i one the x100, and I just got my GRX A12 M .
I wrote some of my first impressions here ( also wanted to post this under reviews, but somehow my post got lost)
I would love to post a link to the first sample pics , but this forum does not allow me to do so.
So, please look for my name on Flickr
Ricoh A12 M mini review
The poor mans Leica ?
Ever since the first new generation rangefinder cameras appeared on the market, I was very interested. The idea of traveling light, not carrying my D700 + 3 kg of glass in a backpack sounded great.
But , am I getting the same quality ? That was always my question.
My first attempt failed . I bought a Sony Nex-3 , right when it came out.
I attached a Voigtlander 15mm Super Heliar on a Leica M Mount Adapter.
Would this be the poor mans leica .
I might be able to afford a leica , if I would have saved all my money that I paid on various cameras , but
I always thought , there must be a better solution .
After playing around with the Nex, I finally gave up. The quality was just not up to my expectations. Aside form the annoying amateur type menus, the strong color cast in the corners where the biggest trouble. You can always fix this with corner fix, but there is a loss of sharpness and details after doing so.
In the meantime , I also bought a Fuji X100 , which is a great camera. But the fixed wide angle lens gave me many limitations.
So, when the Ricoh A12 M Mount came out, I was very interested.
I finally decided to spent the 1500 Sg$ for the kit , including the viewfinder, and I added a Voigtlander Nokton 40/1.4 . Everything together cost me a little above 2000 SG$
1/5 of the price if I compare this with a similar Leica Kit. Yes, of course, the Leica has 18 mega pixels and a full frame sensor. But hunting for megapixels was never my thing. I still shoot with my 10 year old Nikon D1x , 5.3 megapixel, and the quality is often sufficient for nice prints.
The thighs I immediately liked about the ricoh where;
1) Raw files are stored in Adobe DNG
wow, thats great. Finally some followed an international standard , and did not create RAW format no. 137.
2) I can create a lens profile in the camera, which is stored in the DNG file. So I always know which lens I used, and I can apply my Adobe Raw profiles
that saves a lot of manual work.
3) I have a Leica M Mount, no adapter needed.
4) The menus are more professional , means I can program almost every button with the function I want. Without going to any menu, I can adjust exposure, ISO, bring up a focus assistant , and much more. Great
5) The camera feels solid and stable. All metal, no plastic
6) When you change the lens, the shutter is closed to protect the sensor from dust ( wow, some designer was really smart here)
7) The focus assistant is fantastic. I read other reviews , and people where complaining abut this feature, but for me , it works great.
So, I was happy with the features , the hard and software and the handling, but what about the image quality.
My biggest NEX problem, the color cast , was gone. Only when shooting under artificial light , you can see a bit color coast form time to time, but it is very little, and it only appears under certain type of artificial light with the Voigtlander Ultra Wide Heliar 12mm. The Super Heliar 15mm and the Nokton 40mm are fine.
I did some sharpness and resolution test with the Nokton, and the lens is a perfect fit to the Ricoh . The lens resolution is far better than the maximum theoretical sensor resolution of 90 lp/mm . There is no noticeable difference in sharpness between the center and the corners, not even at 400% enlargement.
The nokton might not be as razor sharp as the Zeiss Planar , which I have on my D700, but it is certainly not far behind the Zeiss.
So, is this be the poor mans Leica ?
I would say , yes, this is as good as it can get , If you dont want to spend 10K$
I will post some sample shoots and more details here, as soon as the weather gets better and I find some time.