RICOH MAFIA

The simplest camera is the best camera:

RICOH MAFIA ARTWEAR now available in HAPTIC SHOP >


Why I love the RICOH GR II

To me, the RICOH GR II is the ultimate “standalone” digital camera:

1. Super small:

Fits in your front pocket. This means you’ll take the camera anywhere and everywhere you go, which means you will shoot more photos. And the more photos you shoot, the happier you will be!

2. Integrated flash:

RICOH GR II, shot with Flash in macro mode

I still believe that shooting with a flash is still under-exploited and underrated. I think more photographers would benefit by shooting with a flash.

For example, shooting with a flash opens up so many more photo opportunities for you! When the light isn’t good, you can fill it with the flash!

With a flash, you control the light.

You can use the flash in street photography, still life, portraits; anything!

This is why I see the RICOH GR III as a downgrade from the RICOH GR II (the new version doesn’t have an integrated flash).

My simple proposal for Ricoh:

Make a “RICOH GR IIIF” (a new version of the Ricoh with an integrated Flash).

3. Stealth

Hà Nội. Ricoh GR II

If you shoot street photography or anything with the RICOH GR II, nobody will take you seriously (which is good). This means nobody will hassle you for taking pictures, because you look like a harmless tourist.

NYC. Ricoh gr II

Furthermore, the Ricoh is silent. When John Wick uses a silencer on his pistol, it’s for a good reason. The more silent our camera, the better.

Sapa. RICOH GR II

With a silent camera, you can shoot more photos without being detected. This is useful if you want to “work the scene” in street photography without getting interrupted. Or without having your subject notice.

4. Macro

Shoot more macro photos.

The closer you get, the more interesting the world becomes.

For example my street portraits on RICOH GR II are shot in macro mode, often with flash.

Use macro mode for portraits on RICOH, or for photographing textures, still life photos, etc.

5. Democratic

Ricoh GR II in macro

I also love the RICOH GR II, because it is the ultimate democratic camera.

You can buy one new for around $500 USD. Almost all of us can afford this camera.

I personally have always loved this idea:

Having the ability to make good photos on a cheap camera.

The Ricoh is the ultimate equalizer in photography. Now nobody can complain that their camera isn’t good enough.

To be frank, I’ve probably taken many better photos on the RICOH GR II when compared to me $7,000 Leica setup.

Thus, if you’re part of the #ricohmafia, you don’t need to be rich. Anyone and everyone can join.


Just shoot it.

And of course, you don’t need to own a Ricoh GR II. Just use any camera.

To me, all photography is good. Furthermore, the most important photos is to shoot authentic photos.


Technical setup for RICOH GR II

Paris. Ricoh GR II
  1. Shoot in p (program) mode with ISO 1600, center point autofocus.
  2. For black and white, shoot RAW, and process your photos in Lightroom with ERIC KIM MONOCHROME 1600 preset.
  3. For monochrome, set your preview to “high contrast black and white” to better visualize your photos.
  4. When shooting, experiment using -1 exposure compensation. I’ve found the photos look better.
  5. Experiment with macro mode and flash, and have fun.

Show your RICOH PRIDE

Are you part of the Ricoh Mafia?

ANNETTE KIM x HAPTIC: RICOH MAFIA

HAPTIC presents RICOH Mafia ARTWEAR by ANNETTE KIM.

Honor the traditions of the Ricoh–Film GR, GRII Digital, or the upcoming GRIII (What no flash?!) with your very own RICOH MAFIA badge of honor. Complete the Ricoh set with your Eric Kim Wrist Strap or Neck Strap designed for the Ricoh GR.

100% of the proceeds directly supports the artist.

Buy RICOH MAFIA ARTWEAR >

Ricoh GR x Street Photography

RICOH GR II

Why the RICOH GR II is the Best Street Photography Camera

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EQUIPMENT 101 >

There is no “perfect” camera. Don’t fall into GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) and falsely believe that buying a new camera will make you a better photographer.

If you’re not feeling inspired in your photography, I recommend you to buy books, not gear. Also check out these 75+ Inspirational Photo Books You Gotta Buy. You can also download my free books.

Equipment Articles >

Smartphone Photography >

Film Photography 101 >


My favorite camera for street photography

There is no perfect camera for street photography and everyone’s tastes are different. My favorite camera for street photography is the Ricoh GR II.

1x1.trans Street Photography Camera Game Changer: The Ricoh GRD V
The Ricoh GR II is the best bang-for-the-buck camera for street photography on the market. It has an APS-C sensor (DSLR-sized sensor), a super-sharp 28mm lens (no anti-aliasing filter), and literally fits into your front pocket.

The Ricoh GR II is pretty much the same as the prior Ricoh GR, except it has Wi-Fi built in.

Why do I recommend the Ricoh GR II?

First of all, for street photography you want the smallest, most compact, and inconspicuous camera (that you can always carry with you). I find that with other digital cameras, you end up never carrying them with you 24/7, simply because they are too big. The Fujifilm X100F and digital Leica’s are fantastic tools, but honestly even those cameras are too big to fit in your front pocket.

In street photography, the size of the sensor is also not very important. In-fact, having a non-full frame camera is generally preferable, because you have more depth-of-field in street photography, which is beneficial to “zone-focusing.”

When I shoot with the Ricoh GR II, I generally keep the camera on “P” mode, ISO 1600, and center-point autofocus. I treat it like a point-and-shoot: I simply point and click. This makes me have to think less when shooting, and spend more energy focusing on the composition, framing, and capturing emotion in the photos.

Many photographers bemoan the fact that the Ricoh GR II doesn’t have a viewfinder. Honestly, I feel that viewfinders are a bit overrated — the LCD screen helps you be more creative with your compositions (shooting super-low angle, or a super-high angle), and also helps you photograph your subjects closer (putting a small compact camera close to someone’s face is less intimidating than putting a big DSLR lens into someone’s face).

Also if you want, the Ricoh GR II has a fantastic “snap mode” which allows you to pre-focus to a certain distance (1 meter, 1.5 meters, 5 meters, infinity), which is like zone-focusing on a rangefinder camera. This means when you’re shooting on the streets on a sunny day, you can set your pre-focus to 1.5 meters, ISO 1600, aperture-priority mode in f/8, and take photos that are all sharp and in-focus.

In addition, the Ricoh GR II has the simplest yet comprehensive menu out of any digital camera I’ve used. You can change the function buttons, you can change whether the power lamp is on or off, and everything in the menu is easily searchable. I believe the Ricoh GR II was designed by photographers, not simply by engineers.

The camera is extremely affordable, which means you can save all your hard-earned cash on buying experiences, not stuff. Use that money to travel to a country you’ve always wanted to travel, to buy photography books, and to invest in photography-education (workshops, classes, seminars).

Furthermore, you can charge the camera via USB, which means you don’t need to travel with a bulky battery-charger. As long as you keep the camera off while you’re not shooting on the streets, one battery should last you a full day.

If you end up buying the camera, I recommend picking up a 3” LCD screen protector, shooting in RAW, and using my free Lightroom film simulation presets.


Best Equipment by ERIC KIM

eric kim photographer hanoi portrait by cindy a nguyen
LINDBERG glasses / UNIQLO button-up / UNIQLO jeans-joggers / Nike Flyknight Motion RN

This is a list of my personal favorite equipment in photography, computers, and life:

Of course, this list probably won’t apply to you — but this is advice I would give myself (if I needed to buy stuff):

Cameras

My favorite cameras:

Digital cameras:

eric kim street photography x100f fujifilm-7030

Best value digital camera for street photography

Fujifilm X100F Review // Buy on Amazon for $1300 >

Best digital compact camera

Ricoh GR II Review // Buy on Amazon for $600 >

Best 3-inch screen protector

For Ricoh GR II: Expert Shield 3” LCD protector ($14)

Best designed mirrorless camera

Olympus Pen F (silver): $1200 + Olympus 17mm f/1.8 Lens: $500 //my review

Best value mirrorless camera

Fujifilm XT-2 ($1600) + Fujinon XF23mmF2 WR Lens ($450)

Best digital rangefinder

Leica M10 + Leica 35mm f/2 ASPH Lens

Best digital video camera

Sony A7S II ($2700) + Sony 35mm F2.8 Sonnar ($800)

Best SD card

Transcend 128 GB SD card UHS-3: $73

Best fashion digital camera

Pentax Medium-format digital 645Z ($6500) + Pentax 55mm F2.8 AL ($960) // 7 Lessons I’ve Learned Shooting Fashion Photography For the First Time


Film cameras

If you’re new to shooting film, pick up a copy of FILM NOTES.

eric kim melbourne benjamin thompson
Portrait by Benjamin Thompson // Leica MP + Henri Neck Strap + SF 24D flash + Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron ASPH lens

Best film rangefinder

Leica MP + Leica 35mm f/2 Summicron Lens

Best affordable film rangefinder

Leica M6 + Voigtlander 35mm f/2.5 Lens

Best compact film camera

Contax T3

Best medium-format film camera

Fujifilm GF670 (discontinued, find on eBay)

Best black and white film

Kodak Tri-X 400 (pushed to 1600): $5

Best color film

Kodak Portra 400: $8.50

Best film scanner

For medium-format/35mm: Epson v800: $800

For 35mm: Plustek OpticFilm 8100: $270


Camera accessories

eric kim street photography gfx fujifilm medium format digital-7340

Best camera shoulder bag

SAIGON SATCHEL

Best camera backpack

Fits 13” Laptop and Camera: Thinktank Perception 15 (black): $120

Best photography neck strap

Best photography wrist strap


eric kim street photography x100f fujifilm-7189

Best photography inspiration website

MagnumPhotos.com

Best photography news blog

PetaPixel.com

Best photography software

Adobe Lightroom

Best video editing software

iMovie (free) or Final Cut Pro X ($300)


Books

buy books not gear eric kim

See all my free books.

Best educational photography book

Magnum Contact Sheets

Best black-and-white photography art book

“Exiles” by Josef Koudelka

Best color photography art book

“The Suffering of Light” by Alex Webb

Best photography handbook

Street Notes

Best philosophy book

On the Shortness of Life – Seneca ($8) // 10 Lessons Seneca Has Taught Me.


Best digital tools

Best laptop

Any MacBook Air or Pro

Best tablet

iPad Pro 10.5 inch, 64 gb, space grey

Best phone

iPhone X

Best value phone

iPhone SE (cheapest model): $400

Best android phone

Samsung S8

Best value android phone

OnePlus 3T ($440)


Best Mac Apps

Best writing app

IA Writer (for writing) + Ulysses (for note-taking)

Best screen recorder

Camtasia

Best image resizer

JPEGmini Pro


Audio

eric kim hanoi street photography-0012663

Best noise-cancelling headphones

BOSE QC 35 (black): $350

Best earbuds

Apple Beats X


Apparel

Cindy Project Monochrome-3

Best watch

Casio Men’s F108WH Illuminator Collection Black Resin Strap Digital Watch: $13

Best underwear

ExOfficio Men Boxer Brief (black): $26

Best T-shirt

Outlier NYC Merino Wool T-Shirt

Best socks

Darn Tough Socks Merino Wool

Best shoes

Nike Free Flyknight RN Motion (black/white) // my review

Best pants

Merino Wool Leggings (black)

Best glasses

LINDBERG – Titanium


Finance

eric kim street photography x100f fujifilm-7232

Best bank / credit card (USA)

Chase / Chase Sapphire credit card


Best entrepreneurial tools

Best blogging platform

WordPress.org + Genesis theme (I use the ‘Academy Pro’ theme).


Best paid online services

eric kim street photography gfx fujifilm medium format digital-7360

Best cloud storage

Dropbox (Pro)


Diet & Nutrition

Food

Intermittent fasting — with one big meal a day (only dinner)

Workout

Deadlifts (one rep max) + squats + dumbbell press + chin-ups + pushups


Conclusion

eric kim hanoi street photography-0012576
Hanoi, 2017 // Portrait by Cindy A. Nguyen

Of course this is just a list of stuff that work for me. It probably won’t work for you.

But I got inspired to make this list– because it took me about 10 years to figure out the best equipment for me. And this works for me, and I hope it can help simplify your purchasing decisions (at least in photography and some other details).

Cindy Project Monochrome-12

I’ll continue to do articles and videos related to equipment– because I do believe (up to a certain degree) having the ‘right’ equipment in life makes life easier. But the problem is falling victim to GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) where we are buying stuff for the sake of it (has happened to me).

If you already have a bunch of equipment that works for you– stick with it. But if you need some help, I hope this list helped you.

Always,
Eric