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First off, sorry if I'm doing this all wrong but I just signed up. I did my due diligence though, I think, and I can't find the info I'm looking for.

I'm a stock photog since 2009 with a well known agency and have several hundred Ricoh GR files in my portfolio that sell well (for info, my other camera is a Nikon D800E). Submitting my three initial files here, just now, imagine my surprise when two Ricoh GR files are rejected outright because the 'camera is not good enough'!

I might at his point quote Alamy Contributor Relations Manager, James A, (link here https://www.alamy.com/blog/meet-alamy-content-team-camera-bags ) who says:

"My most prized possession though is that little camera at the bottom. The Ricoh GR. A fixed 28mm lens on what looks like a cheap and crappy little point and shoot (but it’s not cheap or crappy). You can keep it in your pocket and take it out anywhere and people just think you’re a tourist – incredibly handy for street photography or if you don’t like to draw attention to yourself. The image quality is mind blowing and I’d trade all the other gear I own to keep it! It’s got a bit of a cult following too, for good reason."

 

So my question is: is this camera really black-listed (or not white-listed)? I would be hugely disappointed if this were the case.

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It's an APS-C sensor so there shouldn't be any reason for your pictures to have been rejected because of the camera. Someone had a similar experience with a Fuji X100F, another quality APS-C camera with a great lens and it was resolved though I don't think we were told what had happened. I would suggest contacting Alamy directly for clarification using (I think, I've never done it) contributors@alamy.com.

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2 hours ago, spacecadet said:

Just submit your 3 images for initial QC. If you're concerned about the camera, strip the metadata, but QC decisions are made on technical quality. There's no longer a blacklist, but there are certain cameras that will never pass QC.

 

Thanks, but that's the thing - the page to upload the three initial images refuses to accept them, reason: the camera 'is not good enough'. I don't know yet if this page will accept files with stripped metadata ... I can try that or, if that doesn't work, just upload other images.

But thinking long term, after the initial QC, will I always have to remove the metadata from files created with this camera? I read somewhere on Alamy that metadata should be kept intact. Will they even be uploaded/accepted?

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6 hours ago, Christopher Ames said:

I don't know yet if this page will accept files with stripped metadata

Yes, I'm sure they'll sort it out, they stipulate that the first 3 images for QC should have full EXIF metadata, after that it doesn't matter though best to leave it in I would think.

  • All three images should have valid EXIF camera info

 

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11 hours ago, Christopher Ames said:

 

Thanks, but that's the thing - the page to upload the three initial images refuses to accept them, reason: the camera 'is not good enough'. I don't know yet if this page will accept files with stripped metadata ... I can try that or, if that doesn't work, just upload other images.

But thinking long term, after the initial QC, will I always have to remove the metadata from files created with this camera? I read somewhere on Alamy that metadata should be kept intact. Will they even be uploaded/accepted?

Obviously a new requirement- my QC sub was quite a while back.

In that case it's a bit unfair not to have a published blacklist.

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5 hours ago, Harry Harrison said:

Yes, I'm sure they'll sort it out, they stipulate that the first 3 images for QC should have full EXIF metadata, after that it doesn't matter though best to leave it in I would think.

  • All three images should have valid EXIF camera info

 

Obviously a new requirement- my QC sub was quite a while ago.

In that case it's a bit unfair not to have a published blacklist.

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If the problem is due to a blacklist then yes it would definitely be useful to have that information available. I am hoping that this restriction only applies to the initial QC files and that I will in future be able to upload files from the Ricoh GR.

 

In the meantime I have uploaded other files for QC and I'll post after I've tried a 'regular' submission of files from the Ricoh.

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I think it was proving too costly in time for Alamy to keep the original blacklist updated and that is why they dropped it.

 

Sure I saw that somewhere.

 

Allan

 

 

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3 hours ago, Christopher Ames said:

I'll post after I've tried a 'regular' submission of files from the Ricoh.

 

No harm in emailing them so that they can sort out this problem with their system, it's pretty discouraging to get this sort of groundless, or at the very least, misleading rejection on your first upload. It must be the same problem as the Fuji X100F, he/she also got that message. Alamy later confirmed that the X100F is fine, which of course it is.

 

If there is some other problem with your files (and I'm not suggesting that there is) then saying that 'the camera isn't good enough' is just wrong. Micro 4/3 is the base point, APS-C with an excellent prime lens is fine. I'm assuming of course that you have a Ricoh GR1 or GR2, the earlier GR Digital cameras would not be OK as they had small sensors.

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The Ricoh GRii 16mp APS-C version is a real little gem, the lens is tack sharp corner to corner, though I would say pics can get a bit too noisey over iso 1600.

Stupidly, I sold my ricoh to help pay for a big heavy stonking lens I hardly use.:blink:

These shots below were taken with my Ricoh GRii.

 

yellow-lamborghini-parked-in-kensington-london-england-KG0G23.jpg
 
 
 
caucasian-man-wearing-boxer-shorts-covering-his-crotch-with-bag-whilst-KG0G2R.jpg
 
 
 
empty-beer-bottle-discarded-by-litter-lout-in-a-cotoneaster-bush-KG0G3G.jpg

.

 

 

Parm

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Ricoh have a new model lined up for release in a couple of weeks at just under £800 with a 24 MB APSC sensor. Still is the neat little form as the film camera they made for years which had almost a cult following. The built-in closing cover for the lens is a neat touch. Still no viewfinder unless you shell out about £150 for an add-on optical viewer which is outrageous. Should be change out of £50 but all the manufactures do the same thing when they offer this solution.  

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So I contacted support who inform me that there is, indeed, no blacklist any more. So it's a mystery why the GR files received the 'camera not good enough' error message during the initial three-file upload.

 

Anyhow, after a different three files were given the OK, I re-uploaded those two files and they passed QC, so all's well.

 

For info: mine is a Ricoh GR I (the first APS-C version). I have the add-on optical finder, which is awesome (if something with literally zero features can be described that way), not least for the rangefinder-style parallax surprises that can really wow you sometimes ;-)

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1 hour ago, Christopher Ames said:

I have the add-on optical finder,

 

Thanks for posting how you got on, glad it worked out, hopefully Alamy might have addressed why they got rejected in the first place. Your GR looks like a great discreet camera for interiors and public spaces etc but I'd kind of crossed it off my wish list because I like an optical finder so it's good to know you can get one, The GV-1 in case anyone else is interested.

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