Missing my Ricoh GRD IV

In the fall of 2011 after reading too much DPReview, and too many romantic reviews of the Ricoh GRD IV, I took the plunge and ordered one.

At first I was overwhelmed by all the settings available on the camera. It’s infinitely customizable and has some pretty esoteric settings. I had to sit down with the camera and manual night after night in order to learn all the controls. I had to consult websites and read other people’s preferred settings for the camera. It was a journey. Within a couple weeks I had it dialed in and shot thousands of images with it over the following year.

The black and white ability of the raw files was out of control cool for a point and shoot. I found myself taking the camera everywhere and looking for excuses to use it.

I read and learned about the magic of a single focal length lens and a quick-focusing compact. I took it running and cycling, I took it to Canyonlands, and oftentimes it was the only camera I took places.

I loved the color ability too. With only a tiny amount of post, the files really come to life. They’re not as large and creamy as a DSLR, but that’s the trade-off for a camera that fits in your pocket.

I even grew to love some of the esoteric features. I liked the in-camera double exposure and the insane amount of control over the flash. It’s as close to camera nirvana as I’ve come in any camera. I grew as comfortable with the little compact as I was with my Canon DSLR, and often preferred the smaller camera and the freedom it offered.

I loved that little camera. Loved, instead of love, because I sold it last fall to fund the purchase of the Fuji X100, which I only half-like. Lately I’ve been regretting selling the Ricoh GRD IV and missing the ease of operation and the limitless flash control of the Ricoh. I’ve been missing photos like these:

Snapshots? Sure. Blurry? Guilty. Grainy? Of course. Art? Probably not. But I like them. More importantly, I like making them. There’s a few more in my Flickr gallery.

I did a little math earlier today. In the year I owned the Ricoh, I kept about 7000 photos. About 5000 of those where shots where I considered myself as having a choice of which camera to use. For those 5000 images I kept, I used a total of 10 different digital cameras. 25% of the 5000 photos I kept were from the Ricoh GRD IV.

I finally gave up. I broke down and ordered the Ricoh GRD IV again. I’ve got to find some stuff to sell on Ebay to cover the cost, but it’s a small price to pay to have a great little camera in my bag again. It’ll be here Friday…

I’ve added another post about the Ricoh GRD IV, with some recent photos from my new (again) camera here.

 

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I’ve written and illustrated two children’s books that are now available in print and digital versions; Coyote Life, and The Cat’s Glasses. If you’ve got kids, check them out. If you enjoy them, please leave a review, tell your friends, etc. Thanks.

 

Don’t forget to check out some of the fine art prints for sale in my Etsy shop.

My wife Leah also makes and sells some pretty cool leather stuff like minimalist wallets and camera straps. Check out her Etsy store for some cool gear. 

Photography T Shirts and Stickers at Redbubble: