GXR P10 Field Report: Introduction

The GXR is the system which Ricoh has been working diligently on and firmly believes in.  Its initial launch received mixed feelings among the photography community.  Those who were for it believed that the future expansion could make it exciting.  Those who objected it queried the design to bundle the sensor and the lens which is against the common logic.  This situation still holds true.

It has not been a long time since the system saw the light of the day.  But we have since then seen lots of development in the camera market.  While the mirror-less cameras have started to even eat in the market share of the DSLRs according to some market survey, the niche market used to be Ricoh's stronghold has become pretty crowded with models from most market players.  The GXR system is obviously sitting astride the two markets, which sounds even less optimistic against this background.

After all, its price tag doesn't sound right at the existing fierce market competition.  That said, the success (and the fall of, for that matter) of either an individal, a company or a country is the ability to dream and realise it.  It is hard to believe that the GXR is a coincidence.  When the system is expanded to a certain stage with some interesting components, the landscape can change.  It is also noted that Ricoh, at least in Hong Kong as we noticed, has regularly made special offers for the GXR body.

Before Ricoh delivers the promises as per the roadmap it announced in Photokina 2010, and the availability of the new APS-C module, there are three existing modules for the system.  GX Garnerings has already produced a user's report for the 50mm APS-C module and the 24-70mm 1/1.7" module (which is in fact the equivalence of the GX200).  Several weeks ago, the P10 module, along with the CX3, was sent to GX Garnerings for field testing.

This user's report is going to focus on the P10 module, with a few notes about the CX3 for comparison purpose because the P10 is actually its GXR version.

 

Handling

The control of the GXR system is ace, save the menu system which is simply listing out the shooting options and the camera setups in respective taps.  People new to Ricoh cameras will take some time to get used to it.  The good news is that the chance for users to dive into the menu proper is few and far between.

It is a standard design on the GRDs, GXs and now the GXR that the menu settings can be accessed through the customisable quick menu.  A press on the adj. rocker (right under the on/off switch; see image below) takes the user to exactly that menu where changes to four customised settings can be made by rolling the front wheel on the body and a few presses on the rocker.

As noticed in the image, the MY slots are also customisable so that user can actually put each set of their commonly used settings into each of them for quick recall.  This implementation has been adopted by other camera makers to different extent.

But in addition to the MY slots, Ricoh further enhances this area by adding a Direct button for activating a DSLR-like menu for quick tuning of the most critical functions. When activated, the menu is superimposed on the screen in a 4-level density. On the forth level, the Direct menu is translucently superimposed on the LCD display, allowing users to check the image and various settings at a glance.  The changes to the options can be made through pressing the rocker and rolling the front wheel.  It is blissfully intuitive.

On top of these, the Fn1 and Fn2 can also be customised for activating the frequently accessed functions.  All these features are brought together in a well-thought out layout.  During the period testing the three GXR modules, the need to dive into the menu proper is minial.

Look at the image right above, and you will see that the other buttons at the back of the body are pretty self-explanatory.

This shot of the colour setting further illustrates how extensively the camera settings can be tweaked and turned to the user's liking.  Once confirmed, your favourite colour tinge can be stored into the any of the MY slots.  So, even though at the heart the P10 and the CX3 are the same, the GXR has given the P10 much versatility over the CX3.  And this tradition to give users such an elbow's room is a big draw for fans of Ricoh's GRD, GX and the GXR series.

Of all the serious compacts cameras, including the S95 which GX Garnerings has played with too, the GXR is still top-notch in handling in its class.  We have not tried the EX1 yet, however.

(to be continued)