Camera

Ricoh GR IIIx HDF

I finally bought the Ricoh GR IIIx HDF.

I pondered for hours whether an expensive camera will be worth it or not. I watched multiple videos of different cameras, having different builds, focal lengths (fixed and non-fixed), etc. The Ricoh caught my eye. It had a nice complete black aesthetic with a very small pocketable body and a fine focal length lens of 40 mm — the true focal length. This 40 mm perspective is often considered close to the natural human field of view, providing a balanced look in photos.

I decided I will pair this with my future iPhone SE, which will have a 26 mm lens. The iPhone SE’s 26 mm lens offers a wider field of view, making it suitable for capturing broader scenes. I feel this setup is perfect. I hate the ultrawide anyway (as I don’t like the distorted images).

• The 40 mm of Ricoh will be my primary camera, and it will also help me capture telephoto-like images with it. The Ricoh’s 40 mm lens provides a natural perspective, ideal for street photography and portraits, offering a field of view that closely resembles human vision.
• The 26 mm from the iPhone is perfect for video and some wide-frame photography.

Also, the Highlight Diffusion Filter (HDF) in the Ricoh GR IIIx HDF softens highlights, creating a nostalgic, film-like glow in images. The HDF filter is perfect for getting those dreamy pastel images.

Let’s see how well this combo fares for me. I hope to use this setup for long.