Top Ricoh GR Digital II Camera Reviews

DC Resource has a review on the Ricoh GR Digital II and wrote: "Photo quality was generally good, though you'll get the best results out of the GRD by shooting in RAW. The camera generally took well-exposed photos, with pleasing, vivid color. Ricoh has taken a conservative approach to in-camera sharpening, so images are on the soft side here. They've done just the opposite with noise reduction: you'll notice some of it at the lowest ISOs, mostly in fine details like grass, or in the sky (which appears mottled). At higher ISOs it becomes a lot more noticeable, though if you are willing to shoot in RAW and do some post-processing, you can get much better photo quality at those settings."

Camera Summary:
The Ricoh GR Digital II is a 10-megapixel digital camera with the F2.4 aperture, f:5.9mm focal length GR lens. It is designed to be a high image quality compact camera that achieves excellent resolving power from edge to edge, low noise, and low color aberration. The GR Digital II features the GR Engine II image processing engine, a 1/1.75-inch CCD, and a 2.7" display.

Ricoh GR Digital II News Release Excerpt:
Digital camera inheriting the GR DIGITAL concept with even higher image quality and performance.

Tokyo, Japan – November 22 - Ricoh Co., Ltd. (president: Shiro Kondo) announced today the development and release of the GR DIGITAL II. This compact digital camera succeeds the high image quality GR DIGITAL released in October 2005.

The multi-award winning GR DIGITAL was launched as the successor to the GR Series of 35mm compact film cameras (first released in 1996) popular for their superb image quality. Its depictive performance that satisfied even professional photographers was condensed into a compact 25-mm thin magnesium alloy body has been highly accepted by a wide range of users including high-end amateur and professional photographers in the two years since its release.

The new GR DIGITAL II retains the concept of the GR DIGITAL that is the idea of being a high image quality compact camera that achieves excellent resolving power from edge to edge, low noise, and low color aberration. It tops that off with, expressive power, operability, and expandability for even higher image quality.

Main features of GR DIGITAL II

1. GR DIGITAL concept was inherited, and even higher image quality achieved.
• The GR DIGITAL II is equipped with the newly developed GR ENGINE II image processing engine to keep the excellent resolution, tone characteristics, and color saturation of the GR DIGITAL, while achieving dramatic reduction in noise.
• A new 1/1.75-inch CCD with 10.01 million effective pixels is employed to achieve improved resolution with an increased number of pixels.
• High image quality that meets the needs of professionals is achieved by coupling with the F2.4 aperture, f:5.9mm focal length (equivalent to 28mm on a 35mm camera) GR LENS popular for its high resolution feel and low distortion.

2. Highly expressive photos can be taken thanks to an acceleration sensor that measures camera tilt along the perpendicular axis and the newly developed image processing engine, GR ENGINE II.
(1) Equipped with an electronic level.
• With the addition of an acceleration sensor, the GR DIGITAL II could be equipped with an electronic level function that allows users to know if the camera is level while looking at the LCD monitor. Adjusting levelness when taking pictures of buildings or scenery takes further advantage of the characteristics of GR LENS with its small distortion.
• With the level indicator display on the LCD monitor, composing photos with horizontal or vertical lines visible is possible without looking away from the camera when shooting.
• A level sensor sound to let you know if the camera is level during shooting can be set.
(2) Square format photography enabled.
• A 1:1 aspect ratio (vertical/horizontal ratio) image size that allows for easy photography of square format images is included.
• Square format is achieved where one can enjoy photography different from standard rectangular images. That aspect ratio has been well received with classic 6x6 medium-format and Ricoh Caplio GX100 cameras.
• RAW mode also is compatible with 1:1 aspect ratio (vertical/horizontal ratio).
(3) A variety of monochromatic expressions possible with black-and-white (TE*) settings.
• Color, color depth, contrast, and sharpness of an image can each be adjusted in +/- five steps.
• Color can be selected as desired from sepia, red, green, blue, and purple.
*TE=Toning effect

3. Enhanced operability while inheriting a design to accompany photographers wherever they go.
• The function button allows for one-push mode switching. Settings can be registered to switch from “JPEG to RAW,” “color to black & white,” between “Snap and AF,” and others for quick switching of modes when sudden photo opportunities present themselves.
• Functions registered to the Fn button can be saved to the My Settings Mode.
• By displaying the depth of field in the focus bar, the distance range of the depth of field can be confirmed in advance.
• The 2.7-inch, 230,000-pixel display with a high 160º viewing angle is easy to view from both low and high angles.
• Writing time for RAW mode has been reduced and shooting during RAW image writing has been achieved.
• Image writing time in RAW mode has been reduced to as short as approx. 3.8 sec. And with boosted buffer memory, the next shot can be taken while the first is still being written. (RAW writing time for GR DIGITAL was approx. 11 sec., and continuous shooting was not possible.)
• A manual pop-up flash operated by a sliding switch is employed to prevent accidental flash operation. The camera is equipped with a flash exposure compensation function that can compensate light intensity from +2.0 EV to -2.0 EV.
• An information display mode shows specific information of your choice on the screen even when the LCD monitor is turned off thereby increasing its ease of use when using the external viewfinder.
• The mode dial is equipped with two My Setting modes. Just aligning the mode dial to a My Setting allows the user to switch to a preregistered shooting setting of choice.
• The GR DIGITAL II has been equipped with an ADJ. lever to assign functions with a push after setting values are chosen from the operation menu in ADJ. mode.
• Automatic horizontal or vertical rotation of images according to the camera position has been achieved and can be viewed during playback on the LCD monitor.
• Approx. 370 shots can be taken with one charge of the included rechargeable battery (DB-60). (The GR DIGITAL could take approx. 250 shots.)
• A thin, compact size was achieved, measuring 107.0 × 59.0 × 25.0 (W x H x D) and weighing 168 g, while ease of use was improved.

4. Expandability is increased with a wide range of optional accessories.
• GR DIGITAL optional accessories can continue to be used with the GR DIGITAL II. And the new GT-1*, GV-2, and GC-2 can also be used with the original GR DIGITAL.
(1) A tele conversion lens (GT-1)* equivalent to 40mm on a 35mm camera has been added to the lineup for shooting with a standard frame.
(2) An external viewfinder (GV-2) equivalent to 28mm on a 35mm camera has been added. It is even compatible with 1:1 aspect ratio image size photography. (The currently available external viewfinder (GV-1) is equivalent to 28mm and 21mm on a 35mm camera.)
(3) A soft case (GC-2) has been added to the lineup that can accommodate GR DIGITAL II with the GV-2 attached .
*Upcoming product
 

Ricoh GR Digital II Best Prices (When Available)