Asher Kelman's Review of GR Digital: Macro Shells, Coral & Rock, handheld avail light

[Asher Kelman]

Asher Kelman's Review of GR Digital: Macro Shells, Coral & Rock, handheld avail light

By good fortune I was invited to the Four Seasons on the the Big Island of Hawaii, staying in a villa with a view of the ocean. The sun was already low and the sky was such a strong blue that I'd have thought I was looking through a color glass filter.

My custom is to set the camera to AV, chose my aperture using the front top adjustment wheel, then adjust the exposure compensation with the back upper right rocker control. The camera is almost always set using fn 2 for bracketing. One can bracket white balance, exposure, effected or DR. For me needs, the choice is always exposure bracketing and 3 are captured in rapid succession but then the camera processes the 3 and that causes a delay of several seconds, but likely as not, the shot one needs is already successfully captured!

Asher Kelman: View from balcony
Hawaii, Big Island 2013

Ricoh GR ISO 200, f 5.-, 1/400 sec, - 1.0 EV

via Adobe RAW v2 for curves and black point ​

Inside, one of the first things I noticed was a giant bowl full of shells and coral.

Asher Kelman: Collection of Shells & Coral
Hawaii, Big Island 2013

Ricoh GR ISO 200, f 5.0, 1/4 sec, - 1.0 EV
via Adobe RAW v2 for curves and black point ​

So I took them out, one by one, and snapping pictures with the GR set to macro and using available light coming some 15 feet from the window.

Asher Kelman: Shell #1
Hawaii, Big Island 2013

Ricoh GR ISO 200, f 2.8, 1/13 sec, - 1.0 EV
via Adobe RAW v2 for curves and black point

Asher Kelman: Shell #2
Hawaii, Big Island 2013

Ricoh GR ISO 200, f 2.8, 1/10 sec, - 1.0 EV
via Adobe RAW v2 for curves and black point ​

 

[Asher Kelman]

I'm really impressed how well the camera does with rapid focus acquisition and low shutter speeds handheld. Of course one has to try to be still, but it doesn't always work this well when a mirror has to be removed out of the way for the exposure n a DSLR. My impression is that one can routinely use 1/10 sec or 1/4 sec without a second thought .....if one is reasonably careful.



Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

The islands of Hawaii are relatively young outcroppings built from the constant flow of molten larva from active volcanoes over thousands of years right to the present,\. So the natural element most commonly found is black larva rock, sometimes smooth with ripples and mostly jagged with solidified open pores where hot gases once bubbled through the white hot magma.

The contrasting rock here on the sandy shoreline here in Hawaii's big Island is almost pure white and is derived from coral.

Asher Kelman: Coral #1
Hawaii, Big Island 2013

Ricoh GR ISO 200, f 5.0, 1/5 sec,

via Adobe RAW v2 for curves and black point

Asher Kelman: Coral #2
Hawaii, Big Island 2013

Ricoh GR ISO 200, f 5.0, 1/4 sec

via Adobe RAW v2 for curves and black point ​

People use piles of these white rocks to right their names on the side of giant mounds of larva rock. It's pretty eco-friendly! At first I thought it was paint!

Asher

 

[nicolas claris]

Hi Asher
Interesting shots. Are you using the "Macro" setting?
It would be interesting to see some crops at 100% so one can see the amount and quality of fine details capture…
Also, for the last posts, how did you get that black bg?
Don't get sun burns!

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Asher
Interesting shots. Are you using the "Macro" setting?
It would be interesting to see some crops at 100% so one can see the amount and quality of fine details capture…
Also, for the last posts, how did you get that black bg?
Don't get sun burns!

Thanks for visiting Nicolas. Yes, I used the Macro setting. Unlike the GXR 50mm macro which breathes in and out before getting focus, the GR seems to snap to it. Also, when set for bracketing, once gets 3 shots in one release of the shutter. For the last picture, the b.g. wear already very dark. I added a tone curve to pull it to black and then painted back the rock at 100%.

I'll make some 100% cut outs of the shells and coral rock. Packing up to leave Hawaii, so it will be shortly.

Asher

 

[nicolas claris]

Packing up to leave Hawaii, so it will be shortly.

Take care!

 

[Paul Abbott]

I have been considering on getting some B+W Close-Up filters for the GR, for some macro photography. Whilst wondering what the quality will end up like they're worth a try, I guess...
Anyway, they might even make this little camera even more adaptable, as long as your not shooting flat subjects, and where edges are not important....

Did you get the chance to shoot any other subjects while here, Asher?

 

[Asher Kelman]

Paul,

I like the idea of any add ons. They do have an adaptor, BTW to go to 21 mm, but I've not seen it yet.

I've taken flowers, people, trees and panos. Will post them shortly.

Asher

 

[Bart_van_der_Wolf]

I have been considering on getting some B+W Close-Up filters for the GR, for some macro photography. Whilst wondering what the quality will end up like they're worth a try, I guess...

Hi Paul,

I don't know how well the B+W close-up lenses perform, but the folks at Lensmate are very enthusiastic about the Raynox quality. Theses are not simple diopter lenses but constructions with multiple high refraction corrected lenses in groups.

I have no personal experience with the Raynox, but I've purchased some products (for my ancient Powershot G3) from Lensmate in the past, and they delivered what they promised. Therefore I assume their image samples are reliable.

Cheers,
Bart

 

[Jerome Marot]

Hi Paul,

I don't know how well the B+W close-up lenses perform, but the folks at Lensmate are very enthusiastic about the Raynox quality.

The test is on a Canon G15 which, due to its smaller sensor, needs very different lens power than a Ricoh GR.

(I actually meant that a different sensor size needs a different level of correction of aberrations, since the sensels are smaller. But I am not so sure any more that this is true.)

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Jerome,

The test is on a Canon G15 which, due to its smaller sensor, needs very different lens power than a Ricoh GR.

In fact the needed power of a closeup lens is not affected by the sensor size.

As a first approximation, the needed power of a closeup lens is the reciprocal of the needed subject distance.

A more precise reckoning takes into account the closest (or intended) focus distance of the camera with only the prime lens aboard.

This calculator can be used for that and related calculations (I have not verified the math behind it but a spot check suggests it is OK):

www.schneideroptics.com/software/Close_Up_Lens_Calculator.xls‎

Calling the auxiliary closeup "diopters" is repugnant, but perhaps no more so than calling them "closeup filters".

Of course, the sensor size may (indirectly) affect the size of the entrance pupil and thus the diameter of the closeup lens that must be used. Perhaps you were thinking of that.

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Asher Kelman]

..........................
A more precise reckoning takes into account the closest (or intended) focus distance of the camera with only the prime lens aboard.

This calculator can be used for that and related calculations (I have not verified the math behind it but a spot check suggests it is OK):

www.schneideroptics.com/software/Close_Up_Lens_Calculator.xls‎

Do you have an update on that important link, Doug?

Thanks,

Asher

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Asher,

Do you have an update on that important link, Doug?

I'm not sure what you mean. Is that link NG (I grabbed it in a funny way)?

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi, Asher,



I'm not sure what you mean. Is that link NG (I grabbed it in a funny way)?

Best regards,

Doug

It's not functioning!

 

[Doug Kerr]

I'm not sure how the link got buggered.

This should work:

www.schneideroptics.com/software/Close_Up_Lens_Calculator.xls

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Doug Kerr]

The optical principle (and associated math) for a supplemental closeup lens is very straightforward.

Suppose we have a supplemental closeup lens of power 0.5 diopter (that would be a lens with a focal length of 2.0 m).

We have an object of interest at a distance of 35 inches.

The supplemental lens forms a virtual image of that object which, as seen from behind the supplemental lens, is at a distance of 63 inches in front of the supplemental lens. (We can determine this with the classical Gaussian focus formula, 1/P + 1/Q = 1/f.)

The camera regards that virtual image as its object. It appears to be at a distance of just slightly over 63 inches (to which distance we assume that the camera, with its prime lens, can focus). And we have it do that (in fact, the AF system is perfectly happy to do that for us).

Best regards,

Doug