8 Frames - GR10
October 11, 2024
- Where: Munich
- Camera: Ricoh GR10
- Film: Kentmere Pan 100
- Scan: Nikon Super Coolscan 9000
From my internet research, I learned that the Ricoh GR1 and its variants are highly popular with street photographers from the analog community. They are expensive and fragile, often with failing LCDs, but still completely useable. The lens is supposed to be sharp, the autofocus reasonable and exposure metering spot on most of the time. Features like pre-setting the focus to a certain distance (I think around 2 meters) and overriding the ISO of the film that is used are major advantages for anyone who likes to take shots quickly and discretely or needs the added flexibility to over- or underexpose their shots. I never held a GR1 in my hands, but after some time I concluded that I wanted one in a decent state and for a reasonable price. And not long after, I welcomed the Ricoh GR10 into my growing collection. Not the GR1, or the GR1s, or the GR1v. The GR10. The little sibling that lacks some features, but ticks all the boxes for me. For anyone who wonders: Those boxes are “compact and light so that I can carry it with me at all times” and “sharp lens, good exposure metering and autofocus, so that I can use the camera without thinking about the gear”. The images in the blog post are from the first test roll I took on my weekday commute and while walking around Munich. I tried to take the camera through its paces and even tried to shoot from the hip, as evidenced by the image right below this text.
