There goes another one…

Yes, another prized treasure has left the building. I have, as of yesterday, sold my Ricoh GR III Street Edition; you will no longer be seeing it on this website nor on my social media.

I let it go not because it was a “bad” camera. Au Contraire, it is a great camera with a very sharp lens! It has great functionality and options for JPEG simulations. Not to mention its compact size. However, I released it back into the wild because it was no longer fitting in with my overall shooting style. What do I mean by that? Well… I have been using my viewfinder more and more since I’ve been shooting film as it serves me better for composition. When I would use the Ricoh, I felt like it was a different experience. Sure it is effective and fun because it offers you more angles and allows taking pictures at arms length, but when I’d go back to viewfinder mode it became a burden on myself. My last hoorah to save my GR was to buy the cold-shoe viewfinder but it just was not the same.

The gentleman who bought it seemed like he was going to get some great use out of it so I am glad. With that, I bid thee farewell and dedicate this last picture to the Ricoh GR III Street Edition.

Meant for Each Other

Hidden Treasure?

One activity I personally enjoy is finding hidden (or forgotten) treasures, testing them and putting them back out into the world. It is fun not knowing what results, if any, you’re going get. An example of this is finding non-renown cameras and testing their performance.

Goal: Sure testing their performance is fun, but it is really to show that you don’t need the same camera someone else is using to make great art. What you have is more than enough! Check out the video on the Vivitar if you have not yet seen it.

For this recent pickup, I came across the younger sibling of the renown point & shoot Konica Big Mini. Don’t know what it is? Well I didn’t either. It is the Konica BM-S (i.e., Konica Super Big Mini).

Konica BM-S 630Z - Super Big Mini Zoom

I knew nothing about this camera when I purchased it. Whether it was functional, had film, strong/weak flash, etc. It’s always a gamble.

Anyway, why blog about it? Well, besides me not knowing much about, it seems that it is not an indelible camera; there is little to no information of it on the web. There are some sellers out there that include the instruction manual with the purchase or sell the manual all on its own but not for sharing knowledge.

As much as I looked I could not find the significance of “630” beyond the model number. There are other BM-S models such as the 70 and 100. Okay, let’s jump into the features:

• Uses Advanced Photo System (APS) Film

• Quartz Date

• Built-in Flash ⚡️

• Infinity Focus 🏔️

• Self-timer ⏱️

• Red-eye Reduction 👁️

• 30-60 mm Konica Lens

• Powered by one CR-2 battery

• Rewind (R) button, if needed

• Wide (W) and Telephoto (T) buttons for Zoom

• 3-way switch for Camera (C), High (H) Definition and Panoramic (P)

• Power ON/OFF switch

• Film switch (for un/loading)

Overall, if you have some familiarity with point and shoot cameras then this one should, too, be intuitive. The features I had the most trouble were the APS film and the CHP switch. APS film was something new to me as I only dabbled in 35mm and 120. I am aware of others, such as 110, but not so much as other films that are now almost but extinct. As for the CHP switch, I found that this was a common feature on Nikon point & shoot cameras where the chosen switch position is meant to be picked with post-printing in mind. Do you want standard, HD or Panoramic prints for this composition? One thing I did not get to learn was whether choosing “P” would result in consuming more than one shot on the film cartridge or not. Hopefully the next owner can let us know :).

Digital Gear Downgrade?

I recently made a tough decision. I sold my Fuji X-E4 which is equipped with the X-Trans IV sensor. Comparatively, I found the images from the X100V to have a much cleaner look, even though they had the same 26.1 MP and sensor.

Why did I choose to do this? Thus far, my go-to has always been the X-E4. It was light, compact, had great features (e.g., tilting screen) and was an overall great experience in hand. After all, I had already chosen to get rid of two cameras (100V and Canon AE-1P) due to the “feel”, or perhaps absence of inspiration.

Welp, I chose to target my style by mimicking what I was doing on the analog side with the digital side. I sold the X-E4 to support the purchase of the X-Pro2.

The X-Pro2 has features that the X100V supported that I never used; it was not part of my style at the time. But now, I can use those advantageously to improve my photography overall. There will be little difference when changing from one medium to the other.

I first got to use the X-Pro2 at a local photo-walk and enjoyed its functionality. Not to mention many compliments on its look! I can tell that we’re in for some good things with the X-Pro2. Stayed tuned.

P.S. Shoutout to the X-E4. It supported me well and assisted me in my overall progression. A few of the features that were indispensable, in my opinion, were: the tilt down screen, the programmability in buttons (I just was comfortable with my own setup) and USB supported battery charging!

The Crossroads

I’m a person who tends to juggle many things and I don’t have a good reason for it. I take on many projects and therefore do not give 100% to each. I don’t understand why but it’s just how I default. However, it’s a good time for a different approach.

One of my favorite pastimes/hobbies is playing music. For those who know me, I once played lead guitar in a band with some friends by the name of the Sky Meadows. Here’s a link to sample some music 😃: Sky Meadows - Bandcamp. Anyway, the whole point is that those dreams have now shifted and it’s time to move forward with the new hobby.

NO, I have not given up music completely but am thinning out my musical collection by selling some items. Today I sold my Vox AC15C1 (well, not mine anymore). It sounded so great 🥲. I have yet to part with other items such as pedals and electric guitar. However, I will be keeping my acoustic guitar (for now?) , my bass and my ukulele.

Why the heck should you care? Well, I came across some gear that I’ve had my eye on for some time for my Fuji and have found them at excellent rates! In order to fund the new gear, I coincidently sold the Vox amplifier. Great new things ahead. The ironic thing is that for 2024, the only “new” gear I planned on getting is completing my videography kit but the opportunity arose and here we are now. I’ll share and update my gear page when I have them.

Back to the Grind, Circa 2019

A New Perspective

This last weekend, I tried something new. It’s something that was long postponed due primarily to fear, however also just allocating resources like time and money. There are many out there that happily delve into this activity, make family and/or camaraderie out of it and genuinely enjoy themselves in general as participants. What I am referring to here is riding a motorcycle!

My circumstance on how it came into my possession is another complexity that need not be said, however I basically have owned a motorcycle since 2022 and have been paying insurance on it since then. How sad is that? Not been ridden since its ride home from the dealership and since then has only sat by idly collecting dust. It truly is a tragedy.

Anyway, yes I bought myself some appropriate gear and signed up for one of the local classes. I will say this: this activity is not for the faint-hearted! While starting to learn, it is truly complicated; there is so much to do and so much to learn in a short amount of time. Not to mention prospectively that there is still interaction with others on the road who may not think twice to look in their blind spots or check their mirrors. It is statistically inevitable that something will happen: either take a spill, have a close call, or even worse - injury and/or death. Either way, it’s still something I wanted to do and I am glad I was able to partake in the learning experience.

What I look forward to in the future is strapping a camera bag to myself, driving (riding?) to somewhere remote and getting some great shots.

Cheers to a new perspective. Wish me luck out there.

Scout Bobber Sixty

Playing Catch-up

Everything is a trade-off. You sacrifice one thing to have another. What’s great, though maybe not outright apparent, is that your decision in the trade-off analysis indicates where your priorities truly are.

I challenge you to take a step back and truly ask yourself: Did you enjoy the last few days? Whatever your activities may have been, did you feel good about the time you spent?

If you did, then Great! I’m happy for you and am glad that you’re glad. 😃 If No, then perhaps it’s time to reflect on what you’re using your time on (e.g., doom scrolling, re-watching a series you’ve seen multiple times, etc.) and ask yourself if you can trade some of that time for another activity.

For me personally, I have not done enough for school. School is an important part of my life at this time and I have not been allocating sufficient time to it. Instead, I have watched some shows (Suits 😅) while I could have been studying or doing homework. I don’t want to NOT watch the show, but I know that I can watch one episode instead of two, and so on.

It hasn’t all been bad though. I’ve used some time to hang out with people, play some guitar, get some new photos and edit. We should look for a balance, but ensure that our priorities are organized.

Since I am behind, I will be playing catch-up but that doesn’t mean I will be abandoning some fun activities altogether.

The Tamale Factory (after Dark)

Prepare for the Worst?

It will always be a difficult decision whether to choose to live for today or prepare for tomorrow; hybrid is an option. I’m very glad that we even have all of these options in front of us.

I have always made plans (be they good or bad ones) because I like to have something I can reach to and remind me what my path can be. I’ve never been a fan of meandering carelessly, but I do acknowledge it as a necessary action to take often in order to discover things we like or do not like. Currently, I am at a crossroads in life and I feel the only way to determine which way to go is to let time unravel and show me the way, all whilst having some foundation to fall back on.

When it comes to my photography, I have projects written down that need to be executed. I am excited to complete them but do not have much structure to them. Similarly to my personal conundrum, I will coordinate with time to ensure I can execute these. Cross your fingers that they have good results, though I know I can only benefit from falling on my face as well.

Downtown Upland, Ricoh GR iii, f/4.5, 1/250 s., ISO-125

Genesis

Just Start.

I saw a video the other day with a reminder that, regardless of what your goal may be, it is important that you initiate it. It will turn dreams/wishes to goals/plans, the intangible to tangible, the unachievable to present day feats, etc. In order to make it happen, you have to take that first step.

I took a regular walk in downtown Riverside, CA today. The weather was not ideal, but I found a short window of time when the rain ceased. Instead of staying indoors where it was safe from the wet, cold weather, I took the opportunity to see what kind of activity the community was participating in. The city was supposed to be hosting the annual Charles Dickens festival but unfortunately, that was canceled. Nonetheless, we are innately social creatures and will not let a cancelation keep us enclosed.

Don’t let borders, either physical, mental, self-imposed, etc., keep you from starting.

Mission Inn, Ricoh GR iii, f/4.5, 1/250 s., ISO-100