No Two of Them Are Similar

(Leica X1)

There is no better time to pay less for a comparably good older camera models than when most photographers are eyeing the new ones on their arrival. In the case of Ricoh's GR series, the GRD IV is now up for grab at a radically reduced price in Hong Kong's market – last month a new IV (white or black) was sold for around USD300 or GBP240; now a 6-month-old second-hand one can go as low as USD230 or GBP180.

As I am contemplating a used GRD IV, someone was once puzzled enough to ask me how different a IV is from those in my camera cabinets. My reply is short and to-the-point: they are different in their own way.

The cheaper price aside, the reasons why I consider the IV is that, as avid Ricoh users have surely learned from reviews, the new GR produces images somewhat lacking the colour characters as reproduced in those by the previous models in the family. The GR is, in fact, a very different camera from the sensor to the use befitting it. To street photographers, the bright f/1.9 and the extensive DOF of the GRD IV surely stand the them in good stead when shooting. As for the new GR, it's more about image quality than snapping and I dare say this means a departure from being a tool dedicated to street shooting.

But things at a cheap price goes faster than we know. Luck is needed in my endeavour.

Comments

A Real Hero

(Grip On Reality: This photo was taken on my way to work. I was walking past trucks parking on a cul-de-sac when the ropes caught my attention. The light was right, the colour was right and the criss-crossing pattern was perfect and I held up my GX200. People passing by checked me out and wondered what could be made out of such a boring scene. To me, the fun in photography is that the photographer makes something interesting out of what is not obvious to most at the scene. The ropes tied in knots somehow reminded people I know who are in the grip of the recession) You must have also known a friend or two, or even yourself, being baffled by the spiral downturn of the economy. Bank went bankrupt and the rich was faced with a shrinking wealth. A friend of mine has just had his salary cut by over 10% and some of his colleagues started to be shed. But, wait. Was this done really for the sake of continuing the business? Or is there a factor or greed in it? I wonder whether the

New Low Prices

The window shopping some hours ago has almost provoked my AgIDS illness. Just in case you’re in Hong Kong or are coming here, and have the money to burn (All in HK$/ body only): GX200 = $3,280 GRD2 = $3,380 LX3 = $3,180 G10 = $3,280 Prices are available form a gear shop on the 1st floor of the Mongkok Computer Centre. Besides these new low prices, I found that Wing Shing Photo (55-57Sai Yeung Choi St., MK Tel: 2396 6886/ 91-95 Fa Yuen St., MK Tel: 2396 6885) is offering a Sony A700 + Carl Zeiss Lens package for HK$9,980 (hopefully, a bargain will make it some hundreds cheaper).

Eye Contact

(Leica D-lux 5) The digital era may make it easier to end up with fave shots. Even lousy photos may be turned likable after a few clicks in the post-processing workflow. But if digital advancement or amendments have any bearing on the cultivation of personal style, no photographers will need to discover his or her own photographer’s eye. Undoutedly, this is out of the question. Only with a trained photographer’s eye can we give a thinking gaze and capture an eternal moment, in our unique style. Style is the soul of a great photo. A few posts have been written in GXG to touch on the topic of photographer’s eye. Instead of finding an answer, which would require academic discussions, the posts are intended to give my general reflections and spark interests in moving towards further exploration of the topic. The posts can be viewed after the links: 1) Photographer's Eye: Storytelling 2) Photographer's Eye: Little Show of Observing 3) Photographer's Eye: Sight-Worthy 4

GX GARNERINGS

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