.6:

Additional comparisons at matched f-numbers:

This content has been moved to the new SeriousCompacts.com.

Click here to go to the new location

Carl Rytterfalk has posted a great review of Sigma's close-up lens attachment for the DP1. Check it out here.

With Photokina coming in September, there are many questions about what we might see from Leica this year. Will there be a Digital CL? D-LUX 4? R10? Autofocus R system? Leica version of the Olympus E-3? M9? More lenses?

A regular in the Leica Camera Forum has some of the answers, apparently straight from Stefan Daniel (product manager for the M System since 1998). Learn more here.

Source: s w i t t e r s , Serious Compacts Discussion

"Serious enough to sell your DSLR and make your SC your only camera?..."

Read on and discuss in our discussion area.

Source: Tim Ashley, Open Photography Forums

Following Michael Reichmann's recommendation of the Sony DCS W300 over at Luminous Landscape, I picked one up today (cheap, too, at about £220) and added it to my unsatisfying stable of carry-everywhere cameras. Currently that's a Ricoh GRDII and a Sigma DP1, plus a Panny LX2 that lives on a shelf.

The Sony is REALLY not my sort of thing...

I occasionally dig through Flickr looking for samples photos taken with specific cameras or lenses. Occasionally I come across an unusually "high yield" Flickrer. Kazuya Minami, who goes by the name of digitalbear, is such an individual.

Looking at digitalbear's Flickr sets, it takes only an instant to verify his self description of "eGadgeteer." Some serious consumer electronics on display! Relevant to our interests, digitalbear has kindly arranged collections of (mostly) full-resolution sample images in sets according to the gear used. EXIF information is intact in all cases. Here is a small selection of digitalbear's sets on Flickr:

• Sony CyberShot W300 Test Photos
• GR Digital II + 21mm Conversion Lens
• Leica D Vario-Elmar (14-150mm) + Olympus E-420
• Contax T2 Test Photos
• Contax G2 Test Photos
• Ricoh R8 Test Photos
• Contax G1 Test Photos
• Olympus E-420 + 25mm f/2.8 test
• Pentax K20D + 16-45mm f4 ED AL Test
• Nikon D60 + Ultron 40mm f2
• Nikon D300 + Nikkor AF-S DX VR 18-200 G
• EOS 40D + Tamron 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 test
• Olympus E-510 + Leica Summilux

When looking for full-res samples from an interesting new camera, digitalbear's Flickr sets are a good place to check. Aside from the practical value of these test images, it was nice to see someone with gear acquisitions relative to which my own are few and far between!

I've been looking forward to the Olympus ZD 25mm f/2.8 lens for a long time now. A pancake lens maximizes the most obvious strength of the Four Thirds format, the small form factor. Despite blogging about rumors of just such a lens, I gave up waiting and sold my E-410. When the ZD 25mm lens was announced, I ordered the E-420 and patiently waited for the lens to become available.

The E-420 and ZD 25 make a far more compact package than any other DSLR combination available, prompting Björn Utpott to write about the Shrinking Gap Between DSLRs and Compacts. Now that I have the lens in hand, I thought I'd post some size comparisons with other cameras, including both compacts and SLRs.

To begin with, here is a comparison with the Ricoh GRD II:



The difference is more pronounced when thickness is taken into account:




The GRD II is compact enough to slip into most pockets. It is an easy fit in a Lowepro D-Res 8:



Here is the comparison with the Sigma DP1:





The DP1 will also fit in the D-Res 8, though without any room to spare:



Taking the DP1 along with spare cards, batteries, and/or a viewfinder, the Lowepro Edit 100 becomes a good option. At this point, I'm looking at a bulky belt case with a shoulder strap. An easy tote, but no longer a "go everywhere" solution like the D-Res 8:



As the following photo shows, my trusty Olympus OM-2n with OM 40mm f/2 pancake lens is shorter and longer (wider) than the ZD combination:



The OM camera will snugly fit into the Edit 100:



The top panel of the E-420 bears a striking resemblance to that of the old. Yet look at all the functionality that has been lost! Intuitive physical controls for aperture, shutter speed, exposure compensation, and ISO are all clearly apparent in the view of the OM-2n from above. From a size standpoint, the E-420 eyecup makes that camera significantly thicker than the OM-2n:



As a result, the E-420 with 25mm pancake will not fit in the Edit 100. It will, however, fit nicely in the Edit 110:



Here are those four cameras again:





The cases compared:





The E-420 and ZD 25 combination is dwarfed by the Canon 5D and EF 50mm f/1.4 combination (shown here with the optional grip):





The Lowepro EX 160 is a nice fit for the Canon:



Do the E-420 and ZD 25mm deliver? I haven't had the lens long enough to say. My very preliminary impressions are mixed. I'll start with the positives. Taken separately, the E-420 image quality, handling, and performance are all very good. The lens is sharp and seems well made, and a 50mm equivalent prime is about right for most of my photography. This camera-lens combination delivers on the Four Thirds potential for compact size. It's great to have the responsiveness and image quality of a DSLR in a form compact enough to, more often than not, take wherever I'm going. The negative impressions come from my inability to avoid making comparisons to that OM-2n and Zuiko 40mm f/2 lens. In no particular order, here are some of the subjective and objective advantages of that old film combination over the young digital challenger:

• Roughly 5 times the total lens light gathering ability, which goes along with the ability to use a much more shallow depth of field when desired. This is a major plus to me.
• Snap on lens cap. It takes me several seconds to remove the ZD 25 lens screw-in lens cap. I've already missed photo opportunities because of this, and a replacement 43mm snap on lens cap is on order. Sure this cost me less than $10 shipped, but the screw-in cap was a bad idea. Minor issue overall.
• Presence of a good distance meter on the OM lens makes it easy to zone focus. The ZD lens not only lacks this but resets to infinity focus each time the camera is turned off. Very inconvenient for zone focusing. Significant issue to me.
• 40mm versus 50mm equivalent field of view. I prefer 40mm, but 50mm is fine too.
• Mechanically linked focus versus focus by wire. I prefer the former.
• Physical dials for control of aperture, shutter speed, ISO, and exposure compensation. What I would give to have these on my digital cameras!
• Brighter, larger viewfinder with a focusing screen that is sensitive to changes in focus.

Both lenses are sharp with pretty good contrast and colors. Both show moderate barrel distortion. Unfortunately, the ZD 25 suffers from moderate lateral chromatic aberration (color fringing). Though not bad from a bokeh standpoint, my preliminary feeling is that the ZD lens does not render out-of-focus areas as well as the OM lens. Here are a few bokeh samples from the ZD 25mm lens. The first two are at f/2.8, the third at f/4.5.







Overall, I can tell that the E-420 and ZD 25/2.8 combination is going to be a good fit for my needs, possibly more so than any digital system I've used to date. However, it falls short of the digital OM system I'd like to have.

Addendum - Realizing that the bokeh examples above aren't the greatest, I asked Christopher Lulic whether I could use one of his photos as an example. His photo, shown below with permission, demonstrates both foreground and background out-of-focus rendering with the ZD 25mm f/2.8 lens:

The Sigma DP1 and Ricoh GR Digital II are frequently compared since they both offer nearly distortion free 28mm equivalent lenses, manual controls, and RAW capability. They are also priced similarly at the high end of the compact digital camera market. For those who haven't had a chance to handle both cameras, here's a quick look at how they compare in terms of size:





Camera size constraints come down to the photographer. Those who wear cargo pants or coats with large pockets may find the DP1 an easy fit. In my case, the GRD II is truly a pocket camera whereas the DP1 lens bulge puts it, along with the G9, in the small belt case category.

Michael Reichmann of The Luminous Landscape has always had a soft spot for compact cameras capable of serious results. Having recently been impressed with the Ricoh GX100, Michael has now tested the Samsung NV24 and Sony DSC-W300. The review is subtitled, "One Winner - One Loser." Find out which was which by clicking here.

Thanks sonomichele (Michael)

This content has been moved to the new SeriousCompacts.com.

Click here to go to the new location

By Jon Dickinson

The Fujifilm Finepix E900 was announced in 2005 and is no longer in production - I picked mine up from Ebay for the princely sum of 50GBP, which is a bargain in my opinion. The E900 is the last pocketable RAW-shooting camera Fuji made - and it's not a bad little mover.



Tech stuff: 32-128mm EFOV, f2.8 at the wide end, f5.6 at the long end. PSAM, full Auto and some scene modes. Runs on a pair of AA batteries, I've had about 350 to 400 shots (no flash) from a full charge. Flash is a bit feeble and wayward, requiring turning down (which you can do, fortunately) at close range, and not doing much at all further away. Sensor is 1/1.6", 9MP, and delivers a decent JPEG or RAW if you like. You can get full tech details at various sites out there if you want something specific.





The main goodies, from my point of view are:

Good hand grip
Not too small sensor
Good JPEG output
Does RAW too
Dedicated buttons for drive mode and exposure compensation




On the mild annoyance side of things, it takes a good six seconds or so to put a RAW away to the xD card, and they're fairly long seconds too. Might even be over seven actual seconds if I were to time it. JPEGs take just under two seconds to put away, which isn't so bad. Flash is a bit rubbish (see above) but that's not part of my method of working 99% of the time. Oh, and it takes xD cards only, which means a maximum of 2GB per card; so I've got a few in my case for when I get RAW and run out - 107 RAWs on a 2GB card, or 457 JPEGs, you choose.



I haven't had enough time to evaluate different RAW developer packages as that's a new area to me, and not really within the remit of this write-up - however, I have had a week's holiday in the Isle of Wight and took about 2200 JPEGs during this time. The good news is, the JPEGs from the E900 are good and sturdy - straight from the camera on 9M Fine setting, 'Chrome' colour setting (Fuji's version of 'Vivid' on other manufacturer's cameras) and Standard sharpness, they're good for a bit of Levels adjustment, a little USM and done. For Black & White, I tend to Channel Mix and then play with Curves to get things the way I like, and then just some sharpening. Here are a few more samples from this first shooting spree:









Just a footnote - I'm using GIMP for all the PP work on my photographs, version 2.4 is very stable and very versatile, and also free.

So, to round up, the E900 is a pretty class act in that as a used buy today it offers a combination of features currently unavailable on any similarly sized new camera under about 250GBP. Necessity is often the mother of invention, and being skint has turned me down a vey interesting and rewarding path in my photography. Thanks Fuji!

Cheers
JD

____________________________________________________________________________________

JD posted the above as a Hall of Fame entry in our Discussion area, and I'm reposting it here with his permission. Readers looking for a seriously capable compact on a budget will certainly want to consider the E900. -Amin
____________________________________________________________________________________