Towards the Rainbow

GRD II, f3.5, 1/160, RAW

Quick update today, took this picture on my way home. You might remember the place from my IR picture. Cropped it to the 1:1 format only.

Today, Panasonic announced the first m4/3 camera, the G1, and it is one of the most exciting developments in photography in recent years. Finally someone got rid of the loud and bulky mirror and useless OVF. Shame they did not use the great design from the LC1 but insisted of making it look like a fake mini dSLR. I am not a big fan of the dSLR designs and think they are pretty useless, pressing your nose against the back of the camera is just not very good, looking through a dim OVF that does not display enough information is even worse. I take the EVIL concept any day over the dSLRs and the LC1 was almost perfect but a bit too bulky, the LC1 in Leica CL size would've been the best camera ever. Hopefully Panasonic or Leica (once without ripping people off just for the red dot and the name!) can release something like it.

Blackheath Station at 6am

GRD II, f2.4, 1/20, ISO 80, RAW 1:1

When you wake up early you can find a different world out there, it is quiet, calm, people are nicer, more relaxed. There is no rush or the noise you have for the rest of the day. The streets look different, the light is great, you want to walk around, take it all in. Especially when the days get shorter and the temperatures lower the light and mood get better. I like travelling at this time of the day but am overall too lazy to get out that early on weekends but will need to do it and make a series of pictures in London.

At the same time the night can be fascinating, too, and present you with a different mood and atmosphere. Have a look at this set of pictures.

Fill the Gap

GRD II, f4.5, 1/320, ISO 200, RAW

Not much camera talk today, aside from mentioning that the GRD II pictures are not as crisp as the GRD I pictures although they have less noise and more details, they look a bit flat.
I took a walk during lunch but although I've seen a small demonstration, some interesting people and a pro-photographer with 2 big and heavy cameras, I did not spot a lot of really good photo opportunities. Besides, I don't want to always post street shots on my blog or it will get repetitive.
This is a picture that I wanted to take for a photography competition about containers but it is not as good as it needs to be, for this I would need a bit more zoom since I can not walk closer and a more dramatic perspective.

We're Walking Together

GRD II, f4, 1/320, ISO 200, RAW

Before I retire my old GRD I and start using the new GRD I, I will have another week with the GRD II.
Since it's late only a quick update. Took the picture while out for lunch, when I saw them in front I walked faster but waited till they were almost between the pillars and also almost framed by the buses. I was quite intrigued by the way they were walking together and thought it would make for a great picture, indeed it ended up being my only picture for today.

Fellow blogger Wouter has a very interesting topic and discussion going on here. So check it out and post your opinion about what matters in photography and why we always end up talking more about the gear than the pictures. Also make sure you check out his other great GX100 and GX200 pictures.

Renaissance Robot

GRD, f2.4, 1/28, TIFF text mode

Sometimes when I watch a movie with an interesting look, I ask myself how they did this and if I can get a picture with a similar look or feel. Not to copy it but to challenge myself and pay a tribute to something that inspired me.
Today it was the other way around, I bought the DVD because the look of the film reminded me of the images the GRDs produce when in text mode. The movie is Renaissance, a European production with interesting visuals but only average story. Still worth watching for the visuals alone. So this is my take on the visuals from the movie.

I Heart Switzerland

GRD, f2.4, 1/15, ISO 400, JPG b&w

The rain finally stopped after a wet morning. Today is my last day in Zurich so I won't have time to enjoy the sunshine too much. It was a very nice weekend in Zurich even with the rain.
You might have noticed that the pictures from this weekend are all taken with the GRD I in b&w and ISO 400. And indeed, I only took my old GRD I with both adapter lenses for one last trip before it retires and the new GRD I takes over. The GRD performed great and the ISO 400 pictures are detailed and crisp, the color pictures have a very nice, under saturated look that I really like and the b&w pictures are all contrasty with nice grain. The only problems are the focus in low light, especially with the 40mm lens, and the LCD screen which is not as good as on the GRD II. But it still delivers in all the other areas.

The Vultures

GRD, f5.6, 1/310, ISO 400, JPG b&w, 40mm

The day started very nice with sunshine but then the rain caught up and it did not stop till the evening. Anyway, the plan was to go to the 'Nacht der Museen' (Museum's Night) so the weather outside does not matter too much. This is a very good idea where museums are open till 2am and have various events. It was very nice and something different to do on a Saturday night, especially a rainy Saturday night.
This picture however was taken in the city before the rain started. It is a bit blurry, the 40mm lens was a bit limiting but after boosting the contrast and adding some vignetting it is my favorite picture for today.

The Plane

GRD, f5.6, 1/2000, ISO 400, JPG b&w, 40mm

Yes, I am at another airport today. This time at the best in London, the City Airport. I really like the city airport, it's small but very fast and efficient to get through. Flying to Zurich for the weekend. Hope the weather will be better than here.
Took this picture while having some time to kill before my flight. Wanted to take a picture of the two buildings with a plane in front so I was lucky when one landed just when I got there. Cropped it and increased the contrast slightly.

Ticket Machines

GRD, f4.5, 1/1050, ISO 400, JPG, 21mm

Quick update today. Took this picture on my way back from lunch. I always found it odd that this sign says tickets left and right while there is only one ticket machine. Today however, I got my answer why it has the arrows both ways ;). Took this in color and ISO 400 but found it works better in b&w so just converted in to b&w and cropped is slightly.

Caution

GRD, f3.5, 1/25, ISO 400, JPG

Took this picture in the morning after my train got cancelled and I had to wait for the next one. I really like the way they have the signs and buckets at the stations in the UK for water coming through the roof when it rains. It's amazing, you think it never rained here before so they could not build a station that is weatherproof ;). Same as they can never build a platform that is the same height as the train. Then the train companies don't understand why people say that the UK has one of the worst public transport systems in the world. Well, if trains can't run when it's raining or there are leaves on the track or you can't get a simple signal to work, you can't really complain if people make fun. At least people in the UK never complain or the public transport companies would have a really big problem.

Bird On A Wire

GRD, f2.8, 1/30, ISO 400, JPG b&w, 40mm

Took this picture on my way to the station today, liked the out of camera picture but felt that something was lacking. I cropped it to 16:9, added vignetting and sharpened it and this is now how I want it. For the title I initially thought of using 'Freebird' but this fits better, both are from songs. As a disclaimer, no animals were harmed in the making of this picture ;).

Here's Checking You Out

GRD, f5.6, 1/710, ISO 400, JPG b&w

Took this picture while on my way to a cash machine. I was just about to turn my camera off and put it away when I noticed this scene so I pressed the shutter and managed to capture this moment. It is the perfect or decisive moment for me and I managed to get it through luck and the fact that the GRD I is so responsive. The title is chosen on purpose like this.

On another note. If you read the Ricohforum or DP Review forum, you might have noticed that I posted a suggestion for a Ricoh London meet up on the 13th or 20th September from 1pm on at Camera Cafe near the British Museum. This would allow people to get together have a chat and go out take some pictures on Oxford Street or British museum, depending on the weather. But it would also allow for collecting feedback and suggestions for Ricoh that could be passed along at Photokina on the 26th. If you'd like to join you are welcome, even if you don't have a Ricoh camera but are just interested in them. Please post your replies in the Ricohforum or here as to which date you'd prefer.

Lonely Guest at Yellow's

GRD, f2.4, 1/400, ISO 200, JPG

My short trip to Germany is over so I am back at the airport. While waiting for the flight to board I've been walking around taking some pictures.
I like the colors and light from this bar at Cologne/Bonn Airport. Since this airport is never really busy there is a quite serene feel about the place, especially in the late afternoon and evening.
While I love flying, I don't like airports and especially wasting time at them. Going through all the security checks is a pain and takes ages without really doing much for security anyway. Most airports are modern, big and bright but also cold and without character. It is always a rush through or a long wait, never really relaxing.
It is great to see old movies where airports resemble a train station where you wait for your flight and then just walk to your plane. I know this is not possible anymore but it's a nice reminder of what once was possible.

The Scribblings on the Wall

GRD, f5, 1/410, ISO 100, JPG

A post from Hilden in Germany today. Am spending the weekend here so this is why I did not have much time for posting on my blog.
The weather was great and a very nice change from all the grey skies in London. Took this picture while walking around town. I liked how she stood in front of the wall and the colors. However, I do not like stupid scribblings on walls. If people want to spray graffitti on a wall, they should do something more interesting. How about a nice drawing, a social commentary Banksy style or just a interesting or meaningful message written in nice letters? But not just stupid scribblings. This is not art, it is no social commentary and nothing meaningful. It is just vandalism and for this people should be punished harder. This was my social commentary on my blog where I can have my own scribblings on the net ;).

Hello Sunshine

GRD, f4, 1/125, ISO 100, JPG

A quick update today. Thanks for all your comments to yesterdays post, very interesting. Need to respond to the comments.
Now to the picture for today. As mentioned before, walking around London you never know what you'll encounter. I certainly did not think I will see a Laura Croft lookalike and sonic holding hands with a girl in front of St. Paul's when I went out for lunch today. But there they were and made a good picture opportunity and I even chose color since the blue and red of Sonic looked very good with the light.

Ricoh GR Evolution - Wishlist & Thoughts

I received my 2nd and new GRD I camera today :). Now if you followed my blog you will probably know that I planned this for a while but if you ask why I would do this, here's why. I bought it for two reasons, first and foremost because it is the best camera I ever owned and second, the warranty on my old camera ran out so I wanted a spare in case anything goes wrong.

I wrote a lot and posted different comparisons between the GRDs recently so here is my take on the GR line and how I would like to see it continued.

The GR line has always been different, it was all about the handling and usability instead of features. The GR1 is still a highly regarded film camera and people are impressed with the lens and quality of it. The GRD I produces some very unique pictures with a different look and feel, especially in b&w. The GRD II is one of the best compact cameras technically but produces some of the worst JPGs, too. Unfortunately the GR1 is film, the GRD I is discontinued and the GRD II has been overshadowed by the GX200.

With the recent releases of the DP1 with it's large sensor, the LX3 with the fast f2.0 lens and Ricoh's own GX200 that has everything the GRD II has but better and as a bonus you even get a wider lens, zoom and IS, it will be difficult for Ricoh to follow up on their flagship camera.
Having said flagship camera, this can only apply to the GRD I since it is in most aspects superior to the GRD II and GX series.

Now there is a lot of talk about the new micro 4/3" format and some people wonder if Ricoh would use it for the GRD III. While it is interesting I don't see them using it for the GRD III since the GRD philosophy is that of a small fixed lens camera that fits in your pocket and I don't see a m4/3" camera being that small. Maybe m4/3" would be an option for the GX series.
Putting a APS sized sensor in the GRD III like the DP1 has would be nice but make the camera bigger and the lens slower so I don't see this happening either.

What I believe would make Ricoh stand out in the serious compacts segment is something radical and different. It needs to make the GRD again the flagship camera for Ricoh and not the camera trailing behind the GX series. But it also needs to compete with the other manufacturers.

I have two ideas of what Ricoh could do to make sure they get both things done.

First idea is to make two GRD IIIs.
The first would be a GRD IIIb with a very fast lens (f1.0 or f1.2) a small sensor (1/1.8") with 8MP but without the color layer so a pure b&w camera. This would make it the best low light camera around, since the DOF would be much bigger than on any dSLR or RF with a similar lens, the camera would be pocketable and would stand out as being one of two pure b&w digital cameras. Ricoh could add weather sealing to it, would have to use the GRD I engine and add a very fast AF system, plus a better and easy to use MF system.
The second would be a GRD IIIc and offer a slightly slower lens, f2.0 or 2.4 but a slightly larger full color sensor (2/3"). Here again, add a very fast AF system and make it weather and maybe shock proof.

The more realistic ides however is for Ricoh to try and squeeze as big a sensor (1" or 2/3") as they can in a similar sized camera with a similar lens (f2.4 or f2.8 as on the GR1) but to improve the focus speed, change the camera back to shutter priority, add the wheel on the back and make the dial on top of the camera similar to the Epson RD1s so you can also change the ISO with it. If they can now make it a weatherproof and add some gauges to display the remaining pictures but more important act as a light meter and show the exposure it would be perfect.

What are your thoughts on this, what would you like in a new GRD?

Looking Back Over His Shoulder

GRD, f4, 1/1050, ISO 400, JPG b&w

Took this one after work on my way to London Bridge. Liked how the leaves framed him and when he turned round to see what I was up to I got the picture I wanted. Without him turning around it would have been a bit lifeless but so it works much better. Really like the grain I get when shooting at ISO 400 and overexposing slightly.

Draw

GRD, f4, 1/850, ISO 400, JPG b&w

Today I finally ordered my 2nd GRD I to have a spare but more for the warranty extension. Since my GRD II has either disappointed or been gathering dust, aside from me taking it out for the comparisons, recently I wanted to make sure I have a GRD I in case something happens with mine.

Took this picture while out for lunch today, just cropped it slightly.

Sparkling Diamonds

GRD, f3.5, 1/640, ISO 400, JPG b&w

We have a bank holiday today so this automatically means that the weather is bad. While it's not raining it is grey and dull. So while taking a walk I came across this and decided to take an abstract picture. Added some vignetting, increased the contrast and sharpened it. Had a color version but while I changed the colors slightly the colors would give away easier what it is.
The noise in ISO 400 pictures from the GRD I is great, especially in black and white and when overexposing the image slightly. Underexposing causes a different noise pattern but a correct exposure or slight overexposure plus some USM gives a very nice grain like noise.

Curious Goose

GRD, f4, 1/750, ISO 200, JPG b&w

Did not have much time for taking pictures today but while walking around Blackheath I took a few pictures of the geese at the pond nearby.
This goes in my animal series with the snail and pigeons :). Wonder if a picture taken of animals but on the street and in black and white would qualify as 'Street Photography' or rather 'Wildlife Photography' or simply as a (boring?) snapshot of a goose ;).