All photographs with a Ricoh GR or GRD.

This ebook has the same content as the

GRD IV ebook but adapted for the Ricoh GR because Ricoh kept the cameras similar.
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Discussion Craig Atkinson
with 4 Don Springer
Photographers Ray Sachs
with the Wouter Brandsma
Don Springer and I are creators of Street Presets and Inspired Eye, we found it useful to describe his
experiences with the Ricoh GR in a conversational way, like we do in the magazine. Further down I’ll
invite some other Ricoh GR owners for a discussion: Ray Sachs, Wouter Brandsma, Craig Atkinson
Don, how long have you
been a Ricoh user?
Well, I guess since 1969. I was
using a Leica m4 and a Nikon F
when I was in Nam. The Leica
was THE camera for many
reasons. The Nikon F was a tank
and unfortunately, it weighed
like a tank. There was a shooter,
camera shooter, from Australia
naked Jock. He gave me the
Ricoh TLS with a few lenses. It
was ½ the weight of the Nikon.
Great dependable camera.
Which ones of the GRD
Series did you own?
I actually owned them all at one
time or another. For me, Ricoh
really got it together with the
GRD3. That camera was and
still is amazing. Then I got the
GRD4 and well, words don’t
exist to describe how good that
camera is.
The Ricoh GR didn’t come
yet, what is your frame of
mind waiting for it since
you have read the other
stuff posted online?
I don’t put any stock in anyone’s
writing about the camera. Sorry
guys. I make my photos the way
I want with whatever I want
and the camera either works
with me or it doesn’t. I know
this. Ricoh is smart enough and
more importantly……the are a
shooter’s company.
The interface of the GRD4 and
the GR is very similar. This
didn’t happen by accident. You
see, Ricoh know what it takes
to get a camera in the hands of
it’s followers and keep it there.
I have nothing to fear and have
only 1 concern: I am somewhat
concerned that the GR could be
too good.
What do you mean by “too
good”?
That’s a good question. The
GRD4 is 10 MP, a small sensor.
Because of this, it has mojo in
it. I mean that it has grit in the
image that some say is like film.
I don’t care about it looking like
film but it’s true. That’s MOJO.
The GR has an APS-C sensor
and is 16 MP. That could make
a very clean file and that would
mean that it requires a different
way of working on the back en…
LR etc.
It’s a big step from a small
sensor to APSC indeed.
What do you think that
means for Snap Focus?
Well, that will depend on the
shooter. I don’t expect anyone
to work like I do but….if we are
at f/5.6 on the GRD4, and we
use snap at 1 meter, (3.28’) we
are at the Hyperfocal distance.
That means we get ½ the HD
to infinity in acceptable focus.
That’s a little over 1 1/2’ to
infinity.
If we use f/5.6 on the GR and
we focus at 2.98 meters, (9.77’)
we get get about 4 1/2’ to
infinity. That’s a big difference
but still very good on the street.
Are you going to keep your
GRD IV?
Now you hit the big question.
First off, the GR was given to my
by a very close friend. He likes
the N word camera better. It
will arrive tomorrow evening. I
don’t consider it mine even tho
he will never ask for it back. For
the GRD4, I made a promise to
Wouter that if I get the GR and
keep it, I’ll send his daughter my
White GRD4. I love my GRD4
but a promise is a promise.
I think it’s a mistake to
think of the GR as an
upgrade to the GRD IV.
They are like two brothers,
similar, yet different.
I actually suggest and
foresee people having
the two without any one
of them overshadowing
each other. We will wait
for when you get the GR
tomorrow and we will ask
you for your very first out-
of-the-box-impressions.
What’s the worse that could
happen. It’s a funny thing tho’.
I have been quoted as saying
the GRD4 is a camera killer. I
do still hold that as truth. Most
GRD users will agree with this.
We all have other cameras. We
use them and then…the bug
bites you in the butt and you
pick up the GRD again. All the
sudden. blood flows freely to the
brain…the eyes are seeing at a
level that is only very rare.
Images pop all over…..then one
thinks that, well…this is ugly…
…I only need my GRD IV. Truth
is this is the truth.
Around my house for years,
ebay has had many listings
because the GRD’s have killed
those poor innocent cameras.
In the end….. “Everything Is
Illuminated”.
(Don got his Ricoh GR)
Now that the postmaster
delivered the package what
are your first impressions?
First off, the GR has an
impeccable build quality and
feel. By the way, The GR is a
female. It is a camera that you
can be around all day and not
tire of it’s presence.
How long was the learning
curve?
WAS…that’s a laugh! Is, is
proper Olivier. Remember that
I have used this for a day and
½ so far. I did a fair amount of
work with it and more on the
way in the garden this afternoon
and the streets tomorrow. I did
not read the manual. I never do
on a new camera.
Why, glad you asked. If I can go
out with a new camera and use
it after a setup without reading
the manual, then said camera
has a high level of intuitiveness
and probably will not visit eBay.
If I go out and stumble a lot
with a new camera, it belongs to
someone else. The commitment
to a relationship with a new
camera comes after some really
good smiles because the camera
did what it’s supposed to do
without bothering me.
At that point, the learning curve
begins. I now will read the
manual, well briskly read it and
discover hidden secrets. So the
learning curve is now starting
and should be over in about a
few years.
When I stop learning with this
little lady, either her or I will be
fed up with each other, it will be
time for her to leave.
You now have two 28mm
cameras, a small sensor
and a large APS-C sensor,
will you see conflict
between the two? How
would you know what
camera to go out with?
Great question and I have the
answer for you. Unlike many
shooters I have a serious
relationship with my cameras.
I never think of them as tools.
I always name my cameras
and treat them as nice as I can.
By the way, the GR is named
Tanya after my wife. I’ve never
named a camera after any of my
wives but Tanya is here behind
my back always….NO! I mean
always…..sheeeesh…..
Oh, the 28mm question. I have
the Fuji X 20 and that has a 28-
112 and is an amazing camera.
His name is Walker after
Walker Evans.I have the GRD4
in White and that’s a 28mm
until he gets bored, then I have
to put the 21mm adapter on
him. He likes that. His name is
Andre’ after the Father of Street
Andre’ Kertesz.
Someday I’ll tell you about the
7 things Andre’ Kertesz taught
me. I now have Tanya, the GR
also a 28mm. The Sony Nex 6
is arriving this week and the
unnamed camera will have a
30mm (45 fov) but may get
to the 28mm arena. So I hope
you see that it’s an easy take
deciding which camera to use
for the shoot. No, you don’t get
it.
It’s very photo scientific that’s
why you don’t see it. I get ready
to go out and I look at my
 What are your impressions
of the Ricoh GR so far?
Like Don already said, it is
solid and reassuring. At high
ISO’s – 1600 and above – I do
see some hot pixels and the GR
exposes quite conservative. The
RAW images have a nice texture
and I think that even the jpegs
up to ISO 1600 are very usable
and printable. I find the AF fast
enough for me, but I have used
the snap function most of
the time.
With the Fn1 button I change
between AF and snap focus.
And I assigned the snap focus
distances to the Fn2 button. I
already noticed that I can use
without watching and all with
my right thumb.
Do you enjoy or resent the
fact that there is no AA
filter on the sensor?
That is not something I am
really thinking about. What I
did see was some moiré that
seems harder to cope with in
RAW. Craig and I talked about
that and I give my feedback to
Ricoh about the moiré.
Since you are a JPG
shooter, how do you find
the out of camera ones?
I know the RAW images contain
more details and are more
mangable in post processing,
but I am starting to like
jpegs. ISO3200 looks like the
boundary to me, beyond that
there is just too much noise
reduction going on. I realize I
am still in the learning face of
getting to know the GR.
I call the camera GR or Ricoh
by the way. Albeit it is THE
camera, I consider it genderless.
The thing is you need to take
your time to learn your tool.
And I need to except that
there are things that will work
differently than my GRD3. I
am discovering now what these

camera family and think, Who
do I feel like spending some
time with today? I’ll have some
photos shortly and some presets
are in the works.
We will be back with
Don in a few, now we
are turning to Wouter
Brandsma for his
impressions. Wouter, how
long have you had the
Ricoh GR?
I have the GR since May
27. Two days prior to
that I was told it was
shipped from Paris. I could
immediately use since
I already had a battery
charged.
You mainly shot with small
sensors, Ricoh GRD III, Ricoh
GX, Pentax Q, how was the
jump to and APSC sensor?
The camera functions similar
to my GRD3 and I have been so
familiar to 28mm perspective
since 1996 when I got my GR1.
I have more time adjusting to
different focal lengths than to
the change of sensors. My main
concern though was how the
different output would go with
my photography.
By different output do you mean
the image quality? Do you see a
difference in your work because
of the larger sensor?
Yes, different output was related
to the image quality. I like a
certain texture in my images
and was worried that it would
too clean. After just a couple of
days I still think it is too soon
to make any conclusions. What
I see is a larger dynamic range,
even in the jpegs. And there is
also a bit more depth feeling.
Not immediately 3D, but also
not the 2D look of the small
sensors.
things are.
We are now moving
to Craig Atkinson‘s
impressions. Afterwards
we will have them have
them ask questions to each
other, and some requests.
Did you have any Ricoh
GRD camera before? How
long have you had the GR
for?
I’ve had Ricohs since the GRD3
was released, so not that long
really. I was using a load of old
film cameras at the time and the
GRD seemed the only camera
that could match the quality of a
film image, grain wise, and that
could shoot as fast, with no lag.
The size is important too.
What are your first
impressions?
Well initially I was a bit
disappointed with the GR. I
don’t know why; I was jumping
to conclusions I think. Since
I sold my GRD4 for the Fuji
X100s and RX100 I think I
adapted myself out of the Ricoh
mindset.
The Fuji is bigger, slower,
35mm, great colours, possibly
makes you think a bit more
because you can’t really work
as fast with it, so naturally it
slows you down; I’d got used to
it. The Sony RX100 has a zoom,
is tiny… I’d forgotten about the
snap function, the simplicity of
use and the excellent interface
and ergonomics.
Now, however, having shot for
a week with it, daily and a lot,
I’m back into it. I picked up the
X100s yesterday for the first
time in a week and it seemed so
heavy and big!
The GR is a great camera.
Actually the best camera to my
mind, for what I want to do.
One thing I miss from the
GRD4 is the auto distance snap
function. The GR has snap but
no auto snap. Now you select
the distance then snap, so it
adds one more step. Not a huge
problem just something I miss. I
guess it’s due to the new camera
setup.
You have the another
popular camera, the Fuji
X100s. Which do you
prefer and why?
The X100s has gone back to the
shop. I’ve had two now, both
faulty. I believe firmware fixes
the fault – jams up, but I don’t
want it anyway now I have the
GR. I did get used to 35mm. I
think it’s more ‘seductive’ than
28mm. Things seem more real.
28mm suits me better though
I think. The size of the camera
too, and ‘snap’.
The X100s got too much
unwanted attention. Too many
comments. The GR I actually
prefer the look of, and it gets no
comments because it just looks
like a small black camera, not a
Leica.
What’s your opinion on the
lack of AA filter?
I don’t care. I was speaking with
Wouter today. Options confuse
and distract me. The settings
I use are, aperture, ISO and
sometimes shutter speed. I use
‘snap’ a lot. That’s it.
AA filter or not I don’t care.
The fact it’s gone gives sharper
images, so I guess that’s ok. It
also allows for moiré, which I
have been having some issues
with. However, after another
conversation with Wouter, and
his great idea, stopping down to
f10+ eliminates the moiré.
Now that’s sorted I can’t really
fault the camera apart from the
auto distance snap. I have only
had it a week though, so there’s
time yet!
How do you find post
processing the Ricoh GR
files?
Fun. Post processing Olympus
OMD files I find not much fun.
Fuji are ok and RX100 are
just standard. Ricoh files have
a drawn quality, a film like
grain. You set the parameters
but something organic always
happens with them which I
think is great.
I always find it harder if there is
very strong light in the picture
but that’s something I need to
work on. You can get a lot out
of the RAW files. I tend to shoot
RAW only. I should give the in
camera filters a go really.
Our Final Photographer is
Ray Sachs, how long have
you had the GR for, Ray?
I got a loaner copy on about
May 22 or 23 I think. I’ve
been shooting with it since
then. When the Nikon A was
released, well before the GR
was announced, I got a loaner
of THAT and had been shooting
with it nearly a month when the
GR was announced.
I had to return the Nikon but
my source was kind enough to
send me another copy of the
Nikon when the GR came so I
could sort of review them side
by side. So I’ve been shooting
with both.
What’s your overall
opinion so far?
Mixed, but mostly good. If I’d
never heard of the Nikon, I’d
have probably bought the GR,
loved it unconditionally, and
said only the nicest possible
things about it. I doubt I’d have
tried the Nikon if the sequence
had been reversed and I’d had
a month with the GR before
I got the Nikon, because my
roots with Ricoh go back a few
years with the GRD3 and the
GXR-28mm module. I know the
interface real well, like it mostly,
and I’m very comfortable with
it. But the Nikon snuck in there
and its fighting for my heart
now, with some strengths of its
own.
The Ricoh is a great street
machine, as they all have been,
and its a great B&W machine, as
they all have been. The tradeoff
seems to be, as the other’s have
alluded to, that the files are
VERY clean and if you’ve gotta
have grit, its tougher to get it
organically in anything but
really low light. In really low
light I can shoot at 3200 and
even 6400 and its got a pretty
nice noise/grain pattern that I
like a lot and can pass for the
GRD 3 at 800 and maybe the
GXR-28 at 1600.
But at 1600 and below, the GR
files are CLEAN. I’m OK with
that – my signature isn’t nearly
as well defined as Don’s and
Wouter’s and Craig’s so I sort
of take it as it comes, take what
it gives me, hit it where they
ain’t, etc (sorry for the baseball
reference!).
I heard you sold all of your
Fuji gear for the Ricoh GR,
is that true? Why?
No, that’s not really what
happened. I recently acquired
a Sony RX1, which is a
remarkable camera in its own
right.
And I knew/know I’d be buying
one of these two 28mm pocket
rockets, which I will be soon.
I did sell most of my Fuji gear
– an X-Pro and the 35mm f1.4
lens and the 18mm f2.0 lens –
because I didn’t see when I’d be
using it with those lenses when
I’d have the RX1 and the 28mm
camera available.
AND to help pay for these
cameras, but the primary
expense was the RX1, not the

Ricoh or Nikon! I still have the
Fuji 14mm lens, but it doesn’t
work well with the Fuji OVF, so
there was no point in holding
on to the X-Pro for that. So I’m
either going to sell that too or
pick up a used XE1 (with just
an EVF) to shoot with that and
maybe the planned 10-24 when
it comes along…
Any issues with the Ricoh
GR?
The only thing I’ve had SOME
issues with is the metering in
really challenging light, and
the colors that result from
that under-exposure. In bright
daylight, I’m fine and the colors
are great. In really low light, I’m
fine and the colors are fine.
But I did some shooting on an
early morning sunrise walk
about a week ago and shot
almost identical shots back to
back with the Ricoh and Nikon
and the Nikon results were
much better to my eyes. The
more I looked into it (with the
help of a number of folks on
Serious Compacts and DPR –
(where I was also nearly drawn
and quartered – such a funny
place!), the more I’m convinced
it was more of a metering issue
than a color issue.
The colors are a bit different
than the Nikon and I
qualitatively preferred the
Nikon’s slightly, but the Ricoh
was mostly underexposing
by quite a bit (with a few odd
occurrences of over-exposure
that I haven’t figured out at all
yet).
I think from talking to Don and
seeing Wouter’s blog, it may be
that the Ricoh has a tendency
to blow highlights and perhaps
the metering is calibrated to
underexpose to avoid that??? I
was also using matrix metering
rather than center weighted, so
that might have been part of the
problem, but in that particular
situation, I don’t think it would
have mattered. I suspect that
after getting better acquainted
with the metering, I’d be fine
with using the camera in any
lighting situation. Probably just
growing pains…
Don has also alluded to some
issues with the Adobe color
profile for the camera. Adobe
DOES have a beta version of the
color profile available with ACR
beta release 8.1. For those using
Photoshop or Photoshop and
Lightroom together, installing
that beta update will get you the
right “Adobe Standard” profile
working in both applications.
BUT, if you just have Lightroom
without PS, ACR won’t install
and if you find the color
profile file and put it where
you’d THINK it should go, the
program won’t find it and you’d
still be using the “embedded”
DNG profile, which really
messes up the reds and yellows
and purples.
It IS possible to install it such
that Lightroom will find it and
use it, but it requires finding the
file deep in the bowels of the
failed ACR installation (it will
still send you all of the data you
need), “un-hiding” some folders
on your Mac or PC, and copying
the file to the right place, which
is a very very long way from the
obvious place.
Once you install that and can
use the “Adobe Standard”
profile, that problem is cleared
up completely. This is not a
problem with the camera at
all – its just a matter of Adobe
releasing the final version of
that color profile and making
it available to Lightroom users
in addition to Photoshop users.
For now, Lightroom-only users
have to be willing to do a bit of
surgery to make it work with the
right color profile.
The only other issue I’ve had
isn’t an issue at all. Its just that
I’ve got the Nikon to try out too
and, as much as I like the Ricoh
in many ways, I actually prefer
the Nikon in some ways and its
making for a bit of an internal
debate.
But that’s my problem. For
someone who’s an established
Ricoh user and is inclined
toward the GR, just buy it and
enjoy it – don’t torture yourself
like I have been!
Now we are letting the
photographers interact with
each other about the Ricoh GR
Streetshooter (Don):
First off…I am doing raw only
and still get a B&W screen.
Great.
I notice that the files are super
clean and there’s an over
exposure in many bright scenes.
Wouter:
Yeah, metering carefully really
makes sense. My immediate
adjustment when I got to
preset my camera to -0.3 EV.
Something I always needed to
do with my compact cameras.
After a couple of days I
stopped underexposing since I
noticed the metering felt very
conservative. I haven’t used it in
harsh light though (spring feels
like autumn here).
Regarding the super clean
files it is one of the reason
why I starting to like the GR
jpegs. With a notch of added
sharpness in post I see the
texture comes alive. And
one other nice thing is that
I can almost always keep
it comfortably at ISO 400
knowing that when the light
becomes too bright with the
preset aperture, the ND filter
will be automatically started. Or
at least that is how I’ve set up
my GR.
Craig:
Don – RAW only with a BW
screen, I totally forgot about
that. This is a good example of
Ricoh listening to people. To be
able to ‘preview’ while shooting
RAW is good I think, although
sometimes it acts like a ‘this is
what you could have had if you
shot JPEG’!
I think under 1600 the files are
pretty clean. Not Fuji clean, but
much cleaner than the GRD.
However, it doesn’t take much
to get the grain back. I’ve not

noticed too much over exposure.
I have ND set to auto. I have
never used ND before on any
camera, because it’s always been
a menu dive to turn it on / off.
Seems to work well though, and
in post you can do pretty much
anything with it anyway.
My method of shooting isn’t
‘pure’. I think if you press
the button, regardless of any
setting, you’ll get something
to work with. There are times
you really want the shot and
compose and set the camera up
etc. There are times you hit the
button and run, and usually for
me, those are the best times. It’s
good for me to set parameters
to work within, but whatever
happens within is anyones
guess!
I’m always scared of getting
dust in the Ricoh lenses – no
room for a filter. There seem to
be a lot more moving parts in
the GR lens.
Streetshooter:
Wouter, what are you
processing your files in. It seems
that the new profile for the
GR has not been released yet.
Anything will read a DNG and
that’s why I’m having issues.
I talked with Ray Sachs again
this evening for 3 hours and he
advised me that the profiles are
wrong.
I have also done some
conversions in PS CS5 and
then into SEP2. I used my GRD
profiles and they worked fine for
B&W…..
I am using RAW so the dynamic
range stuff doesn’t matter. I
am at -1/3 EV because I have
summer light. More later after I
sneak away from da wifey…..
Wouter:
I can certainly relate to the fear
of dust in the lens, Craig. My
GX100 was quite notorious and
it happened three times in less
than a year. It even happened to
my GRD3. With the GR it is not
the lens I am too worried about,
but that flimsy door….
Next I want to dive some what
deeper in the effect bracketing
option. I also liked such a
similar feature on the Pentax Q
where the camera saved both a
processed jpeg and the default
jpeg.
I had a change to try the effect
bracketing which basically
means that it processes the
RAW image three times in-
camera. It saves a default jpeg,
and effect processed versions.
The strange though is that for
every processed version the
camera makes a copy of the
RAW image. That sure is one
very rapid method to fill up your
SD card.
I know you guys prefer to shoot
RAW, while I kept using jpegs.
Last year at Photokina Pentax
made two very large prints of
my images. Those were at least
1.5 meters wide and people
were astounded that those were
in-camera jpegs that I post
processed.
Now, it sounds stupid. Here
in the Netherlands we have
a whole lot of stone bricked
houses and the image processor
seems to have a hard time
coping with the moiré. There is
even less detail visible than in a
Jan Vermeer painting. I decided
to start using RAW only with
the GR.
I notice that I am still the slave
of the camera. The camera
works nimble, just like my
GRD3. That is all familiar and
I don’t think nor worry about
that. I realize though that I
am still working hard to get a
feeling for the output.
Today was a breakthru day. I
just went to center city Philly
and walked and made photos.
Luckily I had a wide variety
of conditions and light. If you
go to my blog and Flickr site,
you’ll get an idea of what we
went thru. Tanya loves harsh
backlighting. I asked her to
watch for flare but she just
clicked away and let me just see.
She handled everything I put
her thru.
I used that TVa thing and -1/3
EV. Tanya chose ISO and never
missed a beat. The meter is very
accurate finding its balance very
natural.
I read Craig’s response about
dynamic range in auto and I
did that also. I’m not sure that
applied to raw files.
The raw files in LR are boring
and flat. After speaking, the
analog voice thing, with Ray
Sachs yesterday, I found out
that the cameras profile is not in
LR yet.
I’m making presets and so far,
they and the GR are excellent.
Wouter:
Always exciting times when you
notice that breakthrough. Last
evening I went to the nearby
country side. Probably my
favorite location to photograph
and most certainly very
different from most of the work
you see taken with the Ricoh
GR. Sure the camera is good for
street photography, especially
B&W street photography, but
it can do so much more. Last
evening´s work was all in color
and I had a blast (previous
page).
Streetshooter:
What I notice is that the images
have a very nice tonal range,
good contrast and very clean.
My issue is that I’ve no success
yet in getting GRIT that I can
live with. There no doubt will be
2 versions of any presets anyone
makes. A raw and a jpeg.
Has anyone gotten close to the
hidden grit? I could live with
the clean look but I’m in the
middle of a retrospective and
don’t want to alter the course of
fluidity to the prints. Today I’m
in the garden again as I await
the arrival of Roger’s Nex 6.
Wouter:
With my color photographs I
find the Lightroom grain good
enough, but with my B&W
photographs I actually prefer
Alien Skin Exposure (currently
version 4) since I can adjust
the amount of grain in the
shadows, the mid tones and the
highlights.
It is something I really miss in
Lightroom and Silver Efex Pro.
I haven’t found the hidden grit
though. And why do you want
to have a Nex 6 when you have
such a fine camera already in
your hand?
Streetshooter:
Wouter, the GR is a fine camera
and I’ll no doubt keep it.
The Nex 6 images are very
organic. I don’t like using that
term but here’s a brief analogy.
The GR makes a great digital
representation of what I want
on my screen.
The GRD4, Nex and a few
others make what I want to see
on the screen.
It’s not a representation, it’s it!
Wouter:
I understand you. For me, I just
know for me that all the choices
are just counterproductive. I
want limited choices and just
love to use one camera.
Streetshooter:
I get it Wouter.
If I walk with my wife, she paces
with me cause I’m slower.
If I walk with my 19 yo
Grandson…. It’s a brisk walk.
If I walk with my Grandaughter,
it’s magical and speed is of no
concern.
If I walk with a few vets in
wheelchairs… It’s an easy pace
with conversations.
If I walk with my camera, any
camera I end up keeping….
It’s the best walk.
It’s all good to walk and I show
no favoritism but by myself is
what I strive for.
It’s the same with cameras…
They all make photos it’s just
how the two of you talk and
walk together.
Me, I like friends and the
choices a few cameras offers me.
They all make photos but the
conversation is interesting and
different with each.
Wouter:
I switch the conversation to the
MY settings. Are you guys using
these and if so how have you set
it up?
My main setup is RAW only in
3:2. I prefer spot AF and have
the press snap on. I have set
the default snap focus distance
to 2 meters. The Fn1 button
is assigned to switch rapidly
between AF and snap, while U
use the Fn2 button to change
the snap focus distance. I like
the Multi-P auto white balance
and I use that as default. I
briefly tried the TAv mode, but
I decided to stick to Av so I keep
grip on the ISO.
The aperture is for me standard
on f/4.5 which I change with the
front lever.
ISO is set to 400 and I set the
ISO control with the adjustment
lever on. A notch to left or right
with the adjustment lever is just
enough to change the ISO.
I really like that feature.
Although I use RAW only now
you can still set the image effect
which is a cool feature. So the
only differences between the
MY1 and MY2 setting is the
effect. MY1 is color and MY2 is
B&W. I even gave both registred
settings a name (unlike my
camera). Of course ‘Color’ and
‘Black & White’.
Streetshooter:
Ray, in our conversation last
night, you stated that the
dynamic range is for jpegs only.
I’m only doing raw and I think
Craig is also. Is that correct
about only in jpegs?
Ray:
I’m playing around with the
mysets. I’ve got the first one set
up for street shooting in good
light – its in TaV mode with a
default shutter speed of 1/500
and an aperture of f6.3, snap
focus at two meters. This is
close enough to hyperfocal for
the whole world to basically be
in focus.
This is one setup where I
actually prefer the Nikon
because it has a similar auto-
ISO setup but you can set
the minimum shutter speed
anywhere up to 1/1000. So in a
similar myset with that, I have it
in aperture priority with a max
ISO of 6400 and a minimum
shutter speed of 1/500 and it
does all the work – I just read
the light and adjust exposure
comp as I need to.
The shutter speed will go
below 1/500 if it needs to,
but when I’m shooting from
the hip I like to keep it high
when I can – even at 1/250
a combination of handshake
and subject movement can
give me a blurred shot. Which
sometimes works, but that’s
not usually what I’m going for.
Which brings me to Myset 2,
which is set for lower light street
work in aperture priority with
an aperture of f4 and minimum
shutter of 1/250, which is the
Ricoh’s maximum allowed.
That works pretty well for
shooting in evenings or indoor
environments – I just have to
be careful to steady myself for
the shot. Myset 3 is set up for
more scenic and contemplative
shooting where the shutter
speed doesn’t matter much but
IQ gets more important. That’s
aperture priority with a max
ISO of 3200 and a minimum
shutter speed of 1/60.
I always have fn1 set to toggle
between snap focus and
pinpoint AF and if I get the
Ricoh over the Nikon, that’s
one of the key reasons why –
that ability to instantly switch
without any thought or break
in concentration is pretty
wonderful.
My understanding is that the
DR thing is basically a jpeg
setting. If it works like the X100
and other Fujis do, it raises the
ISO, lowers the exposure, and
then pushes the exposure back
up in processing?
Or maybe its the other way
around, but I think that’s it.
And on the Fuji, if you leave it
set to that in raw, it’ll still raise
the ISO and lower the exposure,
but since it’s not doing the
processing, you’re gonna get
an underexposed file that you
have to know what to do with
in post. I usually shot the X100
and X-Pro in jpeg though, so
I let the Fuji engineers handle
that for me.
When I was getting some
weird (and inconsistent)
underexposures with the GR,
I was wondering if maybe the
same thing was happening with
the Ricoh, which I was shooting
in raw only.
But I didn’t have the DR turned
on, so that’s when I figured it
was probably what Wouter was
talking about on his blog. So, I
haven’t tried shooting raw with
it to see if it works like the Fuji
approach. I’m sure its intended
to work primarily in jpeg, but
if you have it on with raw, you
might be getting underexposed
files at high ISO – if so, that’s
why…
Craig:
I just put some words on here
– bit of a ramble, but some
thoughts http://streetca.
wordpress.com/2013/06/06/
ricoh-gr-jpeg-vs-raw/ (Click to
go to website)
Olivier:
Guys, here’s a comment left
on Inspired Eye FB page:
“Hey guys I just want to confirm
if this is a bug on the new GR.
I just received mine yesterday
and there seems to be a bug
when the LCD was switched off
– aperture and shutter controls
can’t be used “blind” though I
can still shoot with the LCD off.
It seems to have lost the “LCD
off” mode of the GRDiv, where
the screen will momentarily
come on when I touch the
shutter speeds or aperture
controls…..”
Craig:
I don’t remember that
happening on the GRD4 either,
could be wrong. I thought once
it’s off it’s off, unless you go into
menus or press playback.
Streetshooter:
My camera works fine with the
screen off. When it’s Round my
neck… Screen off…I am able to
adjust settings…
Wouter:
I don’t have the problem either,
Olivier.
Today I hit the streets again.
Hot weather and the streets
where crowded and people were
in a sunny mood. I used the
earlier described MY2 setting
and occasionally switched
between AF and snap mode.
There was a lot going on, but
I felt focused. I was glad that
there was a bit of movement in
the sky which would add a bit of
texture. Yes, the GR is slightly
larger than my GRD3. In the
hand though I didn’t notice the
camera.
Olivier:
How did the camera affect your
way of shooting? Did you notice
you have a different way of
seeing?
Ray:
I don’t think a camera really
has much impact on my way of
seeing unless it just interferes
with my shooting process to the
point that I’m not free to see
in the first place. So it mostly
needs to be intuitive and fast
enough in use not to get in the
way. The Ricoh generally meets
this criteria, the only exception
being that its complex enough
that sometimes I trip over one
of my own detailed settings.
good and bad). A view finder Streetshooter: next to the GRD4.
I find pretty slow but it makes
Or I start to adjust the exposure
me thing more. I quite like the There’s only 2 things a camera Wouter:
comp, don’t hit the OK button
action of holding the camera to does with me.
to lock in the change, forget
my face sometimes. However, First,it’s intuitive without any The GR doesn’t affect my
I haven’t done that, and then
mostly my unplanned shots are intrusion on my vision. shooting. The camera just put
accidentally further adjust
better. Second, it’s not intuitive and on some weight. It is basically
exposure comp when I meant
causes aggravation cause I need like using my GRD3. I know
to change the aperture or focus
The Ricoh I rarely look at when to sell it. No middle ground it is my hand, but I don’t have
distance or something. But I’m
I’m shooting. It’s in my hand, with me. think. Like Don says, it is a
only occasionally that stupid, so
occasionally I’ll check ISO or keeper since it doesn’t hinder
generally the camera does pretty
aperture. If in a tight crowd I’ll So if I’m using a camera and me. I only know the outcome is
much what I ask it to do without
bring it closer to my face but not it’s passed the test period…. It’s more refined. And I learned that
taking my attention too much
often. The danger with the GR now working with me and not the gritty sweet spot for me is
away from the photograph.
is that it’s so easy to take a shot for me. around ISO 800. ISO gives me a
that it can become a thoughtless lovely texture in the images.
Craig:
process. I always have to My vision has been consistent
consider that which makes me for almost 5 decades and I plan I used to be a nifty 50 kind of
Ricohs free me up. It’s good and
focus more on what I’m doing. on keeping that way. guy and got converted because
bad. Coming from the x100s
The GR is not for sale….it sleeps of the Ricoh. All of you do well
which slows me down (also

with the 28mm. What is it about
the 28mm that resonates with
you and do you feel it limiting?
Craig:
I’ve always used 28mm. All my
old film cameras were 28mm
except one Chinese 35mm fixed
lens plastic slr! I love 35mm,
was seduced by the Fuji and
forgot about 28mm. I always
thought though, what if I got a
bit more of this, or that in the
shot. 28mm is more dynamic
I think. Perhaps not as natural
but it’s certainly as engaging.
Anything wider is a bit too
distorted for me though.
Streetshooter:
I’ll tell ya something about
Ricoh’s I hate, GR included.
No strap lugs. I use Luigi’s thin
leather straps and wrist straps
on all my cameras. I have Le
Hook small on all strap ends.
I can switch from neck to wrist
in under 30 sec. Now I have
to commit to one or the other
because I haven’t found any
solution using loop straps.
I love the camera on a wrist
strap but sometimes I like to do
chest shots…
ala’ Inter Alios
Craig:
Don, you need another GR!
Ray:
When I was a kid shooting
film, I have no idea what I was
shooting with some of my early
family hand me down cameras.
I had a Canon half-frame from
the ’50s I think that must have
been some sort of wider angle
– I got that when I was 9 in ’68
from my older brother who got
it from my Dad – no idea how
long he’d had it. But once I got
my first SLR in high school
(yeah, a K1000, what else?), I
shot 50 because that’s all there
was.
But as soon as I was conscious
of what I was doing I started
gravitating to wide angle as
soon as I could get it. Bought
my first zoom lens in about
1985 and when it occurred to
me it never left 28mm I realized
something must up with that.
Nowadays I’ll shoot anything
but neutral.
I’ll shoot wide anywhere from
about 15 on up and I’ll shoot
long anywhere from about
90 on up, But the focal range
between about 40-80 is pretty
much dead to me – I just can’t
see a damn thing in those
frames. I like 35 as my “neutral”
length but for most walk around
shooting I’ll take 24 or 28 over
anything.
If someone made something like
a GR with a 24mm equivalent,
I’d buy that too. My Olympus
12mm lens is my favorite lens
pretty much ever, but 4:3 is
a narrower frame than 3:2 so
24mm at 4:3 and 28mm at 3:2
seem to feel pretty similar and
very natural to me. I have an
RX1 at 35 and I love that camera
for a lot of reasons, but when
I pick up a small camera with
a 28, I just feel like I’m back
home. These two Rikon twins
are the camera I’ve been after
for a loooong time…
Now I just have to choose –
they’re both so damn good.
Both have great interfaces that
have been refined over many
years and are just about spot-
perfect. The Ricoh is way more
programmable, but I usually
have it set up in a way that I can
get to the few adjustments I use
a lot very quickly and the Nikon
does that just as well with less
mental clutter. But the Ricoh
just feeeeeels so right in the
hand. And both of ‘em shoot 28
so they both disappear pretty
much totally…
Wouter:
I had all the options available
in the Nineties. At some point
though it all felt overwhelming
and it didn’t get me any further
in photography. I thought
about what I wanted and didn’t
want. Really felt sure I needed
to restrict it all. In those days I
mostly used an 18-35mm zoom
lens and simply decided that
28mm was good enough. I just
got rid of all the stuff, looked
around for something simple,
but still a quality product, and
instantly bought the GR1 when
it was introduced.
I had pictures in my head I
couldn’t translate to film. It
was a process of at least 10
years to get where I am now,
but a lot needed to happen in
my personal life to realize it
and to express my feelings.
Much has changed, not only
photographically, but what
remained was my desire to keep
it simple and to restrict myself.
Therefore my interest in the GR,
and the GRD1 and GRD3 before.
Olivier:
Interesting comments! The
Ricoh are known as street
cameras, something that is
common about all of you. Why
do you think that is and what
does Street Photography mean
to you?
Wouter:
A tricky one, Olivier. I had
my fair amount of interest in
street photography and some
of the photographers that
inspired me are mostly known
for their street photographs.
I still make photographs you
might categorize as street
photography, but street
photography is no necessity
anymore. It forms only a small
portion of my photography.
I think the connection people
make between the Ricoh GR(D)
cameras and street photography
is something of the more recent
years. Kind of sad too, because
the photographer with these
cameras can do so much more.
Therefore I prefer to call my
photography stroll photography.
Wherever I wander around
there can be something
interesting, something that
connects with your feelings.
I prefer some distance and
respect in my photography. And
I much rather prefer to focus on
how people interact with their
environment. I don’t really care
about genres, I care how I feel
about the things I see and I like
to capture what I feel.
Ray:
Hey gents, I’m getting more
and more comfortable with a
decision to send back the GR
loaner and buy the Nikon A,
so if you’d like to jettison me
from the rest of the discussion
I’ll understand. I’ll give you
my reasons, but if you’d rather
just keep this among us and
not post it to the blog (is any
more of this going on the blog,
or are we just talking amongst
ourselves at this point?), I’m
more than fine with that. You
all are a discerning bunch, so its
worth putting out there for any
thoughts you might have.
I like both cameras a lot – I’m
not a fanboy (and if I was I’ve
been a Ricoh fanboy for a few
years and a Nikon fanboy for
a couple of months – the zeal
of the recently converted?). If
the Ricoh had been announced
before the Nikon I’d have
probably pre-ordered one and
never even tried the Nikon.
But because the Nikon was
available to me for almost a
month before the Ricoh was
announced, I had a chance to
get to know it on its own terms
and judge it against other
Ricoh’s I’ve known (and still
do). And at the end of the day,
much to my surprise, I prefer it.
Some of my preferences are
interface related and ONLY
preferences, but I’m pretty clear
on them. Some are arguably a
little more technical, but are
still basically preferences rather
than better or worse…. The
biggest things I LIKE about
the Ricoh are the feel of the
shape of the camera in my hand
(no surprise after the GRD3),
the ability to switch instantly
between zone focus and AF and
have the camera remember
the zone distance (I”m not
overly smitten with snap focus
otherwise, but this is a pretty
big deal), and the faster AF in
good light (which is not a big
deal for me, but its nice to have
anyway).
The biggest thing I don’t like
about the Ricoh (and this
surprised me because its
Ricoh’s calling card and part
of what I’ve loved about it in
the past) is the complexity of
its interface, which I just find
to be totally overkill for how I
shoot and I sometimes trip over
that complexity, even with a
relatively straightforward setup.
For example, something as
simple as changing exposure
compensation requires pushing
the plus or minus rocker – so
far so good because its instantly
armed and ready – but then you
have to choose whether to keep
it “open” or hit the OK button to
lock in the new setting. And you
have to remember which you’ve
chosen to do because there are
consequences if you don’t!
Hitting the OK button every
time I change something strikes
me as a bit of a pain. Sometimes
its nice to leave it open so you
can change again after the next
shot. But if you do leave it in
this “active” state, ANYTHING
else you go to change will only
affect exposure comp, so if you
go to change the aperture, for
example, all you’ll do is further
adjust exposure comp to an
extend you probably didn’t things on the Nikon and I find all of them or you risk hopeless still moving), 1/250 isn’t high
mean to and the aperture is it works really well. Exposure confusion. On the Nikon, the enough for me. So, with the
unaffected. comp I can do with one hand. lesser used functions are just all Ricoh I’ll use TaV mode and
in one place, about as quickly set the shutter speed manually,
The GXR had an option you Nikon A Street Photography accessible as the ADJ controller but I have to remember to
could turn on so that as soon as Nikon A Street Photography on the Ricoh, but they don’t keep an eye on it and manage
you pressed or half-pressed the I can setup the GR to have change – they’re just there. it. Otherwise, as I move into
shutter button, that would have my most used options in easy a shady area, the ISO can get
the same effect as hitting the OK reach, but I can do that on A sort of big one for me is one totally out of whack – I had a
button, but the GR doesn’t have the Nikon too. The difference mere detail in the auto-ISO couple of shots done in a shaded
this option. They may add it comes in where to put the only implementation. The Ricoh area on a super-bright day
back in firmware some day, occasionally used items. limits you to a a high of 1/250 of recently come in around 8000-
or not. a second for minimum shutter 9000.
On the Ricoh you’ve got an extra speed. The Nikon allows you to
On the Nikon, by contrast, to fn button or two and the five go up to 1/1000. With the Nikon, I can still use
change exposure compensation, banks under the ADJ controller aperture priority and auto-ISO
you hold down a button and but you’ve got to DECIDE what This matters a lot to me for and with a minimum shutter
turn a wheel (like snap focus on to put where and if you change street work in fairly bright speed of 1/500 and a max ISO
the GR) and when you release something later, and you have light because between subject of 6400, it will logically start
the button, its set – this is the “mysets” designated, you have movement and camera shake dropping the shutter speed if
way you adjust a number of to remember to change it for (I sometimes shoot while I’m the ISO hits 6400. This is the
logic I would use but with the
Nikon it does it for me. TaV
works well (and Nikon has that
option too if I want it), but I
prefer the aperture priority
with a more flexible auto-ISO
approach personally.
Finally, there’s the metering
and the colors, particularly the
colors that result from under-
exposure. The Nikon metering
is just about perfect. And the
default colors that come up in
Lightroom are already in a state
I like and can immediately go
to work with for those shots
I’m leaving in color. The Ricoh
metering and colors in easy
light (bright light or low light)
are fine and the metering seems
OK. But in really tricky light
(sunrise, sunset, dawn, dusk,
fog, etc), the Ricoh metering,
as Wouter pointed out can
underexpose quite a bit unless
you stay really on top of it,
and I personally don’t find the
default colors that result all that
pleasing.
This is totally subjective and it
may be made better if Adobe
adjusts the color profile that’s
now in beta before they release
it to the general public, although
I am using the up to date beta
color profile. This alone would
NOT be a deal breaker for me at
all, but for now its a small point
in the Nikon’s favor. The Nikon
just gives me files I can work
with more easily right out of the
gate.
Nikon A Street Photography
Nikon A Street Photography
Finally, what do I NOT like
about the Nikon? Well, it
doesn’t quite become as much
of an extension of your arm as
the Ricoh does. Its still kind of
a foreign object down there in
my hand where the Ricoh sort of
becomes part of my hand.
Moving between auto focus
and zone focus take 1-3 second
usually, rather than a nano
second. I’d love to hope they’ll
update the firmware to make
the camera remember its MF
distance after a power down,
but Nikon is well known for lack
of firmware updates so I have to
figure this is something I’ll have
to deal with.
This is not a problem for me – I
may switch between auto and
manual/zone focus a few times
in a day out, but I’m usually in
one mode or the other and its
rare that I need to switch right
NOW, so not an issue for me,
though it could be for some. The
AF is not as good or fast as the
Ricoh, but I tend to only use AF
for rather sedentary stuff, so
AF speed at this focal length is
never an issue for me.
What I DO like about the
Nikon is its relative functional
simplicity. For someone
who needs to customize
EVERYthing, ti wouldn’t cut
it. But I usually only need to
customize a few things. And
then the camera just totally gets
out the way. There are only two
programmable buttons and two
mysets, but that’s enough for
me to do everything I need to
do quickly and easily. The Ricoh
leaves me feeling a bit mentally
cluttered sometimes – the
Nikon doesn’t…
Oh, and Don, the Nikon has
strap lugs… Just putting it out
there. I actually don’t care – I
sort of like the Ricoh’s third
wrist strap attachment on the
bottom of the right side of the
camera and I have one of Luigi’s
skinny little wrist straps with a
string attachment that I love, so
this is another thing I actually
prefer slightly on the Ricoh. But
I suppose if I ever did decide to
use it with a neck strap, it’d be
easier to do…
Anyway, that’s where I am.
Great cameras both and lacking
the option of the Nikon, I’d
have ridden off happily into the
sunset. But the Nikon seems
to have stolen my heart. I’ll do
the same type of shooting with
either, but it feels like a tool I’ll
use more easily, or more of a
“friend” if you will. I guess I’ll
have to name it now…..
Thanks for your indulgence…
Wouter:
Ray, I think your points should
certainly be posted on the
blog. It is not all praise. It
should make clear that anyone
interested in either the GR,
Nikon Coolpix A, or any other
camera shouldn’t just jump
to conclusions. We all need
to realize that we all have our
preferences and these can differ.
I tell you, that if Ricoh didn’t
introduce the GR this year I
might have saved up my money
for Nikon instead.
Olivier:
Last questions! What is your
priority in a camera? Image
Quality? Speed of operation?
Handling? How does the Ricoh
GR fare in that area? How are
you guys making out with zone
focusing-hyperfocal?
Ray:
Yes, all of the above. Speed of
operation and handling are
pretty critical in a street camera,
but there’s no downside to more
horsepower in the sensor either,
unless its Don’s concern about
the images being too clean. But
you can always dirty up a clean
image but its tough to do the
opposite. The presets you guys
sell is testament to that. While
the ultimate in IQ is not critical
in terms of the appearance of
the final image, a sensor with
more DR and better high ISO
capabilities make getting the
shot a lot easier, even when the
light isn’t that low.
It allows you to push your depth
of field and shutter speeds in
OK light into areas that make
zone focus techniques are far
more effective than with a lesser wonderful for zone focussing.
sensor. The flip side of that is
that a smaller sensor, as on the In broad daylight you can
previous GRD’s have a lot more easily use hyperfocal settings,
DOF at a given aperture, but I’d but I don’t see that as terribly
still rather have a larger sensor necessary because infinity
with more capability than a doesn’t really have to be in
smaller one with less. focus for most street shooting,
or anything else beyond
The GR is great in these regards. landscapes for that matter.
Those who like the basic Ricoh
interface will like the GR – With these new APS sensor
its pretty much the same as cameras being really usable up
previous Ricohs with a few to 6400 and semi-usable a bit
differences only in the details. higher than that, its possible to
The Nikon is great in this regard still use zone focus in pretty low
too and, to my surprise I seem light and make it work – you
to like it marginally better, but just have to realize that the zone
both are really quite good. of focus isn’t as deep. I tend
to use 2 meters as my starting
How am I making out with point for zone focus.
zone focusing-hyperfocal?
That’s what I use almost always, When I’m shooting really close
particularly on the street. I’ll tighten this down to 1-1.5
For scenic and architectural meters (very easily done on
and more sedentary types of either of these cameras), but 2
shooting I’ll use auto-focus, meters is my general starting
but the bulk of the time with point and where I do most of my
a camera like the GR, I’ll be in shooting.
zone focus. On the Ricoh its
the snap focus technique – on In bright light I’ll shoot at f6.3
the Nikon its just the by-wire or 7.1, which is basically around
focus ring on the lens and an hyperfocal territory, with
electronic distance scale on everything from about a meter
the screen. on out in focus. In OK outdoor
light I open it up to f4.5 or 5
The Ricoh is a lot more which still gives you everything
convenient to get into and from a little over a meter out to
out of – the Nikon a bit more about 5 meters in focus.
convenient to change focus
distance, at least to me. While In really low light, I’ll open it
these larger sensors give up all the way up to f3.5, at which
some DOF to the small sensors point I’ve got about from 1.5-4
in the GRD3/4, with such good meters in focus. But really, most
low light capability, its still of the key action in most street

shots happens in that range
and I’ve had great luck shooting
like that in low light. Here are a
couple of indoor, low light shots
done in zone focus with those
settings, one with the Ricoh, one
with the Nikon. (I think I may
have sent these previously – not
sure).
Wouter:
My main priorities are handling
and speed of operation, and that
to a sense where I just don’t
notice the camera anymore.
After almost two weeks of using
the GR I notice that it is starting
to fulfill those priorities.
My phase of getting familiar
with the camera is becoming
a closing chapter. I learned
some of the limitations, which
I feel are necessary for my
photography. I am getting used
to some of the new possibilities
and learned some of the new
features.
I will never learn all of the
possibilities of the new GR, nor
do I feel I have too. From what
I know I can use it without that
the camera hinders me. And to
me, that is what matters and
makes the GR excel.
Thank you all! And thank you
Olivier for providing a place
where we can discus and share
our thoughts and experiences.
Streetshooter:
My priority for any camera
is that is keep up with me
and doesn’t get in my way. I
want it to be there and show
it’s presence but as an equal
partner. I am totally aware
that photography and I are
partners in a collaborative effort
to make the images. If I have a
new camera after a week, it’s a
keeper, if not…well maybe for
someone else it is…..
I know these guys are smiling if
your asking about IQ meaning
Image Quality. My IQ meaning
a number does not allow me to
think about IQ, either way. My
initial thoughts about the GR
were that it may be too good for
me. I still feel a little that way
but I am adapting to the sterile
quality the camera provides.
Don’t sweat, I’ll find a way to
bugger up the files and still have
them work.
The GR was given birth from
the GRD4. It’s operation is as
good and maybe better in some
scenes. It’s very fast like it’s
little Momma and the handling
is equal to her. I found that the
GR is a femle. Most don’t pay
attention to camera gender or
names but I do.
Like Ray and I’m sure all and
all that ever use a Ricoh will use
Zone Focusing. I think that’s a
very big advantage with the GR.
The Hyperfocal Distance works
great on the GRD4 with a nice
close range to infinity. The GR
has a shallower DOF and thus
offers a different way of thinking
the image.
It’s been a challenge but I have
to admit that I like rethinking
what I know and have used
for so many years. Ray’s
figures for Zone are I’m sure
what we all are using. I read
Wouter’s post a few days ago
about using f/4.5….hmmmm
I thought…..hmmmmm that
does not compute. Well, it does
compute…..
Craig:
Sorry for the delay with this.
Everything conspiring against
me replying! What is your
priority in a camera? Image
Quality? Speed of operation?
Handling?
All of those things are
important. I get sucked in to
trying a lot of new cameras.
It’s my weakness! What I’ve
found is that generally I’m never
satisfied, which is good and
bad depending on the context.
Speed, AF speed, zero shutter
lag – both very important for
walking and shooting.
So the ‘snap’ function is really
the only answer to this. Zone
focussing on any other camera
isn’t as fast, for me at least. The
only other camera that comes
close is the lego-brick-like
Olympus EM5, which is far too
electronic.
Image quality. Yes, important
and again I get sucked in by
this. I got the Fuji 35mm lens
for the XE1, amazing lens, iQ
is outstanding, lovely bokeh
etc but really, when do I want
bokeh?! So it all went back. IQ
is important. I like to start with
the best, at least then you have
the option of destroying it if
you wish. Image ‘personality’ is
perhaps more important.
Handling. Absolutely. The I haven’t found a way yet of
X100s is a beautiful camera. The combing both. I don’t really
rX100 produces great images. I know even if I should as it might
would say neither handle very
well. Neither have a grip, both
require two hands – the Sony
because it’s so small. The Ricoh
is one of the most ergonomic of
all cameras I’ve used.
The menu system I find really
logical too, much more than
many others. The scroll is a little
long but it’s better than having
several menus. So far, I hate
touch screen cameras. Seems
so unintuitive. I guess the next
generation will grow up with
them and find them better.
Liverpool, Cornwallis Street
I go through hyper shoot
everything months, then have
quiet months to reflect and
revisit a lot of old stuff. So,
although I’m still shooting,
the images attached aren’t
my ‘usual’ but perhaps for the
sake of this discussion about
the more varied merits of the
camera these might be better
anyway than my normal work.
One other thing that usually
drives me back to Ricohs. I love
drawing. I always fight between
drawing and photography.
Generally those who are
interested in one aren’t in the
other, in the context of my own
work anyway, which makes
it more difficult to use and to
place both.
dilute both. Anyway, the Ricoh
is a little like drawing, and the
marks, grain etc achievable with
the Ricoh are ‘drawn’ marks.
Olivier:
Hey folks, hope all is well with
you guys. It’s been a while since
we last talked, I know for a fact
that sometimes a camera that
seems perfect starts showing it’s
nasty side, and vice versa……So
here’s a few follow up questions:
How are you guys doing with
the camera?
Any issues that came up during
that time?
Streetshooter:
Hey back at ya.
There’s a few things that need to
be addressed on the firmware.
I got caught up in the negative
aspects of things and then I
decided to just make photos.
The camera is very responsive
and I find working with it very
intuitive. 2 of my photos have
gone viral on Explore at Flickr
and the overall response to my
work has been positive.
That’s how I judge what’s going
on. Photography is about visual
communication and if people
aren’t responding to your work,
there’s a language barrier that
must be addressed. The GR
helps me with the syntax of
photography….
Craig:
Hello hello hello and hello,
At present the camera is my
only one, everything else has
gone. I’m enjoying it. I think
some people think it’s a gun
because of the way I hold it
when I’m walking so I need to
change that before I get shot.
I always compare the snap
function to a gun though, it’s
so fast. I’ve never fired a gun
by the way. The camera is very
unassuming and discreet and
really a pleasure to use once all
the custom settings are set. The
ISO rocker is brilliant. Paired
with some new features in LR5
it’s a great little camera.
I’m working with Jpegs and
RAW files for the first time in a
long time, thanks to a comment
from Wouter. Some of the jpegs
have a lot of character and don’t
have any less detail than the
RAW. There are no real issues.
One weird thing happened
when I had the camera in macro
mode and turned it off, the lens
jammed and struggled in and
out a few times before finally
shutting down correctly. It’s not
happened since but I’m always a
bit scared of it happening again,
it didn’t make a nice noise when
it happened!
Ray:
Mine loaner GR is boxed up
and heading back. I decided
to buy the Nikon instead, as I
indicated was very likely in an
earlier email. It was not due to
any deficiency with the GR at
all – the Nikon just has a way
of dealing with auto-ISO that
really frees me up to just read
the light and shoot in a way that
no other camera has managed
before.
The most comfortable workflow
I’d arrived at with the GR for
street work was to just shoot in
Aperture priority with manual
ISO enabled on the ADJ rocker
– this was exactly the way I’d
shot forever with the GRD3 and
the GXR-28 and if there hadn’t
been another option, I’d have
used the GR happily and sung
its praises to anyone who’d
listen.
The Nikon is slightly less
wonderful in a couple of ways
(feel in hand and snap focus
being the main things, but its
good enough in those areas),
but its auto-ISO setup allows me
to set the camera to automate
the whole ISO / shutter speed
relationship and I know it will
handle it in the same way I’d
handle it if I was doing ISO
manually.
And its just something that frees
my head that much more from
the exposure details and I can
just work the exposure comp
control as my position relative
to the light changes and let the
camera handle the rest. And
mostly focus on the moment
and the framing. The only other
thing I have to change on the
street is the aperture when I
move from good light into low
light.
I usually shoot at f6.3 or
7.1 in good light and 3.5 in
low light. For me, the Nikon
gives me a sublime shooting
experience where the Ricoh
was just very very good. And
for more varied work, I slightly
preferred the Nikon’s signature
colors, but this was not a major
consideration – I’d have been
perfectly comfortable with the
Ricoh. Just down to one fairly
small detail that became a very
large detail in how I shoot with
the two cameras…
There are some workarounds
under discussion at DPR
regarding ways of getting the
GR to behave in a similar
manner in TaV mode to
what I’m doing on the Nikon
and it seems promising (a
combination of DR controls and
Shutter/Aperture Auto Shift),
but my experiments indicated
it wasn’t quite there and would
probably need a firmware
update to get it where I’d be
comfortable with it.
There was more inconsistency
in the ISO behavior that I didn’t
understand well enough to get
comfortable with it. So, I’m
shooting with the Nikon and I’m
not feeling any regrets or second
thoughts. Its far from my only
camera, but a 28mm that fits
in a pocket with this level of
capability is destined to be my
favorite and most used camera.
Probably by a large margin.
Both great cameras, plenty of
good reasons for any individual
shooter to prefer one to the
other. I came down with the
Nikon, but I’d have been happy
enough with the Ricoh if I’d
never shot with the Nikon.
Happy shooting everyone…
Wouter:
Interesting observations from
all of you. For me, the GR is
like my GRD3. I don’t notice.
I operate it with my thumb
without looking at it. I have
learned that the exposure
metering is very consistent and
I am very pleased with that.
I had to make some adjustments
to my post processing. And the
most important reason for me is
how the camera imaging engine
is handling moiré in the jpegs.
Even with all corrections set to
zero it still does strange things
which can be most noticeable
in brick walls. I moved to RAW
only instead now.
The other issue that I still have
are the hot pixels at high ISO.
Don shared some photographs
and those looked a lot, I mean
a lot better. So I still believe I
have a one off. And I have new
issue that can randomly become
apparent in good, bright light.
And these are some kind of
strange small white orbs.
Not too long ago Don asked
us about it as he saw one in
a photograph. I checked his
image too and it looked quite
similar, although the spots were
smaller in my images. I shared
my observations and images
with Pentax Ricoh and I hope
their engineers can fix it with a
firmware update.
In all other cases, the camera
works reliable and I use it in
auto pilot mode.
Thanks to Don, Craig, Wouter
& Ray for their input, following
is a sample of their work with
the GR, please make sure you
follow them by clicking the links
below!
Don Springer
Wouter Brandsma
Craig Atkinson
Ray Sachs
Check out Craig’s nice Art Books:
Cafe Royal Books
Don Springer x Ricoh GR
Wouter Brandsma x Ricoh GR
Craig Atkinson x Ricoh GR
Ray Sachs x Ricoh GR
 The Ricoh GR IV is a camera that has achieved the mythical cult status that every camera hopes to
be. The Ricoh GR is too young to be a cult camera but will probably end up being one. Cameras come
and go, but a select few stay and are used actively. Some cult cameras include the Contax G2, Epson
RD1, Contax T, etc. But you don’t become a cult camera for nothing, so what makes the GR a cult
contender?

A mix of old and new

I had the Ricoh GXR for a while
and wanted to buy it’s leeeetle
bwother to take away with me.
In my head my main camera
would be the GXR and the
GRCD III a point and shoot.
Not in my wildest dream I
would have believed that I
would consider the GRD III as
my main camera, but that is
what happened. I had 4 GXRs
with different modules at some
point. The GRD III killed them
all just like the GXR killed my
Pentax. The GRD III is the
big brother, not the other way
around.
Fast forward a couple of years,
Ricoh released the Ricoh GR,
the successor to the Ricoh GRD
IV.
Even if the Ricoh GR was first
called the Ricoh GRD V, it’s
really a departure and at the
same time a coming back to the
original roots.
The Looks are 100% like the
Ricoh GRDs but the way the
camera operates is more like
the First Ricoh GR film cameras
because it has a bigger sensor.
If you had a Ricoh GRD before,
it’s the same, while being
different at the same time.
Makes sense?
Ergonomics
When I first got my GRD III,
I picked it up and I felt the
difference. The ergonomics are
nothing short of breathtaking
and Ricoh’s GR handling
became my benchmark for
which to judge other cameras.
The Ricoh GR has a different
feel to it than the previous
GRDs, but it’s definitely a
true Ricoh GR camera. The
impression I have, being a
Ricoh shooter for 3 years, is
that the camera gets out of the
way. It’s the kind of camera that
gets away from you and your
Vision. From the thumb rest, to
the perfectly balanced weight,
that camera is some serious
craftsmanship. I would love to
tell you I’m overhyping it, but
more than one user state that
they didn’t believe the reviews
until they held one.
GR Lens
Most camera manufacturers
have lenses, but also Lenses,
with capital L. They have a
regular line of lenses, but
another breed that is ultra
sharp and of the highest

82
quality. Sony’s got the Zeiss,
Canon the L series, Pentax the
limited series and Ricoh has
the GR series. It’s sharp, deadly
sharp….And it’s fast at 2.8, good
for low light. It’s slower than
the 1.9 of the Ricoh GRD IV, but
since it has a bigger sensor, it
has better handling of ISO.
The lens of this camera is of
the highest quality, it’s the
GR legacy. The focal length is
28mm and it’s perfect for street
and less limiting that you might
think. The macro mode is also
more than an addition, I found
myself using it more than once.
When shooting with a regular
camera, I always forget that not
every camera can do macro! It’s
sharp and you can get very close
with the GRs macro.
APSC Sensor
The Ricoh’s GR Lens is couple
with an APSC sensor. The GR
is unique in the sense that’s it’s
a very compact camera with
such large sensor, besides the
Nikon A. Most cameras that
size contain a 1/1.7 inch sensor,
while the GR packs a DSLR
sized sensor. Pack a large sensor
with killer glass and you have
great image quality,
Malleable files
The Ricoh GR can output
drop dead amazing DNG files.
Why don’t all manufacturers
adopt DNG and be done with
it? Anyway, the JPGs are very
good straight out of the camera
(especially if you customize to
taste) and many are content
to upload directly to Flickr or
other sites. But my personal
policy is to bunk the JPGs, and
let me tell you, these RAW files
can take some stretching.
What can be recovered and the
amount of Dynamic range is
just great. Some camera files
cannot handle such stretching,
but the GR can handle multiple
exposure blending very well.
Snap focus
In short (See the detailed article
for in depth info) snap focus
allows the camera to have a
preset distance to focus, like 1m,
1.5m, etc. But it also allows you
to have two focusing mode at
your fingertips: One full press
will focus at preset distance, half
press will autofocus.
Customization
The GRs are highly
customizable, both the image
and the interface. I only shoot
black and whites, but most BW
modes on cameras are simply
content to desaturate the image,
the Ricoh allows for custom
image settings like Contrast
and Sharpness so that you can
make the on-screen image
close to your Vision. With the
camera customization, you
can change almost every single
setting on the camera and save
it in one of the 3 “MY” settings
in the dial. You can put even
more settings in storage and
recall them afterwards. This is
extremely useful and saves you
a lot of time changing settings.
You might want a BW a certain
way and your color a certain
way, your focus, your aspect
ratio, you can customize a lot
of options and recall them by
turning the dial. Normally you
adapt to the camera but this
camera adapts to you.
Trustworthy
Trust is very important when
it comes to cameras, you are
relying on it to do something
for you. Some cameras are
awkward and are unintuitive,
but the Ricoh GR is simply
trustworthy. It’s quiet, great and
always there. That last part is
important, photographs won’t
wait for you, you need to have a
camera in your pocket always.
I’ve only encountered a few
people who didn’t like the
camera, but after a small cross
examination, they never really
took the time to develop a feel
for it. Camera bonding takes
time, but once you master it, it
melts in your hands. One user
remarks that the Ricoh GR
transformed him into a
street beast.
Life is full or paradoxes, things that appear so counter intuitive that you would bet against them.
One of them is limitation creativity, the idea that the more limited you are in your choices, the more
creative you will be. Give your brain restraints and it will work it’s way around it.
The best example of limitation
creativity in art is Rembrandt
who use only a limited palette of
non primary colors to make his
masterpieces. The best example
in photography is the whole
“One camera, one lens” thing.
It works because instead of
doing to straightforward thing
(Stay where you are, zoom in
or change lenses) it forces your
brain to come up with a creative
solution to the problem (how
can I shoot a portrait at 28mm,
without being to fill the frame?).
The GR’s 28mm can Bokeh
to a certain extent, but most
likely you won’t be able to blur
your way out of every situation,
except if you are really close.
The 28mm is a focal length
close to the human field of view,
and what I like with it (and
the fact that you can’t blur the
background that much) is that
it FORCES you to always be
conscious of your background. absent (1.8 and it’s all blurry
That’s where you have to come goodness!) creativity starts
up with different perspectives, flowing (lower angle to hide
leading line and other to get you bushes? Make the road converge
out of a situation. to her face? How to draw the
eye?) It’s freeing, believe it or
Plus it forces you to get close. not……if we could fly, nobody
I’ve personally never found would have invented airplanes,
the 28mm limiting because it no?
forces me to find a solution to a
problem. I used to be a 50mm
but it changed my way of seeing
completely. It forced me not to
take pictures of isolated subjects
(“a tree”, “a leaf”, “a car”) but
try to make the subject work
with it’s background.
I’ve grown exponentially when
I stopped thinking “blurry
background” and started
thinking “how do I make this
work”, something that the GR
excels at, well, because there
are no alternatives: Can’t
zoom, can’t bokeh much. The
straightforward solution being
The Ricoh GR is a versatile camera, I can be used for everything. Family? Snap! Birthday? Snap!
Wedding? Snap! you get the drift. But will the camera is good for all situations, it’s particularly excels
for street photography, here’s why.
Legacy
Before getting into details,
we must have a little word on
legacy. Every single GR camera
excels in the streets ever since
the first one, so it has a lot of
weight and history behind it,
it just didn’t pop out like that,
actually maybe it did. I can’t
verify this but it seems that the
Japanese photographer Daido
Moriama really put Ricoh on
the map as a street camera. But
beyond his say so here’s some
reasons why it’s deadly.
28mm
The 28mm focal lenght is highly
prized in street photography.
The reason is because you
can get lots of street action in
the frame with, because it’s
a wide angle. The longer the
focal length, the easier it is to
balance because the less there is
to balance, the opposite is also
true….the 28mm takes some
getting used to but you can get
lots of action in the frame. Most
street photographers want to
show the whole depth of the
streets and not pull out an
element from it’s surroundings,
the 28mm is great for that.
Stealthy/Touristy
Most street photographers
do not want to flaunt their
credentials, you just want to
blend in. Something that is hard
to do with a dslr in your hands
or neck. People are very aware
of the camera, even more if it’s
serious looking. The GR is a
very nice looking camera, but
let’s face it it looks harmless.
It’s guts can pack a punch,
but it looks like a Point and
Shoot, making it a very
attractive package for street
photographers.
I take it a bit further and look
extra touristy with it, I hold it
like I would an iphone when
taking photographs (with all
my fingers up). People never
seem to take me nor the camera
seriously….absolutely perfect
because I don’t want them
to. Plus the camera operates
silently!
Snap focus
Snap focus is in my opinion
THE street feature of the Ricoh
GR for street photography. You
can set it up at f/11 for 2meters
and everything from 1 meter on
will be in acceptable focus!
If I want to auto focus I half
press then press, if I want snap
focus I simply full press. That
system is simply deadly (enable
Full press snap in the settings).
I told you this camera gets
out of your way, this is one of
reasons why, you don’t think
about settings, you just focus on
shooting, if they have to change
you can do so extremely fast
because of shortcuts.

Operation Speed
The Ricoh GR is fast, very fast,
faster than the GRD IV. From
changing settings to actually
taking a picture, everything is
done very quickly. The Streets
don’t wait for you so this is
an important point. There’s a
time that you know the camera
so well that you can change
settings without looking.
Turning it on takes about a
second and it’s ready to fire,
the way the menus are set up
you can change your settings
pretty quickly, even flash power.
Everything in the operation
department is straightforward
and simple, what you need is
never too far.

Post Processing
If you want to post process
your images, good working
files are necessary, and the GR
delivers exactly that. I tend
to underexpose to recover
later, and with my GR there
is always enough information
to play around with. Most
people want to punch up their
images in terms of contrast
and other areas, the GR’s
RAW files deliver, they even
handle overexposure and
underexposure very well.
If you never really understood the snap focus, fear not! Here’s a complete explanation of it all.
Understanding Depth
of Field
The first things first: What
is depth of field? Without
fancy words, it’s the area that
is is focus in a photo. More
specifically it’s the amount of
acceptable sharpness before and
after the focused area. Shallow
DOF means a really small area
that is in focus, the rest is out of
focus, like this:
Note: Taken with Ricoh GXR
50mm, you cannot produce a
photo like this with a Ricoh GR,
because being too close would
deform the face.
A large depth of field means that
there is a large area in focus,
like so:
Notice how everything is pretty
much sharp. Now the thing
you have to understand (and
engrave in stone in your mind)
are a few factors that influence
depth of field:
– Aperture
– Focal length
– Camera to subject distance
The larger aperture, the lower
f-number, the faster the lens,
and the shallower the depth of
field. The smaller the aperture,
the higher f-number, the slower
the lens, and the increase in
depth of field. So f/1.8 will give
you shallow DOF And f/22 will
give you a great DOF.
The longer the focal length, the
higher the mm, the shallower
the depth of field. The shorter
the focal length, the lower the
mm, the increase in depth of
field. So a 50mm will have
more stuff in focus at f/8 than a
200mm will have at f/8.
Note: The longer the focal
length, the more compressed
the background (it will appear
close), the shorter the focal
length, the more decompressed
the background (it will appear
far).
See the compression effect with
a zoom lens here to understand
(called Dolly Zoom). Click
HERE
The longer the focus distance,
the larger depth of field. The
shorter the focus distance, the
shallower the depth of field.
So focusing on something
at 0.5 meters will have less
stuff in focus than focusing at
something at 5 meters.
All of the above is pretty
straightfoward, but here’s the
catch: sensor sizes. Without
going too much into the details,
the smaller the sensor size, the
longer the same focal length will
appear to be. A 50mm f/16, and put the first snap setting, to have everything
on a 35mm camera gives marking of f/16 on in acceptable focus at 1m, you
you a FOV of 50mm 0.7, automatically set the snap at 2m) to infinity.
A 50mm on an APS I can see that from Pretty useful, no?
camera like the Ricoh 0.7 to 1.2m will be in
GXR, Leica M8, Epson focus at f/16.
RD1, etc gives you a FOV In essence, to bring everything
of 75mm A 50mm on That would be my down, snap focusing is zone
a m43 camera like the first zone, if I twit focusing at a specific distance.
Olympus Pens, OMD or the lens than another But the REAL treat is the fact
panasonics gives you a zone will be in focus, that you don’t even need to go
FOV of 100mm A 50mm etc, etc. into the menus for snap focus,
on a Pentax Q (small you can set it up to full press
sensor) will give you a snap. So you can focus regularly
FOV of 250mm with a half press than shoot, or
Snap Focus you can full press (with no half
For the sake of Few, ready for it? press) to do snap.
comprehension, let’s Ricoh GR (And GXR
say that the Ricoh GR and GX100-GX200) The double operation, and semi
actually had a crop factor have a feature automatic controls of the Ricoh
of 5 and could mount called snap focus. GR makes you more like a ninja
lenses. A 50mm on a the idea is simple: than a photographer. You are
Ricoh GR would act On snap focus the limited by your gear, I learned
as a 250mm, so if we camera focuses on a that the hard way once I sold
wanted for the Ricoh to specified distance: my GR III, I bitterly regretted it
have a 28mm, it would 1m,1.5m, etc. That’s and never felt so constrained by
have to be a 5.6mm lens. it. What is the fuss other cameras in my life! Many
At this very short focal about? Well that of my shots I would never get if
length, what happens? you can simply it weren’t for the blazing speed
The depth of field is shoot without even of operation of the Ricohs. Here
immensely greater. thinking about are some examples that I took
focusing. Let’s say with the Ricoh GRD III:
Zone Focusing you are a relatively
fast shooter, you
Before getting into snap, simply set you
you have to understand shutter speed at
zone focusing. Before something like 250
auto focus, even (if you are slow you
rangefinders, people can do 80-100),
had to find a way to lock your aperture
focus quickly, so what at f/11, leave your
their depth of field scale. At at the lens on the left. ISO on auto, and you will be
they did is use zone focusing.
the smaller apertures the scale pretty much guaranteed a good
Basically they looked at the lens
could be divided into zones to I simplified it so that you could exposure and depth of field
markings to know what areas
have large areas in focus. Look understand, I put my lens at from 1m (depending on your
were in focused by looking at
There’s been folks who made their name in Photography by using flash, one big name is Bruce
Guilden, and before him was Weegee the great. Many like this style of street photography, so here is a
primer on how to do it with a Ricoh GR.
Why flash?
Flash of course is here to create
light when there is none, but
many actually use it in plain
daylight. I have found out
that there are two easy ways
to separate the subject to the
background: Putting your lens
at 1.8, or putting your flash on
the subject and underexposing
the background.
One of the best reasons then to
use flash is to create contrast
between the subject and the
background. If the subject is
light and the background dark,
it makes the eye go directly to
the subject. You can even take
this further and completely
darken the background,
essentially capturing only your
subject on a black background.
How flash works:
Flash is a beautiful thing in the
way it works. When using it, you
are essentially controlling two
aspects of the image: The part
of the image lit by the flash, and
the part of the image that is
naturally lit.
So if you are using flash, you are
controlling the flash exposure
and the ambient exposure. You
could of course use the auto
flash or fill flash, but it’s useful
to know how to control flash in
order to get what you want and
not what the camera thinks you
want.
Controlling flash:
You control flash in three ways:
- Flash power
This is how powerful your flash
output is. It can be full power
(The POOOF! sound), half
power, quarter power, an eight
of power, etc. As the power
goes down, there is less light
outputted.
- Flash-subject distance
The Inverse Square Law, is
in layman terms the flash to
subject distance. The definition
is that a subject twice the
distance from the light source
(our flash) will only receive
1/4th of the illumination.
It basically means that light
drops VERY fast, and your
subject’s distance to the camera
can be the difference between
under and over exposure of the
flash.
- Aperture
As you close your aperture
(Higher fstop) the less flash that
enters the lens.
- ISO
The higher ISO, the more light
sensitive.
Controlling ambient
exposure
You control your ambient
exposure with your shutter
speed.
The flow
Here’s how I shoot flash with a
Ricoh GR. I decide what I want
to shoot, most likely I want my
subject at about 1 meter away
from me. I fire a couple of test
shots, playing around with my
flash power and aperture to
expose correctly for my subject
at one meter.
If my subject is too bright,
I ether make the flash less
powerful or I close my aperture
down a bit. When I like what
I see, I then adjust my shutter
speed to let more or less of the
ambient light in. The more
time I let my shutter open, the
brighter my background would
be. I really like to separate my
subject from my background
so I intently make my shutter
speed fast so that it could be
dark. I then go on shooting, only
being careful for my subjects to
be at about 1 meter.
1st cutain vs 2nd curtain
Let’s say for example’s sake that
the exposure we are doing lasts
5 seconds. If your flash is set up
at 1st curtain sync, it’s going to
pop at the very beginning of the
5 seconds while if it’s second
curtain, it’s going to pop at the
end of the 5 seconds.
This is important to know if you
intend to blur your background
a bit by dragging the shutter. 1st
curtain would freeze the lit area
before the blur trail and second
curtain would freeze the lit area
after the blur trail.
Sync Speed
I shot all of the images in this
article with the Ricoh GR with
on camera flash. The image of
the Asian Lady was taken at
a very fast shutter speed, the
Ricoh GR allows you to use
the flash up to 1/2000th of a
second, something that is not
possible with other cameras.
It was pretty much sunny
outside when I took the
photograph but because of the
high sync speed I could make
my shutter speed really fast so
that I could underexpose the
ambient background. it would
not have been possible with my
Nex7 for example because it
only has a sync speed of 1/160th
of a second. If I wanted to, I
could have made the shutter
speed even faster and make the
background completely black.
Many photographers use this
technique to create portraits on
a black background outside.
I’m a big fan of saying that there is more to photography than the camera, and there truly is. You
getting your Ricoh GR is only the first step. it does not end there. It is my hopes that this ebook guides
you to understand your camera more. Only you can learn your camera, and that is done only by going
out and actually using it.

Beyond the camera there’s photography and before photography there is the camera. It’s very
important that you take time to learn your camera so that it can give you what you want. Go out and
shoot, experiment and learn.

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