Ricoh XR-M [リコー XR-X]

<p><strong>Ricoh XR-M </strong><br /><strong>??? XR-X in Japan</strong><br /> <strong><br /></strong><br /> <strong>Kadlubek RIK1905 1987</strong><br /><br />Ricoh-la?<br /><br />A modern Swiss film camera with yodels? <br />No. despite any name similarity (

) and the fact that the camera has audible beeps and such.<br /><br />This is a 1987 automatic-exposure, motor drive 35mm film from Ricoh (http://www.ricoh-usa.com/). <br /><br />Its default lens was a Rikenon 50mm f/2, but it was often sold with the Rikenon P Zoom 35-70mm f/3.4-4.5 zoom lens, which is what came on the one I just bought. The mount is a Ricoh version (called R-K) of the Pentax K mount adapted for Ricoh's own auto-exposure system. A small brass pin on the lens and a connector on the Rikenon mount tell the Ricoh camera that the lens is an automatic exposure "P" lens.<br /><br />I had already been accumulating a few old Ricoh cameras, always being surprised at how good they were, so this seemed like a good place to stop, especially since Ricoh, with Pentax ( http://www.photo.net/pentax-camera-forum/00ZzFs ), is now back in the market with something other than P&S cameras. I understand that it will be called the "Pentax Ricoh Imaging Company" (PRIC--apparently "Digital Operating Ricoh K-mount [DORK] had already been taken).<br /> Specifications:<br /><br />35mm electronic AE Program, manual focus camera, with built-in motor and rewind.<br /><br />Autoexposure - fully automatic, Aperture-preferred (set aperture on lens) and a quasi-shutter-preferred system with the shutter speed set on the camera body. Manual (more-or-less) with both aperture and shutter speed set.<br /><br /></p>

<ul>

<li>Power: 4 AA batteries in grip.</li>

<li>Shutter: electronically-controlled, vertical-travel metal focal plane shutter with automatic speeds from 1/30 to 1/2000th of a second; manually from</li>

<li>1/16 to 1/2000th of a second, plus B</li>

<li>Viewfinder: eye-level pentaprism with 91% of field of view</li>

<li>Interchangeable focusing screens</li>

<li>Exposure metering system--3 selectable TTL full open metering systems: 1) center-weighted average metering system (normal); 2) auto backlight controlmetering; 3) spot area metering.</li>

<li>Program mode has three settings, normal, bias toward fast speeds for sports and bias toward smallest aperture for depth-of-field.</li>

</ul><div></div>

<p>Along with the zoom lens, a frequently purchased option was the "Speedlite PX" which attached to the camera and drew power from the main batteries. The package of the zoom, the camera, and the speedlite was still a relatively small, easily held unit. Because of the Speedlite option, both ends of the camera strap attached to the right side of the camera, meaning that it hung left-side (and flash) down from around the neck. Without the flash or lens, the camera mass was 495g. The flash folds down when not deployed.</p><div></div>

<p>The normal metering is averaging as shown in the varied lighting of the front of my house on the top.<br /><br />The lens can flare without a lens shade - the building in the bottom picture is a 1930s Art Deco Public Health Laboratory in what an archaeologist would call Maya Puuc Style.<br /><br /></p><div></div>

<p>The exposure can be biased toward smaller aperture for maximum depth of field as in the picture of the Law School on the left with a sculpture by Scott Wallace (really) in the middle ground. <br /><br />The picture on the right shows the meter in "automatic backlight control" setting, in which both the spot meter and the averaging metering are compared.<br /><br /></p><div></div>

<p>What were formerly "Small Group Housing" (read fraternity and sorority) building are now various offices. This one is Army ROTC. These were locally designed in a Modernist idiom after WWII.<br /><br /></p><div></div>

<p>Detail of construction of fireplace chimney on one of these structures. I think rather nice, if you like Bauhaus, and I do.<br>

There are quite a number of these buildings, nearly identical.</p><div></div>

<p>I think the Rikenon 35-70mm does very nicely. Here's a closeup of weathered curb and pavement<br /><br /></p><div></div>

<p>The sum up, a very nice camera, but still manual focus in the same year that both Canon and Nikon were pushing full-steam ahead with automatic-focus systems. The period was one of those "moments of truth" in which the smaller and less successful SLR makers seem to have found the cost of going to a full-auto-focus system too great to continue.<br /><br />This was getting close to the end for the XR series from Ricoh that started in 1977 with the XR-1 and XR-2. Later variants of the XR series were issued up to 1995 or so, one with solar power (XR-S)! After that ( http://www.ricoh.co.jp/camera/cameralist/1981-.html ), Ricoh concentrated on P&S cameras for the most part. The company is not well-known these days in advanced photography settings, but it continues to be a major player with office imaging and a host of other fields of production.</p>

<p>That's all folks!</p>

<p>Oh, this will probably be my last Ricoh post, at least for a while, I hope.</p>

<p>Here is my non-representative collection of Ricoh cameras and reports:<br /> Ricoh XR-M [??? XR-X] - <em>this report</em><br /><strong>Ricoh Mirai</strong> - http://www.photo.net/modern-film-cameras-forum/00Yk4S<strong></strong><br /><strong>Ricoh 500G</strong> - http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00Xkkc<br /><strong>Ricoh 500</strong> - http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00XiNm<br /><strong>Ricoh HI-COLOR 35</strong> - http://www.photo.net/classic-cameras-forum/00XKwq</p>

<p>I've got an XR-M, which I don't use enough -- maybe this'll inspire me to fire it up. Thanks JDM!</p>

I used to think Ricoh was just about value, but I picked up one a few years ago and found it quite good. Your excellent

results confirm this. Thanks for posting.

BTW, Ricoh offered a 45mm f2.8 in this mount that was barely big enough to take a lens cap and a Cosina-made 55mm

f1.2 that was also good.

<p>I believe the KR series were the last Ricohs. I have a KR-10M that looks about the same as yours. Same lens. No flash. I remember these KR stuff selling until the 1990s. The pop off battery compartment needs a good cleaning. Still not sure if I hate it or like it.</p>

<p>Great post, <strong>JDM</strong>. I don't have a single polycarbonate Ricoh, though I used and enjoyed a KR-10 back in the days when it was a current model. I've always liked Rikenon lenses, and the kit zoom seems to be a better performer than many I can think of. That's a dinky little speedlite, too.</p>

<p>I love that this camera has a special mode just for taking pictures from your TV screen:</p>

<p>http://www.butkus.org/chinon/ricoh/xr-m/xr-m-2.htm#23.%20TV</p>

 

<p>Yes, I should have mentioned that TV mode (not the same as Tv), at least as a peculiarity, if not a useful function back in CRT days.</p>

<p>I have the similar, but not P mode, KR-10M and find it it be a very capable camera with a well damped shutter action.</p>

<p>Later addendum for those who find this in search:<br /> from "Best Cameras of 1990" from Popular Photography December 1989 79K pdf file</p>