Comments on: Ricoh GX200 Review – Part 8

By: cristiansorega

cristiansorega — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:18:18 +0000

Hi Abby’s Mummy, I am sorry to hear the slow AF and screen freeze is causing you problems.
The best solution is to utilize the big depth of field of the sensor and use the Snap AF instead of the Spot AF, this will get rid of the AF lag and will almost eliminate any screen freeze (the only minor freeze being caused by the IS system).

I hope this helps with your problem. Most point and shoots will have the same problem but the Ricoh CX1 has solved it thanks to the CMOS sensor. Otherwise a Panasonic m4/3 camera will be a good choice.

By: Abby's Mummy

Abby's Mummy — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 14:30:02 +0000

I just bought a GX200 a couple of days ago and I am finding, as you said, the slowness to focus and the screen freeze to be real problems when i try to take photos of my kids (always moving around).

I am so disappointed, this is my first ‘high quality’ camera, and I am just not getting the results I expected. Am starting to think I should have stuck to the old point and shoots. :(

what can I do, setting wise, to improve the situation?

By: cristiansorega

cristiansorega — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:05:01 +0000

Thanks for your comment Tom!

Grahame, I am glad to hear you are happy with the GX200.
The lens barrell and hood might seem a bit flimsy but are very sturdy and won’t break. The plastic is very solid so you don’t need to worry about it.
I managed to drop my test sample on concrete with the lens extended and it only had a minor scratch from it. Overall it is more solid than it feels, especially the lens hood.

By: grahame

grahame — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 01:15:21 +0000

Purcahsed GX200 for digiscoping. It is very good – sharp and has lots of flexibility. Only problem is the flimsiness of the lens adapter mechansism and actual lens hood. “Screw” on section on both the camera and lens hood are extremely light and I suspect will be susceptible to cracking and breaking off if knocked. I expected steel or aluminium fittings in a camera of this quality.

By: Tom

Tom — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 21:12:56 +0000

Nicely done, very helpful review. The GX200 is on my short list, so it is great to get such a close, detailed “look” at it. Thanks!

By: cristiansorega

cristiansorega — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 06:46:41 +0000

Hi Grahame,

The GX200 is not as fast as other cameras and the screen freeze could cause problems for bird shots unless you use manual focus or infinity focus, which considering the distance of the birds to the camera should be fine. For digiscoping you would focus on the eyepiece so you could use manual focus for taht and it will also eliminate the screen freeze and be instant to take the shot. The GX100 is faster to focus or the CX1 is the fastest and most accurate Ricoh camera but it does not offer RAW or manual controls.

Hope this helps.

Hi Guillem,

I am glad you found the review helpfull.

If you never shoot over ISO 400 the GX200 will perform very well and will give you fast RAW buffer, electronic leveler, better customization and longer battery life. The GX100 however will be as good when it comes to the IQ and better over ISO 400 but the AF will be faster, it has no RAW buffer though and you will miss out on the leveler and other improvements.

If you can get the new GX100 for a good price, I would not hesitate to get it. If the price between the GX100 and GX200 is too similar and you want to shoot RAW then I would rather go for the GX200, especially if you try not to go over ISO 400. Both are very capable cameras and while the IQ will not be as good as the DP2, the zoom will make the cameras more versatile and both have a great handling.

Hope this helps, let me know if you have more questions.

By: Guillem

Guillem — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:47:19 +0000

Thank you for this excellent review!

Like Jane, I’m a dslr heavy user. I have a Voigtlander Bessa R and I’d like to have something similar but digital, to carry with me all the time. I’m looking at the Sigma DP1, the gx100 and the gx200. The Sigma’s sensor is the best (I think) of the compact cameras, but as you know, the camera is slow, the AF is slow… so it’s hard to think about buying one if you want a versatile camera, with fast AF (in case you’re taking pics of your kids), ergonomic controls etc.

Now, my thoughts have gone to the gx200 but I’m quite surprised to see that the gx100 performs in some ocasions, better. I’d like to have a fast AF, and a good IQ. I’ve never (or almost never) shot higher than ISO 400, so these Ricoh could be good for me.

Now the question arises… which one do you think would be better, the gx100 or the gx200? (I’ve found a gx100 brand new, so I could buy it).

Thanks!

By: Grahame

Grahame — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:36:01 +0000

Cristian
Want to use the GX200 for bird photos. You appear to be saying that the Gx200 will not be useful for this purpose (as birds would come under “action shots”) What then is the best option including non Ricoh products. You dont appear keen on the P6000 either.

Thanks

By: cristiansorega

cristiansorega — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 20:35:46 +0000

I hope the flash will work better with the settings.
I don’t use Auto ISO because on older Ricoh cameras Auto ISO always started at 100 and never at 64 or 80 which was the lowest. Although the Auto ISO on the GX200 works quite well I prefer to set the ISO manually all the time. I generally tried to use ISO 64 most of the time in daylight with the GX200 and only go higher if the light levels dropped.
Hope this helps.

By: Alvaro Martín Gómez Acevedo

Alvaro Martín Gómez Acevedo — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 16:09:13 +0000

Thank you so much for your reply, Cristian! I’ll try your advice and let you know what happens. Again, I’m not a dedicated photographer, so I have lots of things to learn. One more question: Do you think it is a good idea to work with a fixed ISO for daylight pictures as well? In other words, not use the auto ISO at all? Thank you again! :)