Ricoh GXR A12 M Mount Review - Rare Digital Leica M Mount Camera

Рет қаралды 19,495

2 жыл бұрын

Did you know there's only a handful of digital Leica M mount cameras? Outside of Leica there's three I've found. The Epson R-D1, the Pixii, and the Ricoh GXR M Mount module. That makes an already super special camera system even more special!
There might also been a Zenit camera, but I'm still unclear if that camera was ever released. Let me know if you know of any others.
The camera produces awesome quality images. If you have M mount lenses you like or want to buy and use, it could be a consideration.
M Mount to Pentax-110 Lens Adapter:
www.thingiverse.com/thing:522...
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Пікірлер: 65

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

so dang cool.

@xz5034 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, I have the complete set. M mount is fun to use!

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

@@xz5034 what do you think of the A12 50mm?

@xz5034 2 жыл бұрын

@@snappiness there's no doubt about image quality, autofocus is good when there's enough light, but very slow in low light, snapshot is helpful in this situation. Nice smooth bokeh, Macro can be 7cm, very beautiful.

@IasKeysan 5 ай бұрын

It's super cool to see someone else having adapted Pentax Auto 110 lenses to a Ricoh GXR, noticing the same thing with being able to mount the lens inside the camera. I also used 3D printing to be able to use them and plenty of other lenses. The GXR has given me my favorite shooting experience and it's sweet to see others appreciate it too. 🤩

@OneMonthTwoCameras 2 жыл бұрын

You are committed! Bravo on the 3D printed mount. Should have held onto my GXR A12 until after you released this video! You get great results with it; much better than my own.

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

Well, I doubt that haha. It is extra cool with these lenses though 😎

@OneMonthTwoCameras 2 жыл бұрын

@@snappiness Looks fantastic

@mr_cramberry 2 жыл бұрын

Its a shame ricoh discontinued the model. It had so much potential. Had it continued the present day model would of been quite something.

@d30gaijin 2 жыл бұрын

You can also set the GXR up to magnify (greatly) the screen or EVF image to aid in focusing. I find that far more useful than the focus peaking option. I have mine setup with the Fn1 button, press it and the image gets all kinds of blown up. It was so long ago I don't recall exactly how I did it but dive around in the menu and you'll figure it out. I use my GXR-M with Leica lenses dating back to 1930. Lots of fun! Thanks for another great video.

@tiefseemiez9387 2 жыл бұрын

I love that you collect and cover strange vintage cameras. There are really interesting concepts to find that just didn't make it to the mainstream. Thanks for sharing!

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for stopping by! Glad you find them as interesting as I do :)

@thissidetowardscreen4553 2 жыл бұрын

Awesome and informative video! Great to see a forgotten camera that was experimental at the time! Thanks!

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for stopping by as always!

@egb4828 2 жыл бұрын

I love my GXR and M mount module! The b/w it produces with the Voigtlander Nokton 1.4 are amazing in my opinion. Great overview and enjoy yours. FYI the viewfinder for me is a must have to achieve solid focus.

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

I agree the b+w's are amazing in particular. I would love one day to pick up an actual M mount classic piece of glass like that. We'll see. I'm having fun adapting right now. The viewfinder does seem really nice to have. I'll probably just have to bite the bullet and pay the price. Yikes! I would do that before buying a new lens for it.

@sdhute 2 жыл бұрын

This camera was way ahead of it's time. I should pick one of these oldies up.

@Hey_Beau 2 жыл бұрын

Love the series, thanks for sharing!

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

Hope life is going well for you with the new one! Thanks for stopping by as always :)

@PavelLukl 2 жыл бұрын

The best focus peaking available. I loved mine. Glad they implemented the leaking into newer Pentax bodies like the KP. There is something special about the m mount A12 module,the images it produces are divine

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

The image quality really is quite nice :)

@trels203 Жыл бұрын

Went ahead and printed your adapter file and picked up the 24mm on ebay for 30 bucks. Lens is impressively sharp and focus peeks well. This is the smallest manual focus setup I can think of for the gxr while not sacrificing all that much for photo quality. Thanks 👍

@paologiordano.photos 3 ай бұрын

With all the interchangeable modules, this could be my dream camera

@Jermzybarra 8 ай бұрын

What a cool camera. How is this not more popular for its modularity alone?

@James-hb6ee 2 жыл бұрын

Never heard of this camera. Kinda cool! May check into it! :)

@taylorbrawner2052 2 жыл бұрын

This is the one…this is the module that makes the gxr so interesting to me. Very cool!

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

Yes, I had fun with the other modules but this was definitely the one I wanted the most :)

@shaabaaz3083 3 ай бұрын

Guys i'm just here to say: Keep the faith y'all. I managed to get this A12 M mount for 60€ 2 weeks ago. Keep. The. Faith.

@ahoyhere8113 2 жыл бұрын

!!!! Genius idea to adapt the 110 lenses. I've already adapted them to the Pentax Q. THANK you. Now I just need a 3d printer 😭 And a place to put it. FWIW I got the viewfinder and it hurt to pay so much but was well worth it, since I love vintage rangefinder lenses and the GXR M is my favorite lightweight walking around camera. The images hold up well to printing and Super Resolution/Photoshop Enhance upscaling too.

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

Okay, I'll just have to bite the bullet and pay the price then 😢It does seem like it would be really nice. It has been hard to focus in bright sunlight against the screen, and just hard in general to get critical focus. Not impossible, just tricky. As for the 3D printer it is loads of fun! I use mine for all sorts of things but camera accessories is probably the most often used. It is it's own hobby though. A lot to learn about to get it to work right from the software side to hardware. They probably make easier to use printers nowadays that are more fool proof, I don't know. It isn't hard, just takes more time than plug and play a normal paper printer. I bought an Ender 3 from under $100 (killer deal) and have just upgraded a few parts and it works like a charm!

@sdhute 2 жыл бұрын

That Pixi looks interesting, those m mount lenses are pretty expensive

@nikolasrobledo1106 2 жыл бұрын

wow i love this i have 3 auto 110 lenses that i have been DYING to test out

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

Have any cameras to mount them on?

@pioni2 Жыл бұрын

The resolution of "only" 12 megapixels is plenty for an old camera like this, and the output looks very good and fresh as well. The Leica M8 had 10 megapixels and its high-iso was also non-existent, but it's still a good camera. The sweet spot for resolution for cameras in general seems to be around 12-18 mp considering their normal use cases. More than that and you'll either need very expensive lenses or suffer with the output.

@fosterb300 2 жыл бұрын

Huzzah! The M mount module vid is out. I wonder if you could even 3D print some C/D mount Cine lenses onto it. Although very few would have the proper image circle coverage. I know a few C mount Cine lenses can actually cover full frame with a bit of modification from some searches when I was looking to adapt some to my Q

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

I don't have any, but I imagine I could, depending on the flange distance and how crazy an adapter I'd have to design. The M mount is a lot shorter than a lot of film era mounts but it's still nothing compared to normal mirrorless adapting nowadays.

@ttbirds1082 2 жыл бұрын

What are the advantages of the GXR with A12 M vs a modern MFT camera with M mount adapter?

@alfredovitenteiii3612 9 ай бұрын

I recently scored a GXR with an M Mount module for a little over $300. I still don’t have a lens, but hopefully soon.

@shoefantasia1412 Жыл бұрын

I would like to buy the Pentax 110 to GXR-m adapter that you mention. Not in your store. Please advise.

@alanbooth8120 17 күн бұрын

Hi How do you get this modul to shoot the full 12mp, i can only seem to get 5mp ? Any help is welcome. Thanks

@TorontoBoris 2 жыл бұрын

I dig the use of Pentax 110 lenses. I've using 110 lenses on my Pentax Q7 and love em.

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

Great! They really are neat and optically very good.

@TorontoBoris 2 жыл бұрын

@@snappiness indeed. Have you ever played around with c mount CCTV lenses on the Q system or MFT?

@karim2k 2 жыл бұрын

The other non Leica M mount is the mighty Espon Rd1

@unbroken1010 2 жыл бұрын

What was the 3rd vf for m43. It's much cheaper?

@JuanBuhler 2 жыл бұрын

Very cool, and kudos on the Pentax 110 adapters! I heard so much praise for the M module that I am curious, however I cannot bring myself to justify the cost, given that for example a Fuji X-E1 or X-E2 (both of which I own, lol) with an M adapter would seem to provide an even better experience, no? Let alone mounting the M lenses on a higher res Fuji, or on a full frame Sony...

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah that's pretty much what all the blogs say when I Google digital M mount solutions. Just get a cheap FF mirrorless and adapt those nice lenses. Or even those Fuji's would be really nice too. The GXR would definitely be redundant in your case. And I mean, not like I needed it either, don't got any actual M mount lenses 😆

@ahoyhere8113 2 жыл бұрын

It's not true. Or rather, it's only true with a select number of lenses. Many of the vintage rangefinders at the wider end (

@d30gaijin 2 жыл бұрын

Sure you can get better images with your Fuji and an M adapter, same as I can with my Sony, but the GXR-M came out long before that was typical or possible, in some cases. Still, the GXR has a form factor that pleases some of us, with an excellent layout, not to mention, in my case I bought my GXR long before I bought my Sony. I had a lot of Leica M and R lenses and a Canon DSLR was my only digital camera. No way to adapt Leica M or LTM lenses to the Canon so the GXR-M was the logical choice when it was announced.

@byshagi 2 жыл бұрын

nice

@desmtb 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you! :)

@HuyBui-no5vu 2 жыл бұрын

Had a chance to talk to a representative from Ricoh the other day(he's Japanese) and boy we talked a bit about this gem A loved camera by most enthusiasts,too bad it failed to capture ppl's attention

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

Wow, that's really special. Was he around when this camera was made and designed? Would be interesting to get some more inside information. I really like Ricoh, I think they come up with some really nice stuff. Look forward to what they produce over the next few years.

@HuyBui-no5vu 2 жыл бұрын

@@snappiness I'm afraid not iirc he was a manager at Tokina before switching to Ricoh in 2018 just before the announcement of the Ricoh GR1,he still praises the Tokina Opera line saying how it's on pair with Sigma Art's offerings Also fun fact he told me most cheap Pentax lens are made in Vietnam now while Limited lens are made in Japan

@futc.photography Жыл бұрын

Why have I never seen 110 lenses 😂 they look hilarious

@fricki1997 2 жыл бұрын

Curses upon you! Yet another one for the "want to have" pile :P On a side note, maybe you could talk about your process of creating 3D printed custom mounts in a future video?

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

Good idea! It's taken me a while to get used to it and I'm still very much a novice but getting usable results!

@hoanglong-nv6wv 2 жыл бұрын

This one has nothing alike those two cameras you mentioned. The epson and the pixii are real rangefinder. Focus by range finder mechanisms. The sigma simply is a mirrorless camera has M mount. That’s all. It isn’t different any fuji, canon , Nikon cameras with a M mount adapter (mirrorless of course)

@mikestamatis3679 Жыл бұрын

If you sell it, you will buy it again!

@ryankwan1934 Жыл бұрын

I really wanted a GXR with the M-mount module, but the prices are so damn high for them in Europe (talking 700 Euros for one with a broken flash and failing rubber) that I just ended up with a Leica TL2 and M-L adapter.

@snappiness Жыл бұрын

I agree the cost of these is getting really prohibitive to the point where it doesn't make sense. It's a great camera at maybe ~$400 max.

@johnbudd5526 2 жыл бұрын

Rubbish idea, rubbish camera, no one should buy one of these, nor even look at them on the auction sites, complete waste of time! (there, that ought to do it, now hopefully when an m module and viewfinder come up for sale I should be able to snap it up at a reasonable price) I need a spare as I’ll be gutted when (not if) mine dies. I’m so over the “by wire” pseudo analogue controls of modern cams, the GXR continues to provide a truly satisfying photographic experience with very special IQ, can’t get enough of this kit, (but please don’t anyone buy them).

@snappiness 2 жыл бұрын

😂 I agree wholeheartedly :)