My new love

[mike_j]

Well I think I have a new love...

For years I have used my Yashica GSN happily despite its many limitations, I get on OK with a fixed lens and love the sharpness of the Yashinon f1.7 which beats many of my SLR lenses. The Rollei 35T is good but too quirky, the Zorki 4 I dislike, crude, heavy and doesn't have a nice 'touch' (I don't know quite how to quantify it - some gear feels 'right' some doesn't) but now I have just bought a Ricoh GR1.

Small, sleek, practical controls and a lens that is fully the equal of anything I own at that focal length.

I know I'm a deserter - electronic gubbins and automation etc but it's coming to Italy with me next week (despite instructions not to bring 'any silly old cameras') and I expect some stunning shots. My wife will have her Nikon Coolpix so it will be interesting to compare results.

I'm just wondering whether I dare load with Velvia or whether to stick to Fujicolor.

 

[JoeFriday]

I'll be eager to see the results.. I've looked at the GR1 many times, myself.. perfect for wideangle street shooting, with a very sharp lens

I'd probably recommend Reala over Velvia.. depends on how much you want the colors to pop.. Velvia is great, but can get funky with skin tones

 

[Aardvark Aallen]

Why not shoot some tasteful BW film like Ilford while in Europe? Otherwise JF has good advice.

 

[amateriat]

I think you'll love traveling with the GR1. I've done quite a lot with mine and tand to make it a constant companion, whether photography is foremost on my mind when walking out the door or not.

I like the idea of bringing at least a roll or two of whatever b/w film (if any) you favor; Ilford XP2 is one of my favorites (see attached image for two examples, as well as an example with Portra 160). This is one of the nicest cameras to have when you can only take just one (for whatever reason), and it has to be tiny at that.

Don't think of it as "deserting", either: think of the GR1 as a logical adjunct to the RF perspective/aesthetic. Hell, it even uses film too, for what it's worth. 🙂


- Barrett