Review: The GXR pocketable digicam with the 50mm f 2.5 Macro lens for street photography

[Asher Kelman]

So how can one manage with just one lens for street photography? I'm going to present not carefully processed images from RAW just batch processed jpg files with a tad of local sharpening and a very modest S curve.

The pictures are what one can get without any hard work.

So let's start with Caitlin, who kindly took a walk with me today around Beverly Hills. We photographed, just taking advantage of whatever we came across, with no planning.

Asher Kelman: Introducing Caitlin with $3500 of gold on her neck!

Available light, f4.9 1/20 sec 400 ISO, exposure bias 0.3 EV​

So that's a start. more tomorrow.

 

[Jerome Marot]

It is a nice picture, but then it is of a beautiful young woman (although I would personally prefer less make-up, but I digress...). It is a portrait, not really what I would call "street photography", rather portrait photography which may have be taken on the street... or not.

Back to your question. It is possible to take street photography with just a focal length, actually the masters of street photography in the middle of last century worked that way. But they used a lens corresponding to about 35mm length in 35mm format, not a lens with the same angle of view as a 85mm in 35mm format. Why? Because with that angle of view, it is much easier to include the context in their pictures.

Yet, I am pretty sure that you know that. So what is the real project and why would you call it "street photography"?

 

[Asher Kelman]

"Street" as opposed to studio! JPG Snaps. No flash, no reflectors and no touch up.

It is a nice picture, but then it is of a beautiful young woman (although I would personally prefer less make-up, but I digress...). It is a portrait, not really what I would call "street photography", rather portrait photography which may have be taken on the street... or not.

Back to your question. It is possible to take street photography with just a focal length, actually the masters of street photography in the middle of last century worked that way. But they used a lens corresponding to about 35mm length in 35mm format, not a lens with the same angle of view as a 85mm in 35mm format. Why? Because with that angle of view, it is much easier to include the context in their pictures.

Yet, I am pretty sure that you know that. So what is the real project and why would you call it "street photography"?

Hi Jerome,

Thanks for the important questions! This is really a journey back to my old way of making pictures, except with the Ricoh GXR and one 50 mm f2.5 lens. Today, most folk look for some zoom or several lenses. I'm just trying to show what can be done with the simplest but high quality setup. I started to used the GXR for taking pictures during classical music performances where silence is essential.

Kodak Retinette IIB: Source deansphotographica.com​

Quite right! I used a Kodak Retinette II B with a fixed 45mm for 10 years and then a Pentax Spotmatic with a 50mm Super Multi Takamur lens 50mm 1.4 for another 5 years before I moved to an Eos with several lenses.

I'm in the process of completing a project on 13 LA Woman looking at "Women's Choices" and in the process, after an interview over coffee, I do a 25 minute one lens shoot with no planning, taking in whatever there is. Here Caitlin has just eye makeup and a touch of lipstick. In the picture above, we just popped into a fancy store and borrowed the most expensive gold piece and had Caitlin lie on the stone floor. Took 60 seconds total. Here's the camera.

Ricoh GXR with 50mm f2.5 Macro APS- C sensor.

24-75 mm module, is not used in this shoot​

So this series will include pictures of a woman in some outside environment and then whatever else catches my eye. All are just the jpg grabshots with available light, (no reflectors) and occasional handheld overlapping areas for stitching, but not cropping or altering colors or editing out features.

Asher

 

[Jerome Marot]

I certainly do not doubt that one can take very nice pictures with just one prime lens. I just wanted to point out that a 50mm lens on the Ricoh would give a noticeably narrower field of view to what you are used to. But from you posted picture, I notice it is not a 50mm, but a 33mm lens, giving roughly the field of view of a 50mm in 35mm format. That is much more usable.

I seem to remember that you have a Canon 5D. Do you have primes for that camera?

 

[Mark Hampton]

So how can one manage with just one lens for street photography? I'm going to present not carefully processed images from RAW just batch processed jpg files with a tad of local sharpening and a very modest S curve.

The pictures are what one can get without any hard work.

So let's start with Caitlin, who kindly took a walk with me today around Beverly Hills. We photographed, just taking advantage of whatever we came across, with no planning.

Asher Kelman: Introducing Caitlin with $3500 of gold on her neck!

Available light, f4.9 1/20 sec 400 ISO, exposure bias 0.3 EV​

So that's a start. more tomorrow.

Asher,

the work had me puzzled - she is on the floor - makes sense of it. Are the images going to be further processed or is the minimal processing a feature of the project?

cheers

 

[Asher Kelman]

Mark,

In this guerilla shooting into the world of Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, we have to make things work in seconds before the nervous shopkeeper changes her mind. The gold is attached to a belt by two prongs, but the belt is around her neck. However, the weight is too much to be held by one prong, (two prongs don't happen with a belt around the neck, LOL). So she's on the floor and that also allows the light to be on her face and from the side when she stands. So the stone floor provides the b.g. to the portrait.

These images will not be processed further, (although there are RAW files in case several need to be used for another project). This serves to partially qualify the person for shooting a tableaux based on their life path decision-making. The series probes and illustrates some of the choices made for us or we make. This shoot merely tells me whether or not the performer and I can work together.

Asher

 

[Mark Hampton]

Mark,

In this guerilla shooting into the world of Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, we have to make things work in seconds before the nervous shopkeeper changes her mind. The gold is attached to a belt by two prongs, but the belt is around her neck. However, the weight is too much to be held by one prong, (two prongs don't happen with a belt around the neck, LOL). So she's on the floor and that also allows the light to be on her face and from the side when she stands. So the stone floor provides the b.g. to the portrait.

These images will not be processed further, (although there are RAW files in case several need to be used for another project). This serves to partially qualify the person for shooting a tableaux based on their life path decision-making. The series probes and illustrates some of the choices made for us or we make. This shoot merely tells me whether or not the performer and I can work together.

Asher

Asher, keep them rolling in. I like the simplicity that should allow you to push on. Are these people going to be worked woth on your bigger work - thinking of the LF obscurer work here?

 

[Asher Kelman]

Asher, keep them rolling in. I like the simplicity that should allow you to push on. Are these people going to be worked woth on your bigger work - thinking of the LF obscurer work here?

These are for the Canon 5DII in a constructed world. Meanwhile I'm building the larger camera obscura. Lenses are being mounted and a Packard shutter is being fitted to a setup which will go to the front of all the barrel lenses I've assembled. Now back to the GXR snaps.

Asher Kelman: The Orchids That Drew Us Into The Store

Available light, f4.9 1/30 sec 400 ISO, exposure bias = 1.3 EV​

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

Of course, Caitlin was noticed by a film crew:

Asher Kelman: With The Crew

Available light, f4.9 1/70 sec 400 ISO, exposure bias = +0.3 EV​

 

[Asher Kelman]

Stuart Weizman is perhaps the most famous show store in Beverly Hills. However it's quite friendly. So we used the window after a wave and a smile.

Asher Kelman: Window, Weitzman Shoe Store

Available light, f4.9 1/140 sec 400 ISO, exposure bias = +0.3 EV

Asher Kelman: Window, Weitzman Shoe Store

Available light, f4.9 1/80 sec 400 ISO, exposure bias = +0.3 EV​

I like that a subject can fit his/herself immediately to a situation. One word direction or a gesture at the most. Here the GXR behaves superbly and I can zoom in and out with my feet.

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

My First Interior Grab Shot Needs More Planning with a GXR!

Now we have a rather posh lingerie store. They are not sure what's happening when we enter. After all, this is Beverly Hills and successful older men do shop with their girlfriends, LOL!

Asher Kelman: Lingerie

Available light, f4.9 1/11 sec 400 ISO, exposure bias = +0.3 EV
​

Well I signaled to a saleslady request to shoot and by the time the manager came to cancel the permission, we had snapped a couple of shots, one nearly in focus. Here the camera is challenged. It's not a fast shooter. I share this picture because it shows the limit of a slow focus fixed focal length digicam, even with one of the finest sensors for grabshots where there's no time.

I like the idea of this shot, it's fun but should be better planned. I'm surprised that Manequin towers above Caitlin who's 5' 8"!

For this I should have been on manual and at 1600 ISO. After all, I could have used a Minolta light meter to determine the light levels in the store, even from across the road. But that was not with me. I must try that next time. Still, this is what we got. Focus was OK but Caitlin's feet are cut off. With my 5DII I would have probably been stopped by store security, but with a 24-105mm IS L zoom, this would be perfect. With any digicam with a zoom, framing would have been easy too. I imagine a fast focussing 4/3 Camera, with a zoom lens, for example would be superior for this type of sneak guerilla snapshot than the slower focusing GXR.

Asher

 

[Jerome Marot]

I like your signature: "Our purpose is getting to an impressive photograph". Aptly chosen.

 

[fahim mohammed]

Asher, an interesting project.

You are in the company of beautiful ladies.

You are in an area associated with glamor.

You have a camera/lens combination that, going by what I have seen elsewhere, can produce wonderful results.

You have access to the best locations..just by walking along the street.

You have an excellent germ of an idea that you intend to explore.

You have posted very nice exploratory samples for us to view. My thanks for that.

But you state that you have no intention to process the images further.

I am surprised at that decision.

Looking forward to more results.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Invitation to edit and repost these GXR pictures in new OPF Thread.

Asher, an interesting project.

You are in the company of beautiful ladies. You are in an area associated with glamor. You have a camera/lens combination that, going by what I have seen elsewhere, can produce wonderful results. You have access to the best locations..just by walking along the street.

Thanks Fahim for your observations but they don't match the life in the communities you have documented so well, giving voices to the voiceless. My pictures here are brutally testing the performer as to whether or not she can work with me and my impulsiveness and style. At the same time it tests whether or not the camera works well enough for the demands of such a shoot, about 55 shots in 27 minutes in many different locations as she is on her way to her work.

You have an excellent germ of an idea that you intend to explore.

The project, "13 LA women", is ambitious and the women in this set have to work hard with me in studio setting over a period of several to 10 sessions. It involves a lot of discussion and sifting through the events that made them be where they are now though their credit or fault or not, looking for where choices were made. This street shoot, is just a filtering process in choosing who to work with.

You have posted very nice exploratory samples for us to view. My thanks for that. But you state that you have no intention to process the images further. I am surprised at that decision.

You and everyone else here are invited to process pictures and repost them, here. Just disclose what you did. Thanks so much!

Looking forward to more results.

More on their way with this GXR 50mm macro lens!

Asher

 

[Asher Kelman]

Here, Caitlin is outside the lingerie store. We don't need permission for this and we'd already overstayed our welcome. Had I purchased lingerie for her, things might have been different.

Asher Kelman: The Posh Perla Lingerie Window

Available light, f4.9 1/45 sec 400 ISO, exposure bias = +0.3 EV
​

I should have taken the 24-75 module with me! I'd have tried to capture the entire store. So I did some fast overlapping shots.

Asher Kelman: Caitlan Shop Front, Perla Lingerie Window

Stitched in Photoshop, Available light, f4.9 1/45 sec 400 ISO, exposure bias = +0.3 EV
​

Well, of course it's not perfect! However it shows how one does not need anything wider than a 50mm lens for most walk around shots and one can always stitch. I like the sketchy appearance and even the error in lining up the window frame to the left of the doorway. It's all fine to me!

Asher

 

[Ruben Alfu]

Hi Asher,

I like very much the fresh spontaneity of these photos and Caitlin is a lovely model!

Ruben