GX GARNERINGS

^I like using the S10 with Ricoh's wide-angle converter to give an exaggerated perspective to the images. If you've been with GX GARENERINGS for some time, you've learned a number of Cantonese expressions.  While Mandarin or Putonghua is called the national language, Cantonese has a stronger links to the old Chinese culture as it retains a close tie with the ancient Chinese language.  We can talk more about this topic in some other posts. A large part of the Chinese words is homophonic.  While "yuo" means "again" when pronounced in the sixth tone, it also means "travel" in the forth tone.  "Gai", as you've learnt, refers to "a street". So, the post topic says, "travel (on the) street with GXR S10". Like the GX200, the 1/1.7" small sense makes the S10 better suit to street photography.  The improved high ISO performance allows the photographer to use as high as ISO 800 for images with reas...

The S10 module is considered an upgrade to the GX200 (rumours have it that the next module will be a telephoto version).  So, we'll speak of the S10 in the GX200 context. The specifications have not spelled out any difference in the lens unit as compared with the GX200's lens.  The new 24-72mm f/2.5-4.4 lens is suffixed by VC, meaning vibration correction.  Fact is, a shake correction mechanism is also provided to the GX200. While the GX200 uses the Smooth Imaging Engine III, the S10 employs the upgraded Smooth Imaging Engine IV, same as the CX2's imaging algorithm. A quick look at the MTF curve graph suggests that on paper, the new lens unit does a bit better than the old mate in image quality.  For your comparison between the quality of images by the S10 and GX200, some full-size photos taken at the same scene have been uploaded here .  It should be noted that instead of starting from ISO64 to ISO 1600 as the GX200, the sensitivity of S10 start...

^What if the painter had known that he would succeed in nothing with his graffiti? Those who are interested to foresee your future, please raise your hand.  There is one.  There is another.  Okay, I saw you.  Okay.  There you go.  Any more? Oh, you, yes.  Now, please put down your hands and lend me your ears. Here is a tip from Nevin: don't you ever try to foresee your future.  Don't even peek.  If you do, you'll be suffocated. ^A smiling face anticipating a bright future? If you know there is a very bright future waiting for you, do you start from this day making sure that in everything you do, you do it right to prepare for the bright future?  Or you don't care much about anything really because what is ahead of you is a bright future anyway? ^What if he had known that he would earn lots of money gambling on the equity market? Otherwise, if you know troubles and bad lucks are in stock for you, and now that you've an advance...

Let's loiter with the GXR A12 before we continue to discuss the A10... later. Yesterday, you've learned that Hang Gai Gai means walking with or without intent in Cantonese.  The "Yuo" in front of the phrase here is sort of an adverb in Cantonese meaning "Again". Honestly, I enjoy taking street shots and writing about them much more than discussing the details of a camera in a review.  Using a camera is way more educational than grilling it for its performance. This time we take the GXR to the Hong Kong Island to walk up the Pottinger Street, more commonly known as Stone Slab Street in Cantonese to the local because of the stone stairway running the full length of it. The Hong Kong Island was where the British soldiers first went ashore and took control of Hong Kong.  Hong Kong Island was the citadel of the British viceroys and his forces in the early colonial rule covering the Island, then the Kowloon Peninsular and later the New Territ...

^ Click to enlarge the photo to see the vivid colours delivered by the A12 in Vivid image setting.  The neon-light signboard belongs to a Vietnamese restaurant.  Eateries offering some weirder cuisines are tucked away along both sides behind the kiosks at the Ladies' Market. Hang Gai Gai in Cantonese literally means "Walk Street Street" and can be roughly interpreted as loitering with or without intent. ^Racks of fanciful dresses to allure visitors and locals alike   Yesterday I mentioned the focusing sluggishness of the A12, notably in macro mode and less contrasty scenes.  In normal situations, as for the shots posted here, the A12 locks focuses in a speedy fashion.  For all the shots here, I came across not a single focusing problem.  The performance was roughly comparable to the GF-1. ^Hong Kong feet?  Nope.  Feet massage.   Of course, it is not realistic to expect that either of them focuses as fast as a DSLR. ^Th...

During the period of testing, I was fairly impressed by the image quality of the A12 module which sports a 50mm prime GR lens with macro capability and an APS-C size CMOS sensor with a GR Engine III doing the arithmetic for the 12.3M pixel images. The reputable GR lens has a lens configuration of 8 groups and 9 ASPH. elements.  Owing to the module design, there is no need to accommodate the back focal length, which Ricoh says enables them to design the refractive capabilities of each element in a more efficient and practical manner.  Lab tests to prove such a theoretical claim can be read in lots of websites.   As usual, the Ricoh webpage displays a MTF curve graph for the new GR lens to show its more superior performance as compared with the old lenses.  But let's translate the gobbledegook into some layman languages. Optical Performance For over 500 shots I have taken so far with the GXR, the images show good edge-to-edge resolution ( download the f...