The Ricoh GR series is known for its clean lines, great imaging, and compactness. The Ricoh GR Optical Viewfinder is one of the accessories that greatly enhances the functionality of the Ricoh GR. Although the device includes an LCD screen for taking pictures, many users, particularly those who are more classic, wish to feel the optical viewfinder – the lens area used for the camera aiming. Optical Finder for the Ricoh GR is an additional device which is great for the otherwise digital designed GR series.
In this in-depth analysis we will examine the characteristics, functionality and most importantly, the Ricoh GR Optical Viewfinder implications on photo-taking experience. Also summing up would be its merits and demerits, its effectiveness in different within and outside the wearing conditions, and its relationship with the Ricoh GR family series especially with the Ricoh GR III.
Build Quality and Design
On first encounter with Ricoh GR Optical Viewfinder, durability and a premium feel are two aspects that one would notice easily. The viewfinder is constructed with a focus on quality and more importantly maintenance of such a quality, yet still retaining a simple clean look which is characteristic of the Ricoh GR camera itself. The viewfinder inserted is slim, lightweight and designed to fit snugly onto the camera’s hot shoe without disturbing the overall design of the camera.
The quality of materials used to make the viewfinder is also striking, a high end pottery and some sturdy plastics giving the viewer an edge in durability. The viewfinder is also lightweight, which is ideal for a camera such as the Ricoh GR, due to its slim and portable nature. When it is fitted onto the camera, it neither adds too much weight to the camera nor renders the camera unbalanced, which is especially important for photographers who appreciate the GR series as a handy street or travel camera.
The viewfinder is quite basic in its construction as it has only a few lines that are meant to assist the user in taking a correctly framed shot. There is no complicated mechanism of buttons or settings; it is completely optical and suited for people who enjoy the old fashioned way of composing eyepiece shots.
Functionality and Usability
The Ricoh GR Optical Viewfinder is primarily designed for composing images using an alternative means. Those who are used to shooting with optical viewfinders will find this accessory more user-friendly and more classic in approach to shooting. It also has the advantage of use in bright sunlight where the LCD screen may be rendered unusable with the glare.
As opposed to electronic view finders (EVFs) which allow the user to see what the camera sensor sees digitally, the Ricoh GR Optical Viewfinder offers an optical view. Depending on one’s taste and shooting style, this could be both a plus and a minus. The optical viewfinder does not give a live display of the exposure setting, focus peaking, or any other graphics as an EVF would do. It only gives a simple view of the subject without any interference.
The angle of view in the viewfinder has been made to correspond with the wide angle 28mm of the Ricoh GR lens. The framelines in the viewfinder were never meant to guide composition more accurately than this, and they do give a decent idea of what will make it into the shot even though they are not accurate to the frame itself. This slight inaccuracy, is undoubtedly one that users of traditional rangefinders will have come across and learn to cope with over time.
The process of using the viewfinder is very easy; you just put it on the camera hotshoe, adjust it, and you are ready to make the desired shots. There is no need to provide power or perform any complicated adjustments. This aspect of it is one of the best, especially to street photographers who have to be quick on their feet due to ever-changing scenes.
The Optical Experience: Advantages and Disadvantages
What makes using Ricoh GR Optical Viewfinder so much exciting is that it also provides a viewer who does not get distracted by outside factors. With the viewfinder pressed to your eye, all the concern would be on composition and timing as there will be no concern for on-screen menus, battery life icons, and focus points. As a result, the procedure can become intuitive and more artistic – to get the shot, one just uses the skills and spection to get the moment.
Of course, like every optical view finding device, it has its disadvantages. Because there is no eye piece connected to the camera’s focus/exposure system, there can be no viewing of how b/ shutter speed or focal length is set real time. In other words, even if the optical viewfinder is perfect for compositing the shot, one will have to look at the camera’s screen or his/her memory to set the exposure and focus.
In addition, parallax view is a common phenomenum in optical viewfinders and tends to be worse at shorter distances than longer ones. The viewfinder is placed above the lens, hence the view of the subject through the viewfinder may not be that which the lens captures. This is more significant in close up images, where the variance between the viewfinder angle and that of the lens becomes greater. Nevertheless, for most general shooting scenarios, this concern is quite minor and can be overcome by the user with practice.
Shooting Performance Under Varying Conditions
1. Street Photography
Street photography is arguably one of the strongest factors of the Ricoh GR and even more so with the enhancement of the GR Optical Viewfinder in this area of application. Many street photographers prefer to compose shots through the viewfinder since it allows for the cheeky maxim of capturing images without exposing the LCD of the camera to the people. On the other hand, the optical viewfinder allows for quick framing and spontaneous shooting which comes in handy when shooting on the streets for such moments are always fleeting.
So much so that when the sun shines bright, making it hard for one to see the LCD screen since the glare overpowers it, is when the optical viewfinder comes in very handy. You can comfortably compose your shot and look around the scene with full assurance that the outside light will not compromise your composition ability. Which is a great advantage for street photographers as their craft usually entails working in all sorts of lighting.
2. Travel Photography
In travel photography, composing the picture using the Ricoh GR Optical Viewfinder is simple and most appealed to the user. Because, often, while doing travel photography one has to shoot under bright sunlight and also short duration within a particular scene changes especially in motion, it is an advantage that you can use an optical viewfinder instead of just an LCD screen. That also helps to maintain the sleek and compact design of the Ricoh GR so that it does not become too bulky or inescapable with the viewfinder fitted in place.
The 28 mm wide angle even though very customizable may not be the best vantage point for some travel pictures that require tighter shots. The optical viewfinder is great when working to accomplish landscape, street scenes and environmental portraits but there are subjects that demand more precision and telephoto when framing that some photographers may find it useful.
3. With Regards to Low Light
The Ricoh GR Optical Viewfinder is more than adequate for framing and composing in low light but does not as the EVF or LCD offers a live picturing of what one is looking at, particularly on focus and exposure. Since light does not come into the viewfinder like an EVF, accurately framing shots may not be easy when the camera is used in very small amounts of light. For instance, in low light conditions it may be easier to shoot using the camera screen rather than the viewfinder as this allows for better control over exposure and focusing.
Fittingness and Substitutes
Ricoh GR Optical Viewfinder is tailored primarily to the GR line of cameras, specifically those equipped with a 28 mm equivalent lens. It is worth noting that while the standard hot shoe of other cameras allows this viewfinder to be mounted on them, the ones fitted with such cameras would not be rings calibrated for the lenses of those cameras making them non- purposeful.
In contrast, using a digital rather than optical technology for some of its camera models power enables some EVF inclusion even for modern designers with the exception of GR III system. With EVFs, real time exposure and focus information is made available to the user, thus eliminating the disadvantage of parallax associated with optical wasting. On the other hand, EVFs are usually bigger in size, need power to operate and may seem artificial to users especially in instances where for viewfinders optical ones are preferred.
Some also make available optical viewfinders that are compatible with smartphones or cameras, but none have a design and purpose as the Ricoh GR Optical Viewfinder. Ricoh’s option has been fabricated with the aesthetics and the functional requirement of the camera in mind hence it is the most suitable to the users of the GR.
The Viewfinder is expensive. Though it may appear costly for just an accessory, one should assess the value it brings while shooting. Most of the photographers, especially those who had film-based or rangefinder cameras in the past are used to optical viewfinders that give one some hands-on experience in image making, something that cannot be easily achieved with a digital screen or an EVF. This is a dedicated device that requires an acquired taste which some may not have, but for those who like it, the joy of looking through an optical viewfinder is worth every penny.
Conclusion
The Ricoh GR Optical Viewfinder is an accessory that has been designed with the end user in mind and is constructed to add to the overall shooting experience. These aspects will be beneficial to those photographers who prefer a straightforward, expedient and fully engrossed way of shooting pictures. It does not have the technological comforts that an EVF has but still offers an uncomplicated and more involving way of composing images that most photographers prefer.
Its advantage is most pronounced when you are shooting outdoors, especially in overexposed street and travel photography, where reactions have to be timely and eyesight clear. However, parallax and lack of visual exposure and focus control may hinder its function in some shooting conditions mostly close-up or in the dark.
In conclusion, the Ricoh GR Optical Viewfinder is designed for customers who prefer using old-school techniques of shooting or those who appreciate the work behind designing a perfect optical viewfinder. For a street photographer who wants to cut out the attention component, or a travel photographer who wants to shoot pictures quickly without composing them fully, the Ricoh GR Optical Viewfinder is a pleasant complement to the already great Ricoh GR series.