The Very Last One

Not a great shot (the subject is a hill-top monastery in Majorca) but a significant one as it's the last image taken with my old MX-1. It's been a reliable companion for me on my travels abroad over the last few years and although full of annoying quirks, its magical lens and sensor allowed me to take home some nice photographic memories. Now it is no more: a thorough drenching in salt water led to its instant demise.

(Imagine me not being able to take any pictures for a week...)

As Ricoh haven't thought it necessary to make an MX-2, I shall have to look elsewhere for a pocketable replacement, probably a Sony RX100ii, providing the insurance company coughs-up. The Sony is smaller and has a larger sensor, it's also a bit faster and has a built-in lens cap. I hope the pictures are at least as good.

A real shame , sorry to hear about that ....I know you thought highly of that camera and have produced so many strong images from it. Did you not have the K5 or EOS M with you? I can't imagine not taking a DSLR and at least 3 lenses on a trip .... But then I can get a little fanatical about it!

A good last image from the MX-1 Andrew, with a sense of depth and natural colours.

Take it as an opportunity to move on and explore something new

Sorry to hear about the sad fate of your MX-1, you have produced some wonderful images with it. I could echo the sentiments above about bringing a DSLR and some lenses, but I can understand the attraction of a compact device like the MX-1. No doubt you can find good performers also amongst Sony, Fuji and other brands of mirrorless compact cameras.

By the way, nice image with good colours.

Sorry about your bad news. Why not get another second hand? Or a Q7 or Q-S1 as they have a similar sensor. The trouble with buying other brands is getting familiar with another menu system so its always that bit less intuitive.

Nice Photo Andrew, I never go anywhere without mine. Have you tried the dreaded bay, there are a few on the site.

Good colours and as expected "endless" DOF. Never good to lose a camera or kit, whatever the reason. Your MX-1 has served you well.

Best regards

Thanks for the comments folks. I used to take a DSLR with me but EasyJet's baggage restrictions mean it's hard to squeeze one in with everything else which needs to go. I have learnt my lesson, though, and will not go away without some form of back-up. Yesterday I hunted down my old Pentax S1 (remember those?) which I haven't used since acquiring the MX-1. I took it into the garden between showers and it still works.



Of course, the images can't stand close scrutiny and you have to shoot at very low ISOs in good light but it would be better than nothing in an emergency.

John, I've never fancied any of the Qs, although there have been some nice shots taken with them on the site. They seem a bit gimmicky and fiddly.

Ken, I did think of a replacement although second-hand compacts worry me a bit. I may get lucky but they go for well over £100 so it's a risk. I also feel, as Nigel says, it's time to move on.

Sorry for your loss.

Replacement? The answer is the K-S1 + a Ltd (or Ltd's) of your choice, which can be spread around your pockets, so no baggage allowance issues!!!

Great IQ, light, APSC sensor, uses all your lenses and it's still a Pentax!

Never mind all the nay sayers. I think mine is great, disco lights and all, and it's a proper camera - has a viewfinder.😀

One on Ebay at the moment, 9 hrs left

link

Regards

George

Last time I looked there were some new MX-1s on Amazon, but at very high prices.

FWIW, the Olympus XZ-2 is pretty much the same spec (I suspect there was some collaboration with the MX-1).
Matt

Thanks for the advice, Folks. I've filled out the claim form, we'll see what transpires.
JohnX: I'd need deep pockets for all those lenses but even deeper ones to afford them!

If you get a small camera such as the Sony you mentioned we won't be able to see the results on here, so bad news all round.
I've never considered one of the smaller mirror-less cameras that everyone is raving about these days although I acknowledge they give good results.
My lightweight walk about option is the Pentax K30, a fully fledged SLR which uses any of my lenses. Because its not an all metal body its quite light. I'm sure there are some good 2nd hand possibilities with this model or its successor the K50 now that Pentax are bringing out a K70.
David

Thanks David, yes it will be a shame not to be able to post on here, as I always value what people have to say.

I've a light-weight DSLR in the form of my K100D but I like small as well as light. The facility to clip a camera to your belt and not really notice it, makes a day out and travel abroad so much more pleasant. There used to be a trade-off in terms of image quality (see S1 shots above) but small sensors have improved and larger 1" sensors are now squeezed into tiny bodies and for viewing on a screen, I really can't tell the difference. I never print pictures any more.

So sorry to learn of your damaged camera. It is often useful to have something small, to slip into a pocket or a pouch in a shoulder-bag.

Some miscellanous comments: a while ago the local university library started allowing readers to use cameras, but strictly no click-clack SLRs or anything that could not be silenced. To meet their requirements I bought a second-hand Sony RX100 (not the version II). It will focus close enough to fill the frame with a 5x8 cm image (though distortion is quite bad then). I started using it as a casual carry-it-with-me camera and was surprised at the quality of its images. In fact, I found the definition of the Zeiss f 1.8-4.9 lens was clearly better than my K-x with any lens, in spite of the small sensor on the RX100. That was one reason why I upgraded to a K-S2 recently. The RX100 is very small and I find it a bit awkward on that account, and the controls and menus take getting used to. The screen is bright enough most of the time but there is no optical viewfinder on this early version. The images get very noisy at ISO 3200, but that is true for most current cameras.

As for a K-S1, I noticed one in the "reductions" section in the Cambridge John Lewis when I was looking around the sales there yesterday. I can't remember their price but it seemed over-priced at about £300 or maybe a bit more. I see that the JL online catalogue have coloured versions of the K-S1 at £299. I love my new K-S2, and it is one of the more compact of the DSLR jobs, but it isn't as easy to put into a pocket as a mirrorless.