8 Things that Ricoh GR II Are My Go-To Daily Camera
My kinda bias review ✌️
I used to hate the feeling of carrying a DSLR on my neck. It felt like I was wearing a brick necklace.
It was such a burden to bring it out for a shoot but when I got back home and saw the results on my laptop, I felt grateful I brought it with me.
Once I traded my DSLR for a mirrorless camera, I thought I had solved its bulky problem. A light-weight camera without compromising the image quality.
Until, I saw Sean Tucker’s video on YouTube explaining about Ricoh GR II. A compact camera that’s so good that it looks like you’re shooting it with a DSLR/mirrorless.
And boy, it has changed my photography journey, completely.
Here are 8 things that Ricoh GR II is my everyday companion camera :
1. Compact size with Mirrorless camera sensor
It’s the best of both worlds as Hannah Montana says.
The compact size is a very big deal for me and it fits on my palm or even my favorite purse, nicely.
It encourages me to go out and shoot more pictures, without feeling dreaded because of the heavy weight of the camera.
And it uses the APS-C sensor (the crop sensor that most mirrorless mid-range camera uses). I found the sweet spot of bringing a compact device with mirrorless/DSLR quality pictures.
True, I could just buy the latest smartphone since the camera quality has been improving throughout the years. But in photography, sensor size is everything.
Larger sensor means more light to produce greater image quality. And most current smartphones’ sensors are around 1/2.55-inch and above. Whereas Ricoh GR II’s sensor is 23.7 x 15.7 mm. What a size difference!
Ricoh GR II only has 16.2 megapixels and thanks to its larger sensor, it doesn’t affect the image quality.
Larger sensor = greater image quality
2. Practice in manual mode made easier
Using manual mode can be daunting because you can lose some great moments in a split second because you have to change the exposure quickly on different occasions.
I find that it’s easier to navigate the exposure buttons (ISO, Aperture & Shutter Speed) due to its compact size.
On Ricoh GR II, the exposure buttons/wheel are really near to each other. Let me show you 😎:
ISO
Push the ADJ. lever and go up and down on the dial to select the ISO of your choice
Shutter Speed
On the ADJ.lever, you can move it to the right and left to get your preferred shutter speed.
Aperture
It is located on the up-down dial, just right in front of the shutter release button. You can wheel it to the left for largest aperture (max f/2.8) and to the right for smallest aperture (min f/16)
Now, manual mode has become my favorite setting in Ricoh GR II. I feel the sense of control and freedom on how much shadow or light I want to have or how much of depth of field I want to shoot.
3. It makes me prepare to shoot in Film Photography
Because I’m so used to shoot in manual mode, it makes me braver to go into film photography.
I had purchased a secondhand SLR (yep, the mother of DSLR) from the 80’s with its f/50mm prime lens (prime lens can make you easier to shoot if you’re aiming that bokeh look).
The SLR that I used only has a manual mode and since I was so used to shoot in manual with Ricoh GR II, I didn’t feel scared to select the exposure (plus I used Ricoh GR II as a lightmeter 😄).
When the film roll has been developed and scanned, the results are amazing and near to what I have been taking in Ricoh GR II.
These are the few photos I took it from Film camera :
4. Magic in the Macro Button
The macro button in Ricoh GR II is such a delight. It gives you more specific, clearer and detailed look. Especially when you zoom it out, the image doesn’t “crack”.
5. The colors are close to real life
I may be biased but just look at these pictures below (again, I did not retouch these photos):
6. You feel safer when you’re doing street photography
This camera has a minimalist look which makes a great “stealthy” street photography. This is mentioned in Samuel L. Streetlife’s youtube video featuring Sean Tucker.
Seriously, who wants to get robbed with a big ass DSLR while you’re on a street photography hunting? Well, I don’t 😖
And also, most people will feel apprehended if a big lens capturing their faces. With smaller camera, somehow people don’t really think too much about it and they might think you’re only shoot with an ordinary compact camera.
7. It shoots in RAW (DNG)
RAW format gives you leverage during the “editing stages” since the image is not compressed unlike in JPEG format.
Ricoh GR II’s RAW format is in DNG (Digital Negative) which is developed by Adobe. It works really great with Adobe softwares like Adobe Lightroom yet it also works well with other editing softwares like Darkroom, VSCO, Polarr, etc.
8. Wifi & NFC included
I don’t like transferring my photos through my laptop. It’s such a hassle and a waste of time. Today’s camera standard must have wifi & NFC connection to transfer to your phones or tablets, a.s.a.p.
The app is called Image Sync which you can download it in your phone/ tablet. I wouldn’t say it’s the fastest in transferring the photos but it still get the job done.
Overall…
it is not about the size of a camera or how expensive the camera is to make stunning pictures.
It is how I use it and how I practice these photography theories and learning from other photographers that have inspired me. More importantly, what do I feel inspired on that day, because that will lead me to my own creativity.
What do you think about the Ricoh GR II? Are you a Ricoh GR II user too? I’d like to hear it from you.
Follow me on Instagram @sharitadinda to see more pictures that I took with Ricoh GR II and other cameras.
Stay safe, stay healthy and please, wear a mask.
Thanks for reading 😊
