alfarmer

So far I've noticed no issues with distortion, although I've not taken any ocean horizon pictures from a balcony either... :-)

ALF

I wasn't sure if I wanted to upgrade or not until I found out it comes with an AEL feature. That's the #1

"Manual" feature I use on my dSLR (because the computer NEVER gets exposure right) and that feature alone is

worth the upgrade from my SD700IS.

The SD880IS has a ton of other stuff too, most notably 28mm, but I wanted to let everyone know about this feature

because it's so useful and in case it's a choice factor for others.

ALF

On your advice, I had a chance to do some more testing this weekend, shooting some 1600 ISO shots with the TZ5 and the SD880. I can't say anything emperically, but subjectively I found the TZ5 produced warmer (and some would say more accurate) colors. I've found every Canon I've owned (including the 20D and 5D) generally output cooler tones by default. Correctible, but annoying to do for everything in JPG so I usually shoot RAW.

Anyhow, the other trend I noticed was the TZ5 smudged images significantly more then the SD880 -- but primarily in the out-of-focus background stuff. The SD880 didn't smudge as much but those same portions of the image were darker. The result was essentially that things like background foliage appeared out-of-focus (albeit dark) from the SD880 but actually unrecognizable from the TZ5.

Background is less of an issue and again this was ISO 1600, but the same algorithms apply at other ISOs on each camera -- I just wanted to see the extremes. I'd like to take a look at the LX3 but will have to wait until it shows up in stores. Would it be significantly different than the TZ5? RAW would certainly be nice, as would A & S modes.

Would still like to se how the 990 compares to the 800 though. I have a feeling the extra megapixels are more of a problem than a plus, at least for high-ISO indoor use.

ALF

Didn't see this one coming...

With 4GB SD cards so cheap I decided to take the plunge. Both my cameras can use them fine, but I've tried 8

different PCs and 4 different USB SD card readers and NOTHING can read these 4GB cards.

How does one buy an SD card reader knowing in advance it will be able to read 4GB SD cards?

Thanks,

ALF

<P>

I only took a few shots with the 880 and haven't been able to find a store with the 990, but I didn't notice anything wrong with edges or corners in my test shots. Never had any issues with the SD700IS either, but it may simply be I'm not attuned to seeing it.

<br><br><P>

One thing that DID impress me with the SD880IS, however, was the Macro mode:

<br><br>

http://www.photo.net/photo/8098496

<br><br>

That's the sharpest macro shot I've ever seen from a P&S, plus it was handheld in available room lighting.

<br><br><P>

ALF

<P>

Very interested in upgrading from my SD700IS, which is a great camera but long in the tooth. I really want the

extra 28mm width provided by the SD880IS but also want the manual controls on the SD990IS. Aside from these two

features, the important things for me are IQ, noise and/or noise correction smudging, and shot-to-shot speed.

Any suggestions for how I could choose between these cameras?

<BR><BR><P>

Another option is the Panasonic TZ5, which has much more zoom but I'm overall less impressed with Panasonic's IQ

-- especially when it comes to noise correction.

<BR><BR><P>

Thanks,<BR>

ALF

This weird thing keeps happening to me and I'm hoping it's not a problem with my camera, but rather some simple

user ignorance. If other Ricoh afficionados could help, I'd appreciate it.

The issue only occurs when shooting RAW on the "My" settings. Basically it seems as though exposure is locked

at some value internally even though I'm changing the aperture (I'm in aperture priority mode). I've assigned AEL to

the "Fn" key, but even that doesn't seem to LOCk the exposure. What occurs everytime is I get a very OVER-

exposed image, regardless of my exposure settings.

When this is happening, I can switch to JPG output instead of RAW and the problem goes away. Likewise, I've tried

turning the camera off and on again and the problem will go away.

Sooooo...

What am I inadverdently doing that's causing exposure to LOCK at some particular value that I'm unaware of? Or is

this a genuine bug?

Thanks,

ALF

Hello.

I've been trying to descramble all the information on SD & CF card speeds and was hoping someone could link me to

a good article on the subject -- that's not two years old. Most of the information I found through Google came up a

bit short and was quite stale.

My immediate question is concerning a 133X 2GB SD card, which I can put in either a Canon 700IS, Panasonic TZ5,

or Ricoh GX100. Which of them actually takes advantage of the full speed?

Is there a database somewhere that shows the MAX card read/write speeds for all cameras?

Thanks,

ALF

I bought it used and it came with v1.50.

ALF

On my GX100 when I shoot in RAW and use the Fn button for Auto Exposure Lock (AEL), the AEL setting

doesn't "stick". The camera invariably exposes brighter than how I'd set it.

But shooting the very same image with all the same settings except using .JPG instead of RAW yields an image

exposed as I'd set with the AEL.

Does the GX100 ignore AEL when shooting RAW or is there some related setting I must also select? Or perhaps

my camera is malfunctioning?

Thanks,

ALF

The Canon Rebels are great choices, but I would also recommend the new Olympus E420 if size portability are factors. The E520 is nice too and adds IS to the equation, but it's significantly larger & heavier than the E520 (more on par with the Rebel XSi).

ALF

I'm interested in trying out the new GX200 but will wait until the pricing comes down. To that end I have a question

that hopefully some of you will be able to answer.

How much was the GX100 when it came out vs. just before the GX200 came out, and how many months did it take

from introduction to the GX100 becoming more-reasonably priced?

Thanks,

ALF

>> All that means you have a really lousy and inefficient workflow.

<br>

My issue is you can't get the best images by simply running each picture through, say, Noise Ninja (the program I

use). Often you don't want to apply the same noise reduction to all areas of the picture -- especially the in-focus

areas you'd like to remain sharp. Selectively applying any effect, but especially noise reduction, is overly time

consuming when done for every file. I'm open to hearing about any ways you can suggest to improve that workflow.

<br>

<br>

I'm not sure how to interpret your comment about my understanding of RAW files, as I believe I understand them

fine. Post-processing any file type is the same issue for me with regard to time consumption. There may be

instances when I can batch-apply noise reduction to every image, but that's not (for me) always applicable.

<br><br>

My basic point remains the same, however, in that even batch processing is a bit of a pain and is certainly time

consuming when one considers other cameras do the job without adding that extra step.

<br><br>

ALF

>> The DNG files clean up easily in Lightroom.

But with other, "lesser" cameras you don't have to. And you shouldn't have to with this HIGH-end P&S either. It's a pain and time consuming to unnecessarily post-process every file.

It will be interesting to see if the Leica DLuxe3 is announced this fall and if it's any improvement over the old one or over the Ricoh. I really like the feel & operation of the GX100, but the crappiness of the sensor noise just kills it. And to this formula they added MORE megapixels? Sigh...

Clear blue sky at ISO 64 and plenty of sunlight is noisy. Thank you Ricoh for aiming a product at enthusiasts & pros (i.e. people not ignorant about sensor size and noise), but could you please take everything that's wonderful about the current design and do nothing else but fix the noise problem? 6MP-8MP is plenty, really, and you'd increase sales by tenfold because everything else about the GX100/200 is spot-on great.

Just a thought...

ALF

Ray:

I have a 5D. I also have gone through a number of P&S cameras with better noise control than the GX100. Given the price and target audience, Ricoh is under-performing.

I'm not even sweating noise at ISO 400, but I do require low noise at ISO 100. That's not too much to ask -- even really old P&S cameras can do it.

Lastly, I disagree that you can make good pictures with ANY camera. Try an Emprex brand sometime, or any number of those kids' cameras. All quite unimpressive, regardless of the photographer.

Paulo, does the GRDII have less noise issues than the GX100?

ALF

The images don't look all that spectacular at full-res either until NR and other things have been applied. Even at 4x6 it would be very noticable on prints. I know because I've had noisy cameras in the past with similar issues and the prints were noticably problematic.

The reason I believe 100% crops are an important evaluation criteria is because they show sensor problems like this. Moreover, I tend to do a significant amount of cropping to get optimal composition so my images have to be able to "take it" to at least some degree.

ALF

I've uploaded some samples from my Ricoh GX100. These are just casual shots while out & about with my son -- exactly the sorts of shots one would take with a pocketable P&S. These images are 100% crops from each of three pictures.

http://www.photo.net/photo/7374078&size=lg

The top two photos are "best case" scenarios, shot at ISO 100 with plenty of light. The one on the top left was taken in broad daylight outside the Flamingo Hilton. The one on the top right was taken inside Caesar's Palace with plenty of background lights AND a flash. I don't have the originals anymore, so these are the results AFTER I ran then through Noise Ninja.

The bottom image is more of a "worst case" scenario, taken at ISO 400 indoors. There was plenty of light coming in from the windows, however, and it was at the smallest possible f/stop. Trust me, you don't want to see anything beyond ISO 400. :-)

Anyhow, that's why I sent the Ricoh GX100 back and am waiting, hoping the GX200 will be the same but with better image output. Probably a pipe dream...

Oh yeah, the other thing I really disliked about the GX100 and hope they fix with a GX200 is the manual lens cap. Gah -- there's no excuse!

ALF

I certainly don't expect 5D-equivalent images from a P&S but I do expect an expensive P&S like the GX100 to produce AS good if not better images than three year old compact technology (Canon SD700IS).

But as people agree, the camera itself sure does "feel" right...

In a word: noise. My GX100 images had as much noise as those no-name, sub-

$100 "specials" at Fry's. Especially in dark areas, it was just ridiculous -- even at

ISO 100.

You can probably get an ok image out of the camera if you shoot raw and do a lot of

post-processing, but that's one of those things I'd prefer to avoid if possible.

ALF

In my recent quest to test out & find a new P&S I looked at the GX100. What do

you do when you love everything about the camera -- except the image quality? Sigh.

Does the GRD2 produce any better images?

ALF