Inspired by a couple of articles, I was curious about grabbing an older Ricoh GR Digital camera to play with - the
tiny sensor ones, not the current APS-C series. I didn’t find a summary of the changes with each model, so based
on my notes:
GR Digital
- 5.9mm f/2.4 lens (28mm equivalent)
- 6 elements in 5 groups
- 1/1.8” sensor
- Max sensitivity ISO1600
- Max image size 3,264 x 2,448 (8.13MP)
- Hybrid AF (rangefinder + contrast detect) [7]
- 2.5” 210k pixel LCD
- CIPA 250 shots
- DB-60 Battery
GR Digital 2
- Sensor changed to 1/1.75”
- 2.7” 230k pixel TFT LCD
- Max image size 3648 x 2736 (10MP)
- Added electronic level
- Constrast detect AF only
GR Digital 3
- Lens changed to 6mm f/1.9 (still 28mm equivalent)
- Lens composition: 8 elements, 5 groups
- Sensor changed to 1/1.7”
- Maximum image size unchanged
- 3.0” 920k pixel LCD
- CIPA 370 shots
- DB-65 battery (can still use the older DB-60)
- Shutter lag increased from 0.007s to 0.030s [5]
- Lost compatibility with old lens rings, filter adapter etc. Adapter mount changed from 37mm to 43mm.
- Added shutter priority mode
- Constrast detect AF only
GR Digital 4
- Sensor stabilizer
- Hybrid autofocus (rangefinder and contrast detect)
- RGBW 1.23m pixel LCD (Sony Whitemagic or similar. Not sure how pixels are counted)
- Max ISO increased to 3200
- CIPA 390 shots
- About 7mm thicker
- 2-axis level
- HDMI out
- Comes in white (limited edition)
The Imaging Engine was upgraded with each revision. There were other changes, but these were the points that caught my eye.
References
[5] http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/r_dc/support/faq/bp/docs09/EDCG09300.html?sscl=f_gr4fc01 (GRD2 vs GRD3 comparison)
http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/r_dc/support/faq/bp/grd4/gr04000.html?sscl=f_gr4fc01 (GRD3 vs GRD4 comparison)
[7] http://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/english/r_dc/support/faq/bp/docs/EDCG05047.html