RICOH GR (18.3mm, f/4, 1/500 sec, ISO800)

When traveling I need to walk around after flights or meetings. If I’m lucky there is still some daylight. I always bring a camera just in case. Most of the time I do not find a lot of pictures. Asia is different. I know that there are great pictures everywhere I go.

This is especially true for Vietnam. South East Asian countries developing very fast but in Vietnam you can still find “old Asia”. Life still happens on the street and and people commute on scooters not in cars or sky trains.

RICOH GR (18.3mm, f/4, 1/800 sec, ISO1100)
RICOH GR (18.3mm, f/4, 1/800 sec, ISO1100)

When I entered this pagoda I did not expect to find a Badminton court in front of it. And the best thing was that there was a game taking place and the guy with the nice trousers seemed to be a real expert of the game. In none of the above images his feet touch the ground!

The first pictures I took with my new pocket camera the Ricoh GR. Then I changed to my trusty Fuji XP1. I used VSCO film 4 to match their output. I still needed to push saturation a little in the GR images to match the Fuji.

These two cameras compliment each other very well. The GR replaced the 18mm lens for the Fuji. The lens on the GR is a lot better and the image is sharp across the frame even when shot wide open. Sure I will loose 1 stop but I gain flexibility. And the GR is most likely the most discreet high end camera ever made. Truly pocketable and unassuming. A camera you can use in places where you simply don’t like to put out expensive looking gear. A camera you can use anywhere.

For me this is now the perfect setup for my travels in Asia. The Fuji XP1 plus the amazing 14mm lens plus the Ricoh GR for the tighter shots. I’m tempted to add the 23mm and the 56mm lens but on the other hand I want to keep things simple and light. I feel that these two can handle most of my subjects.

FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/4, 1/250 sec, ISO800)

FUJIFILM X-Pro1 (14mm, f/4, 1/250 sec, ISO640)