Yes it's a shame the GXR didn't take off. I'm sure the cost of having to buy a new sensor with every lens put a lot of people off and it's difficult to get past the fact that perfectly good lenses become obsolete with sensor technology. I wouldn't have been particularly interested myself in this system when new, but second hand it's a good deal.

What I've realised since having it though is that it priortises size and image quality over other attributes including cost. In this regard it really deserves to be more sucessful, I'm sure there are plenty of people prepared to pay a premium for the last "nth" percent in image quality.

A few more lenses might have helped the cause. I'd like something in the 70-90mm range.

I've not yet had a chance to directly compare the GXR 50mm module (33mm ) with the 35mm Limited. But I've shot quite a bit with the GXR now and I'm sure the 50mm betters a lot of my Pentax lenses. It's sharp across the frame even a wide open, and the in focus/out of focus tranisition seems very fast. However given that the 35mm Ltd is also superb I wouldn't be so brave as to make a comparison between the two just yet!

Some musings here from Ming Thein:
http://blog.mingthein.com/2014/04/18/pentax-645z-preliminary-thoughts/#more-8563

Personally, I'm pretty excited by it. Even though I won't be buying one, I'm pleased Ricoh has put something like this into their range.

There's been, I think, only a solitary mention of the DA* 200mm. Until recently I thought it a bit of an odd ball, although I see it might be useful for concert/event stuff. Anybody got this lens and what would you use it for?

The 645D may be a "bargain" in relative terms. But...er no.

I'm enjoying going down the smaller mirrorless, rather than bigger full frame/mf route. All depends how you shoot though.

P.S. If anyone does get one I will be jealous.

The thing that looks super exciting in this release is cloud syncing support for the Lightroom Mobile app.

Unfortunately I don't own an iPad. Doh!

Thanks RayB and cabstar, great pics.

Here's some bokeh:



A sunset:



And one from the set that made me realise I'd made a mistake selling the lens:

PM sent

Since picking up a Ricoh GR in January, I've been really impressed by it. I love the small size and impressive image quality. The little 28mm lens is particularly good. I was suprised to find I like the shooting with the LCD, you can see the effects of different aspect ratios and bw/colour, etc before you take the picture.

The more I used it, the more I wanted one with a longer focal length to pair it with. In the absence of a 50mm GR, I stumbled upon the next best thing, a Ricoh GXR with 50mm APSc lens module.

For the same reason it wasn't really popular when new, the combined lens and sensor module means these are pretty good value second hand now.

Like the GR, the build quality of the GXR is excellent. Once again the lens surprised me, the image quality from the 50mm macro is really good. It also has a nice pull out hood, "Limited" style. Ok the 12MP sensor is lacking the dynamic range of the GR/K5, but it's still useable enough in good light. The focus is noticably slower than the GR, but it's got "snap" focus like the GR so I'm ok with it. It's usefully smaller and lighter than the K5ii, so it comes with me most of the time now.

The plan is just to stick with the 50mm module. I don't need the 28mm and I really don't need the Leica M mount module...


Here's a couple of pics comparing it to the GR and K5ii with my nearest equivalent lens: the DA 35 Ltd

Nice collection

I already leapt to the defence of the 16-50 here, so I'll try not to repeat myself.

Whether the lens is worth the money is of course a matter of personal opinion. I don't expect it to be perfect, and while it would be nice if it was, I also have prime lenses that perform no better. I find the 16-50 stacks up pretty well.

I actually fell into the trap of thinking it was a bit expensive for what it was and foolishly sold my first copy, it was only afterwards I realised I missed the microcontrast and rendering, so I ended up buying another copy secondhand. As John says, be careful what you sell! I don't have a better zoom in this focal range, but maybe the sigma is better, I've not tried it.

I don't think I've owned any perfect Pentax lenses, although some come closer than others. In fact I didn't think there was such a thing until I got the Ricoh GR and then GXR 50mm. Those are both unbelievably good. Some what ironic considering they are compact cameras from a photocopier manufacturer

P.S. I think it is only right and proper that this thread is illustrated with photos demonstrating the capabilities of the 16-50, who wants to start?