film shooter wants to try digital, again. gr ii, iii, or x100?

denada

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hi. i have moved cities and in result lost free access to a fuji frontier scanner. i can no longer afford scans that i am happy with, financially but more to do with time. i can rent drum scanner time, but it takes for f***ing ever to scan a roll and i don't even have one keeper per roll. way different than my buddy running my rolls through the frontier and giving me beautiful scans in giant tiffs. in result, i have hit a slump, shoot little, and just throw the rolls i do shoot in a giant pile i don't even look at.

while i like the x100 series being 35mm equivalent, the camera is a little big. i have a nikon af600 that i use often, which is 28mm like the rico gr ('s equivalent). that's a tough focal length.

i hear complaints about the gr iii's auto focus, but i zone focus when i shoot with my favorite camera, the xa. can the gr's snap focus distance be changed? is it easy to do? is there a big delay in shutter button press and the photo being taken when using snap focus?

is the gr iii worth the price difference from the gr ii? i print, but not huge. do either or both remember your settings when turning off and on? can either or both have shutter speed and aperture remain constant and have iso auto shift for proper exposure?

is there something about the fuji x100f, s, or t that means i should get it over the ricoh even though i can't fit it in my pocket?

i've read lots of reviews and looked at example pics from all. i'm not coming here without doing my homework, but so much of the internet is tripe to sell ad space. forums are where the good info is. i think the color photos from all three look like garbage. but example photos are tricky because everyone's post technique is different. the black and white is much better -- especially on the ricohs -- but i shoot 90 percent color. whatever, i need something to get me out of this slump.

suggestions? also, should i avoid buying used? the price difference isn't huge and everyone with these cameras is shooting street, which means their equipment takes abuse harsher than a studio cam. and warranties -- both credit cards' and manufacturers' -- are always comforting.

also, i'm not giving up on film. i'll shoot it long as they make it. i'm hoping adding digital, where photo taken to photo had is much quicker, will help me out. probably flawed thinking engrained by consumer culture.

thanks in advance.
 
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This sounds like a decision that you will have to make on your own. It is true that the Ricoh is made with more of a pocket camera design than is the X 100 series. But you should ask yourself, "do I really want to carry my camera in a pocket? "
The color from any modern digital camera should be good. If the color looks like as you say "garbage"then it is pretty obvious that the photographer has done something wrong in post processing.
There are many digital cameras available. I'm not quite sure how you set up on the choices that you did. I wish I could be of some actual help to you. Over the past 45 years I have owned many different film and digital cameras, and each one had at least "something" going for it. I know that there are a number of people who are very fond of all of the cameras that you have mentioned.
 
Take a look at the XF10.
 
I shoot an X100T and a GRII--OK, wretched excess, admittedly. The X100T came first. Love it for the hybrid optical/electronic viewfinder and manual controls. Pin sharp lens, Fuji jpg film simulations, and good ergonomics. It's not pocketable but it is compact. Build is all metal, so don't expect a flyweight. There is an optional tele conversion lens that takes the lens out to a 50mm equivalent--never saw it degrading image quality in the least. Years of online love letters to the X100 platform aren't BS. Handling more like a film camera? Yes. Plan on shooting mine till it breaks. You might have trouble finding a new X100T but Fuji does run seasonal discounts that might make an X100F more affordable. I'd look very carefully at used models' condition. AF on the Fuji and Ricoh aren't blindingly quick but are accurate. Ignore cranks who kvetch about these cameras' unsuitability for sports photography. They're right but it's far from a deal breaker.

The GRII should be available at a discount now following the GRIII roll-out. Personally, I find the price bump hard to justify, larger sensor and stabilization notwithstanding. There is no viewfinder, just the rear LCD. It's easier on batteries for it relative to the X100 series. It's very petite but not fiddly. Tough metal body. Deep menu system with wide-ranging customization options. Took the precaution of storing mine in a small Pelican case since there are reports of dust/lint/crud landing on the sensor, especially when owners took the "pocketability" thing too literally. Use a wrist or better still a neck/shoulder strap.Top-shelf image quality, especially b&w files. Raw output is DNG, so no Adobe format snags. The GR cameras are invisible to most people on the street accustomed to smartphone shooters staring into a display. You'll be doing the same. Cult following like the X100 cameras that's well-deserved.

Still shoot 35mm and 120 since the film infrastructure is still intact in Toronto. Both cameras produce files I can easily process via LR and Nik plug-ins for prints that deliver the look I like.
 
It sounds like you do not like the 28 mm focal length equivalentand that would be a very important area. The difference between 28 mm and 35 mm is a really big one in terms of the pictures made. Lens focal length is much more than stepping back a foot or two or three or four. The difference between a 28 mm lens and the 35mm lens is very real and very significant. To me the 28 mm is a very useful wide-angle lens, whime the 35mm lens is more of a normal lens. The size of background items,meaning things that are more than 25 feet behind the camera, is very much reduced with the 28 mm lens, as compared to the way a 35 mm lens records a scene.
 
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FYI, the Ricoh GRII(III also?) does have a 35mm and 47mm crop setting.
 
i hear complaints about the gr iii's auto focus, but i zone focus when i shoot with my favorite camera, the xa. can the gr's snap focus distance be changed? is it easy to do? is there a big delay in shutter button press and the photo being taken when using snap focus?
The snap focus is extremely easy to change. Ricoh has made the camera in a way that lets you use it one handed. All you do is press and hold the macro button and rotate the wheel. Simple as that.

I actually waited for the GRIII over the GRII, and I’m glad I did.
 
really appreciate the replies. especially the thorough rundown, cgw. was thinking i should just squash this idea and stick to film, but i dunno.

yes, being able to keep my camera in my pocket is huge. but if that's going to foul my sensor, then it isn't pocketable. i don't dislike 28mm. i had some comments about it versus 35mm in my original post that i cyt to not be long winded. i think it has a time and a place, but it's a difficult focal length to be stuck at with a camera exceeding $500. yes, the difference between 28mm and 35mm is absolutely huge. both in the photos look and how you have to take that photo.

yeah SqaurePeg, i noticed that xf10. but they don't make it anymore and it sells for about full retail used.

do you know what time of year those discounts are for x100f? i've seen it for $999, but was a long time ago. x00t can be had mid 500 to 600 used. it's the same sensor size. what mp really matter? wiki kinda make it sound like the xoot doesn't have a rangefinder option to help manual focus, and the x00f does. that would be significant to me. edit: oops, no, the x100t does have a rangefinder way of focusing. the x100s doesn't.
 
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Fuji seems fond of holiday discount promos but just as often bargain pricing is a tip-off for new models. Drop in regularly at fujirumors to see what's happening. You might also keep an eye on X-T10/20 bodies. Fujinon lenses do show up used if you'd ever consider going deeper into Fuji territory. I'm pretty much done with Nikon crop frame stuff and am tracking deals on Fuji X-H1 and X-Pro2 bodies. GAS never sleeps, alas...

Just be patient and stay awake for reasonable bargains that fit your budget.
 
Does it have to be Fuji?

An Olympus epl 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 etc and a 17mm f2.8 would be a pocketable 35mm f2.8 equivalent maybe (second hand probably 200 dollars at a guess)
 

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