We just heard form a new source that Ricoh will launch a new GXR A16 M mount that replaces the current . The A16 has the same sensor as the NEX5n, but tweaked and with no AA-filter! Shipping in early 2012 already.
P.S.: We are not talking about the just announced A16 zoom module!
35 Responses
Hello
Let s hope that it would have NO AA filter as well
and hopefully Ricoh can have a 40mm FOV non macro module with that 16MP sensor in the first half of 2012 or by photokina
Harold
The 12mp m module has no AA filter already…
I hope they plan on offering some kind of rebate or buy back for early adopters of the A12 M-mount or I’ll be F@$*&^$ pissed off! I just received the damn thing it’s being replaced? WTF!!!!!!!!!!
well this is the price of technology in action
if you had just bought a Nex 5N would you have the same claim because the nex 7 is coming ?
Harold
The difference is that the NEX-5N and NEX-7 were announced at the same time.
This seems like the first real result of the Ricoh-Pentax fusion. Ricoh gets their hands on newer sensors. If they had access to the 16mp sensor last summer they would surely have used it in the m-module. To release a follow up so soon means that something has changed. Of course, it could just be coincidence.
If we get the 16 mp sensor then I believe that the performance of the GXR could match that of the M9. So I will be able to cash mine in and put the money toward a Noctilux. Woohoo!
Woo hoo – sell the M9 to Godfrey
leica needs some competition. they are soooo overpriced that it is more like jewelry than cameras.
Great development – all they need is a new EVF and will be *perfect* 🙂
I think what they need is a new body with in built EVF
Yep, do we get this at the same time as the new A16?
gee ive had my mount a 12 about a month now
+1 For new body with built in EVF. January 10th-13th, Fuji might change the landscape. We will see. For now, I’ll patiently wait.
I’m not sure a 16MP is better about dynamic range and low-light than a 12MP…
Fortunately with this great new thing called technology 16 > 12 😉
Fanrastic ricoh rocks been looking forward to this one
If you dig into the reviews of Nex-5n and the current GXR-M a bit, you can clearly see that the new 16 Mpixel sensor has a significantly better performance compared to the old 12 Mpixel one, both in terms of dynamic range and signal-to-noise ratio (that translates to better images in low-light conditions as well). If an updated GXR-M module will be released with this new sensor, minus the AA filter, then it will able to challenge the current digital Leica M cameras in image quality. Perhaps at base ISO the M9 will still have the edge, but not much, and at higher ISO settings it will be blown away.
I would say that Ricoh might even hit a home run with an A16 GXR-M both for those who actually shoot Leica M (as a backup body which provides high quality images while offering some complementary features to an M8/M9) and for those who want to shoot with M lenses, but cannot afford a Leica right now. The latter is the case for me, and honestly currently none of the available options (Sony Nex and Ricoh GXR-M) are convincing. Ricoh wins hands down on ergonomics and with the native M mount being compatible with nearly all M lenses, and absence of AA-filter is a big plus to expose their Leica character. Still, the limitations of its sensor does not allow to really unleash the potentials of these highly regarded optics. And there are some other quirks, like the EVF being only adequate, buffer allowing just 1 image in single shot mode. On the other hand, Nex-5n has one of the most advanced APS-C sensors and studying the raw files it produces, you come to the conclusion that one can basically do a nasty measure of manipulations (like enhancing local contrast, sharpening, pushing shadows) without significantly raising the noise level in the image, so there is an ample way to develop your picture as you wish. Also it has the best EVF until now. But then comes the big BUT: (1) it still looks like a highly computerized toy with typical gimmicks, (2) while it has a microlens array on the sensor that allows for using M lenses better than previous Nex cameras, it still produces corner color shifts and smearing with certain wide-angle lenses, like Zeiss ZM Biogons, preventing it from being an overall solution for the M shooter. Then there is Nex-7, which has much better ergonomics, but its 24 Mpixel sensor cannot cope with noise that well as its 16 Mpixel sister, and also it seems that the corner artifacts with short flange rangefinder lenses are much more pronounced with this camera. So, I hope very much that Ricoh will deliver with the A16 GXR-M, cup of the cake could be an updated EVF and possibly a new body.
I agree Nightsun – one thing a GXR module would do potentially better than a M9 is with telephotos – 90mm (or 135’s if used).
It could prove a useful addition to even a Leica fantatics kit for making focusng and composing with telephotos easier and more accurate while adding a little reach.
Actually, a NEX-7 would probbly do better with a 90mm, but the A16 GXR could be a better overall M-substitute / Baby-M / poor mans-M…
I like Ricoh A12 M module. If A16 can reduce the noise while improving on dynamic range – I am all for it. But I don’t think this is gap filling product, just another increment of a good idea with newer components.
Still curious about Ricoh “gap filling” promise. How about… Haha, lets not get carried away. As much as I liked Leica M series, I just didn’t feel the desire for M8 or M9 and carried Eos1n with Leica glass. Now with GXR-M I am carrying less glass and taking more pictures.
Unfortunately I think Ricoh ‘filling the gap’ is the upcoming APS-C zoom module…
Hope not.
The Nex7 review on LuminousLandscape seems to show the Nex7 already has better IQ with Leica glass than the M9. And you have the best EVF so far built right in. Start your M9 trade in now folks.
Well, it does not come as a surprise that the new 24 Mpixel Sony sensor can outperform that in the Leica M9. Were it full-frame sized, then it would have 54 Mpixels, so resolution-wise the M9 would be blown away, and also it has clearly better dynamic range. Nevertheless, the Nex-7 won’t be an all around solution for M lenses, as it definitely has problems with wide-angles (even the Nex-5n can show poor results with certain ones). Although the Luminous Landscape review suggests that it is all about color cast which can be corrected in post-processing by using CornerFix, in reality there is also smearing in the corners, which can’t be fixed by software processing. That’s why the only real alternative is Ricoh GXR M, which has appropriate microlenses for full compatibility with M glass.
And to this we have to add that comparison with an M9 is not entirely fair, since designing a full-frame-sized sensor suitable for M lenses is quite a bit of challenge due to the steep incident angles of the light arriving in the corners. It is still a question whether it is at all possible with a hypothetically extended sized version of the new Sony CMOS sensor (it is not by chance the Leica utilized CCDs instead, as they are less prone to this issue). Anyway, the current trends show that Leica will need to do a refresh to its digital M line as they start to show their age. But most probably they are going to chime in with a direct competitor in APS-C. They can address a larger market here, while they still have time with a provisioned M10 as no other vendor can offer a full-frame rangefinder camera that would substitute M9. Which is a pity, since the Luminous Landscape test demonstrates that it would be easy to pull out wonderful 50-60 Mpixel-sized images from the very best Leica glass, were if fit with a full-frame sensor properly configured for M mount.
The Mount A12 takes 720p video. Will the A16 record in 1080?
ricoh please buy the fullframe sensor from sony of the a99, and put that sony sensor into a ff ricoh module for m-mount!!!
I wear glasses
– With the Ricoh EVF I see 100% (= everything ;o)
– With the Leica M9 I see only about 80% (only 90% of the 35mm frame, only half of the shutter speed number)
– With the Sony NEX-5N I see only 70-80% –> not much use for me
Whoever builds EVFs, please consider people wearing glasses (and I don’t think I’m the only one).
I agree with those who wish more on update of the body then sensor. It would be nice if GRXn had an articulated LCD ,peaking similar to NEX-5n and faster write times in single shot mode. Improved EVF and a 10mm f:4 would make it just perfect.