Nighthawks

GRD II, f2.4, 1/8, ISO 800, RAW, 40mm

After taking 100 pictures yesterday I did not really have time to take many pictures today. The weather was pretty bad again with rain all day long and I've been out with friends so did my usual "Paparazzi" duty but these are not really pictures for the blog.
Still, I managed to take this shot and while it's cropped, I also removed some color noise and changed the levels. Initially I thought of converting it to b&w but for some reason I just can't get images from the GRD II to look good in b&w. The color version always looks better so I think as a color camera it's the best compact available since the colors are very accurate (unless you manipulate them in post processing as I did here).
What I tried to do with this shot is get the colors and mood a bit similar to the painting 'Nighthawks' by Edward Hopper. This is why I also allowed the people to be slightly blurry to gain the sense of a paintery effect, although I resisted to overdo it with the noise reduction in order to get this effect more pronounced. I really like this painting and think it's a perfect example of how a painting can look exactly like a photograph and have the same dynamic and mood.

100

Today is my 100th post on the blog! :D
Can't believe I managed to keep this up and never skip a day. As I said on my 50th post, it is a very interesting experience and I really enjoy updating the blog every day. I am happy about the comments I recieve and glad that people follow it.

To "celebrate" I decided to try out a different blogger page and at the same time create a backup of my blog. So I started to play around with Wordpress since quite a few people use it so I thought I give it a go. While I don't think I'll move my blog there it certainly is very nice and offers some advantages. You can check out my blog at Wordpress via this URL but it is still "under construction": ricohgrdiary.wordpress.com

For my picture for today I decided to try something different and not just have the number 100 in my picture or just using any picture. Instead I set myself the target of taking 100 pictures in one day. And not just any 100 pictures but good pictures that could each stand on their own as a picture for the day. This by itself would not be such a big problem since I took more than 100 pictures on certain days while in Japan since there was so much to see. The problem is trying to do this on a working day and a rainy day at that (this is the reason for the mostly greyish pictures). Anyway, I managed to take exactly 100 presentable images after deleting a lot since these were blurry or not good to begin with. I am quite pleased with the images and think that most could have done well on their own as my pic for the day. By the way, there is one picture there that has the number 100 :).

I used the program Andrea Mosaic to create this 46MP image, this beats my previous 26MP picture I had for Valentine's day. It is very good and freeware so check it out since you can create different mosaic pictures and it's very fast in operation. The only downside is that I could not find out how to stop the program from using all pictures in landscape mode but if I do find a way I'll re-upload the image.

Sunset

GRD II, f3.2, 1/15, ISO 80, RAW, 40mm

It is very simple to take a picture of a beautiful sunset or sunrise and have it look good. I mean, you can point any camera at it and chances are it won't turn out disapointing. What makes it difficult is being in the right place at the right time since even a short walk for 5 minutes can mean that the best light is gone and what remains is not nearly as impressive.
This happened to me today, I got out of the cinema and saw this great light in the sky, perfect to take a picture. But how do you take a nice picture with a 28mm or max 40mm lens when you're in the middle of houses. Even a short walk to the Thames (and I walk quite fast) was too long to capture the best moments of this. So I tried to make the best out of the situation and took a few shots anyway. This is the one I like best out of the few shots I took.
Usually I am not a big fan of sunset/sunrise pictures since I believe there are to many of these already and as mentioned it is not that difficult or challenging if you're in the right place at the right time. Still, I like taking these shots and am also interested to see how the GRD II handles them. The higher DR and lower noise of the GRD II really help here although you start to notice for these shots the limits of the small sensor.
Then again, limits or not, as long as the camera is small and can be always available you won't miss out on a photo opportunity. So the pictures are always better than no pictures with a dSLR that would sit at home gathering dust. At the same time it is more challenging to try and push the limits of the equipment you have. This applies to every camera you have.

Evolution

GRD, f5, 1/400, ISO 200, JPG

Well, it was a lazy Sunday today but nice after working yesterday. The weather was also not very nice so this is an improvised shot. It's from the GR1 and GRD II taken with my GRD. This also brought me on the idea to use the GR1 for the comparison between the GRD cameras but only from a handling and build point of view since printing images is more difficult. I can't just swap between color, b&w and different ISOs with film. That said I already have a small comparison between the GR1, GRD and GX online:
Ricoh GR1 vs GX vs GRD Comparison

City Police

GRD, f7.1, 1/800, ISO 200, JPG b&w

Today the weather was great but unfortunatelly I had to work. Still, I managed to take this picture on my way to the office. Used the GRD I again and am still very happy with the quality. The picture is straight out of the camera without any post processing.

Conversation

GRD, f4.5, 1/250, ISO 400, JPG b&w

I got my GRD I back from Ricoh today after a handgrip change, now aside from the buttons it looks like new but I kinda miss the "feel" of the old handgrip ;).
After using the GRD II for the last weeks I started to miss the GRD I. There is no other camera, the GRD II included, that has the same "feel" to it. As soon as I set it to b&w mode with Contrast +2 and Sharpness +1 and took the first picture, I knew why I can't just leave this camera at home. The b&w jpgs are simply outstanding, there is no better camera for b&w out there than the GRD I. The grain, the contrast and sharpness of the images is impressive. The images are so crisp that it is almost impossible to get anywhere close to this using RAW or any other camera. I surely hope Ricoh can somehow add this processing to the GRD II via firmware.
While my GRD II street shots are shot in b&w jpg mode I almost never end up actually using them but process the RAW and use the color version of the picture. So as I said befre, the GRD I is a b&w camera while the GRD II is a color camera.
Took this picture over lunch at Ossie's and while it's not the best picture to demonstrate what I was saying about the GRD I b&w jpgs it does show what is possible and has the GRD I "look". I don't even use RAW on the GRD I anymore since now it became my b&w camera. No post processing other than slightly croppng it.

Smoking in the Rain

GRD II, f2.4, 1/80, ISO 100, RAW

Today I could not decide between 4 pictures which one to take for the blog. I finally decided to use this but will upload the other pictures on Flickr plus some other images that did not make it on my blog recently.
The reason I took it as the pic for today is that the more I looked at it during post processing the more details I found in it that I was not even aware when taking it. If you look closely you can find that a few items are available twice. I also like the mix between static and movement in the image.

Since my GRD I is with Ricoh now for a handgrip change and electronics check-up I've been using exclusively the GRD II and the My 1 and 2 modes are great, allow for very fast switching btween different settings and make it so easy to take pictures. There are people out ther who will say the most important thing about a camera is the image quality but I say the only most important thing is the handling and controls of the camera. A camera with great handling and controls will get shots that no other camera will get just because one likes to use it and it's easy and fast to set up so you can get the shot. During my comparisons for the GRD I and GRD II and the GX and GX100 I'll go into more detail about his. I will also post something about this on SeriousCompacts as soon as I have more time.

The Bench by the Lake

GRD II, f6.3, 1/640, ISO 100, RAW

I though of caling this picture "The Bench and The Goose" but this would have sounded again like the name of a pub so I changed it. Took the picture while looking for a flat in Blackheath. After a gray and rainy morning the day went on to be warm and sunny.
I really like the GRD II now and think that it is a great improvement except the b&w jpgs and the freezing screen when half pressing the shutter. While this is not important for this kind of picture it is something that happens randomly but is very annoying for me. I really hope Ricoh can sort this out, need to send them an email with my improvements and wish list. At the same time I need to start getting the GRD I vs. GRD II comparison ready and posted on my blog.

Sweeping My Way

GRD II, f4.5, 1/320, ISO 100, RAW

Since it was nice and warm today I went for a walk during lunch and took some pictures. This is my favorite one since it captures a moment and freezes acton. I know that every shot captures a moment and freezes action but some shots still look static. I featured the people who clean the streets in London before but think they are very important and deserve more recognition for their job.

Mother and Child

GRD II, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 100, RAW

Took this picture while on my way home. I know it's not perfect but I really liked the expression on her face and had only a split second to capture it. Her face was heavily underexposed due to me shooting almost into the sun but I liked the scene so much that I decided to use it for anyway as today's picture. The shot matters more than the technical quality although getting the shot in the best quality is desirable.

Through the Lens

GRD II, f5, 1/320, ISO 100, RAW, 28mm+40mm

Only recently I've read an article about people who use Holga and Lomo cameras for their unpredictable quality and found it quite intriguing. While this picture is not meant to be a copy of this it is more an experiment. Took the picture today during a brief time when the sun actually came out. While experimenting for this shot I got another idea for a picture I want to try out soon. The image is heavyly cropped since half of it was black borders anyway and I changed the contrast to get this look. Although I did not add any noise to it the noise became more pronounced after the contrast adjustment.

No...

GRD II, f3.2, 1/160, ISO 100, RAW 1:1

A gray and cold day in London, one could think it's December and not April. Took this picture while on my way to get a coffee in town. Used the 1:1 mode again since it allowed for a better composition without cropping.

Friday Street

GRD II, f4, 1/50, ISO 80, RAW

Hey, it's Friday! So what better to do in London or the UK for that matter other than going to a pub and having a few drinks. After having to call t-mobile 4 times in 4 days since taking on the contract, I really needed some drinks. It could've been so easy to just set up the account properly but somehow it does not seem possible with them. Anyway, this is sorted now and I got what I wanted.
If you need a cheap data and phone contract the Flext25 + web'n'walk for 12 months with the additional web'n'walk+ option and specific mention of the free wifi hotspots will get you everything you need. To get this all properly set up could however be a painful process and involve a considerable amount of complaining.

The Fish and Tate

GRD II, f2.4, 1/200, ISO 100, RAW 1:1

This title sounds like the name of a pub but hey, I'm in the UK so this is fine. Took the picture today while out for a walk, enjoying the sun and complaining to t-mobile once again. This must be a record for me to complain every day now since taking the contract. They really need to get their act together and have clear details on their offers and contracts. Still, if you complain enough you get what you want ;).

One thing I noticed about my blog is that I never provided the EXIF information so I have added it for all pictures now. If you were interested on the settings I use you can now go back and revisit the images.

Red Dragon

GRD II, f2.4, 1/50, ISO 100, RAW 1:1

Took this picture after work while on my way to get a coffee. I used the 1:1 mode and changed the levels to get this look.
I finally managed to get my plan set up properly with t-mobile so now I have unrestricted hsdpa from my mobile phone and can use it just fne from the Q1U via Bluetooth or USB. Another nice touch is the free t-mobile hotspot subscription that allows me to surf faster from a lot of locations. Now I really have no excuse for not updating the blog in time ;).

Fire in the Hood

GRD II, f5, 1/320, ISO 100, RAW

'or: Why you should always have your camera with you at ALL times. ;)'

There are days when I hardly manage to take the picture for the day, on some days I take one picture and know this is THE picture for the day. On days like today I have too many pictures or as here a full series of pictures to choose from. Took the pictures while on my way home from the station. While this guy was not the driver he was good fun and fits perfectly as a contrast in this image. While taking these shots I was very glad about the GRD II RAW write speed and buffer.

First I thought I would not have any picture to show for today since I spend most of my free time complaining to t-mobile about the speed restriction they put on their plans. Of course they do not mention this anywhere when you take on the contract so I need to shop around and see what I can get out.

One Nation Under CCTV

GRD II, f4, 1/320, ISO 100, RAW, 21mm

I finally did it, after 4 years I decided to replace my aging Nokia phone for a more up to date version with 3G and quad band. Reason was primary to use HSDPA when on the go from my UMPC without the need of an additional modem and me being annoyed that I could not use my phone in Korea or Japan. So I got a Nokia E51 since it has a proper keypad and all other features I wanted, like mini SD-card suport (would've preferred normal SD or MMC but anyway), Bluetooth, wifi and a radio and MP3 player.
Long story short, on my way to get this in Oxford street I saw this big writing on the wall and decided to check it out and take a few pictures. Yes, it is a Banksy and I believe one of only 2 or so that I've seen. This is one of the pictures taken with the 21mm lens, since 28mm was not wide enough to show the real size, and the GRD II.

Council Flats at 1600

GRD II, f2.4, 1/13, ISO 1600, RAW

The title refers to the ISO setting I used and this was a test more than anything. It is the first time I used this on the GRD II and I can say that I definitely need a different processing for this. I knew quite well how to process ISO 1600 files from the GRD I to make them look acceptabl even in color but the GRD II is more difficult since it has a different noise pattern. The picture in b&w did not really look better so I need to find a way to get more out of the files. Was a good experiment though and you can even see the "Ricoh Blue" in the sky, a feature that I really like and unique to Ricoh cameras. Overall the image is not great and shows the limits of the small sensor but for an experiment quite good. I have to say that the GRD I performed better at this ISO in b&w and color at first look. Need to make a few tests on this for my review.

Rain is Coming

GRD, f7.1, 1/640, ISO 200, JPG b&w

After all the recent street shots I think something simple is good to have on the blog. Yes, I could not resist to use the GRD I again for some b&w work. Had it out while going into town today and took this picture while waiting for the train. Really need to do a side by side comparisson of the GRD I and II in b&w to show the differences.

The Police

GRD II, f5.6, 1/500, ISO 100, RAW

Took this picture while out for a walk during lunch today. It's not quite as good as the pictures I took recently but I still like it.
As you might've noticed I took all pictures this week with the GRD II and all are streetshots but only one is b&w. I mentioned it before but I believe for b&w work the GRD I is much better and the GRD II shines for color work. All pictures from the last days have been taken as b&w jpgs but I've left the RAW conversions in color since they work much better.

Looking through my recent posts I completely forgot to mention that I've been asked to contribute to Armin's 'Serious Compacts' page. I am very glad about this opportunity and am looking forward to. The site provides all the information about interesting compact cameras. Since I would never use any camera that does not fit in my pocket, so serious or advanced compact cameras are very interesting to me and I hope to see a lot more models in the future. But enough of me talking about the page, just go and have a look and make sure you check out the Flickr group for some great images taken with compact cameras.
seriouscompacts.com and flickr.com/groups/seriouscompacts