Ricoh GR Digital 2 Preview
- Brand: Ricoh
- Subject: Digital Cameras
- Category: Camera Previews
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PMA 2008 Report
Two years have already passed since Ricoh digitalized the famous GR camera and introduced the GR Digital. In September 2005 I received a pre-production model of the Ricoh GR Digital and now, two years later, the successor lies in front of me: the Ricoh GR Digital II. Over the past few years many hundreds of new digital cameras have been introduced and to say that each and every one of them is a unique piece, would be exaggerated. The majority of these digital cameras belongs to the compact camera category and these cameras offer more or less the same functions and quality compared with each other. Once in a blue moon a camera will stand out and boost on a unique concept.
Ricoh GR Digital 2 Preview
The Ricoh GR Digital 2 is such a camera. Aiming at a very specific target group, in a segment where Ricoh still holds its market share in a heavily competing camera market, Ricoh has succeeded in developing a unique camera that is not immediately recognized by the crowd but definitely by the expert. The philosophy of the Ricoh GR Digital II is to turn back to the base of photography with a complete own style. At first glance the new Ricoh GR Digital II might seem the spitting image of its predecessor but when taking a closer look some differences in appearances can be found. During my conversation with Takashi Arai of Ricoh International B.V., located in Germany, I was able to dig in deeper to the other differences mainly found in the hardware and software of the Ricoh GR Digital 2.
Ricoh GR Digital 2 Image quality - DIWA Test Lab
For this preview I had a pre-production model at my disposal and therefore I cannot offer a conclusion about the image quality of the Ricoh GR Digital II. A full production model is expected to become available by the end of November / beginning of December. This model will be extensively tested in our DIWA test lab. But first things first; let's take a look at the differences with its predecessor. It is unusual to see the new Ricoh GR Digital II still carrying the name GR Digital on its front side and its entire name only on the bottom side.
Ricoh GR Digital 2 Camera Preview
While writing this preview I keep discovering more and more differences ensuring that the Ricoh GR Digital II compact camera is not just the difference between more or less Megapixels. In my opinion Ricoh has carefully listened to the experiences in practice and taken into account the various reviews and then took another critical look at the GR Digital concept in order to renew and improve it where possible. This way the GR-community's trust in Ricoh grows and it shows Ricoh's loyalty to the consumer, the user of the GR Digital camera. Besides a new GR-model, Ricoh has also introduced a number of optional accessories. Unfortunately the GT1 tele converter, one of the new accessories, was not yet available during this preview. Continue to read the full Ricoh camera review at LetsGoDigital.
