Hiroki Sugahara from Ricoh`s Marketing Communication Department and Takashi Arai from Ricoh`s Product Planning Department
The CP+ 2019 trade show in Yokohama, Japan gave us the chance to meet a variety of senior executives from all the major camera makers. We spoke to a group of senior figures from Ricoh about the full cross-section of the company`s photographic range, with the answers mainly coming from:
Hiroki Sugahara - General Manager, Marketing Communication Department
Hiraku Kawauchi - Group Leader, PR, Marketing Communication Department
Please note that this interview was conducted partly via an interpreter, and has been edited for clarity and flow.
What has the response to the GR III been like, so far?
Very positive. This is not the first time we`ve disclosed the appearance and specifications, but this is the very first chance our customers have had to touch and use it. Even though they know the specifications, the purpose to come here is to touch and try, for example to experience the operability of the touchscreen or the performance of the macro capabilities.
From what I`ve seen and heard, the reaction is very good. Especially the operability of the touchscreen, which customers consider a positive. The shake reduction, the 24MP sensor or performance of the lens are features that our customers already knew from the specification sheet. But the quick response of the touchscreen seems very well accepted.
What was the logic behind the decision to use a unit-focus design for the GR III`s lens (that tends to slow down autofocus)?
The big priority is to make the camera body as compact as possible while retaining good resolving power of the lens.
Does the switch to phase-detection bring enough of a speed increase to overcome the challenge of moving a comparative heavy lens design?
The speed of the focusing is improved. But we`d also like to draw attention to the fact that you can now focus from 10cm to infinity, rather than 30c ...
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