The Ultimate Travel Pocket Camera 

The idea is to get a haircut one of these days. But instead I could take more photos...

I absolutely love the format of this video. Thanks for sharing this great experience and all your cool photos. 🙌🏼

The f16 cliff jump shot is just beautiful, what a memory to have!

I only discovered your channel a few days ago because I was looking into astrophotography with Pentax. I really like your relaxed way of presenting, or maybe the fact that you can‘t call it „presenting“, at all. It is more like a friend telling me about his experiences. No flashiness, no showmanship, no BS, no „If you liked my channel…“

Gotta say Thank You. Because I picked up a Ricoh GXR modular camera because of your videos and it's become my favorite go-to walk about camera I've ever used. Like you, I also collect older cameras, but most sit on a shelf after a few uses. The GXR comes with me everywhere. Its my first instinct to grab this camera over my camera phone. So TY. Great artistic and informative videos!

I love the noise that bamboo makes, and I'm really enjoying a bit of binge watching of your videos .... Love the content that put out.

This video gives me all the feels on so many levels. 1) So excited for what looks like was an unbelievable trip 😍 2) The GRII!! You brought literally the best camera for travel. I know I said it before but taking just that camera for my trip down the Grand Canyon was the most liberating experience of my traveling life. 3) DONT SELL FOR THE GRIII. Totally my opinion but after the Grand Canyon I loved mine so much that I sold it to upgrade to the GRIII and I was so disappointed that I didn’t keep it for more than two weeks. I just love the GRII and the way the color and images come right out of camera. 4) I love how you walked us through the trip. Taking mental notes for myself because it was truly a joy to see and hear about.

Love it! Looks like an awesome trip!

Fantastic. So glad you and your wife could experience Oahu! We loved our own trips there. Your photos look terrific. I got a GR 3 last year and love it for all the same reasons. Recently converted a GR2 to infrared and am getting amazing photos with it, too. I especially love the GR3 exposure mode to preserve highlights - it has never missed. Thanks

Amazing trip, beautiful photos! That camera is great! Thanks for sharing your trip and experiences!

I still use my 2005 8.1 megapixel Ricoh GR digital from 2005 and love it, especially for black and white at high Iso in poor light. The colour setting is great as well.

Lovely blend of pictures and video - and an authentic voiceover. Thank you. My Ricoh GRIii inbound…

happy snappin' snappiness. loved the photos and the video. been waiting for the video since i saw the photo of people jumping off the cliff in to the ocean.

I never feel weird taking it out :)

Wow thanks for sharing your experience! Great shots!!! It's amazing what you can do with just one focal length. Inspirational! :)

Great job again James. I am rarely disappointed with images out of the griii. I love that panorama shot earlier in the video.

Lovely video. Thanks for sharing and putting a smile on my face.

Canon S120 - I took mine to England last month for the same reasons you chose the Ricoh, and loved it. Always in my pocket, ready to shoot one handed no matter what we were doing. I got some great shots and took a couple hours of video with it. I am upgrading to a G9X MKii, which is a very similar camera with a larger sensor. But the S120 is still my favorite, and I EDC it almost every day.

You're absolutely right, and although I've had this experience several times, I can't bring myself to leave the other cameras at home on the next holiday. K1, XT-3 or maybe xh1 (maybe for shooting some video footage).I don't think I have too many cameras. Often, after the trip, the jpgs from the GR2 (positive film) are the one, I like best. I'm always happy to see how well the camera handles, everything is just where it should be. Thank you for your relaxed videos and also for the beautiful photos of Hawaii, where I was 30 years ago. By the way, I need this T-shirt....

Very nice video and your snaps are really great! You have a very good eye and sense for the moment!

Enjoyed the video. Several great shots! I also suffer from toomanycameraitis. I took a trip to to the coast this weekend and only brough my GRIII and X-E4. I shot the ricoh for 85% of the photos. I was really impressed. I only brought the Fuji out to get a few telephoto shots of some starfish I couldn't reach with the Ricoh.

Those cliff photos are stunning. Sony RX100 MkII is my favorite travel camera. It sees better than I can in low light. I never use the flash unless someone is backlit. It has WIFI, so if I am super proud of an image, I can dump it onto my phone and share it pretty quickly. The time it takes between powering on and taking a shot is super fast, so I never miss a moment. I recently upgraded to the MK4 which adds an optical viewfinder - helpful in sunny locations. I often travel with both, keeping the MkII in my pocket at night. Great for street photography and often permitted in museums where they can be very strict about cameras. I carried the MkII with me on the Inca Trail and used a piece of plastic from a water bottle to keep the rain off of it. That experience convinced me to get a weather sealed camera. For a larger camera, I use the Pentax K3 for the weather sealing. That's the one I would have had on me in Hawaii, but I'd still have an RX100 with me in my bag.

You made some great photos from a great little camera. Be proud of both of you. :) My favorite travel camera right now is a Canon M5 with a 22mm prime. My wife and I took a trip to several Hawaiian islands several years ago, before the M5 was in my life. I took my Canon 70D and too many lenses. Like you, I learned on the first day that I had too much gear. Unlike you, I didn’t have a neat little GR. So took off the battery grip and giant zoom, slapped on a 24mm pancake lens to travel light. (Not as light as you… but as light as I could.) The rest of the trip was much more pleasant and the pictures are great.

recently got this camera. it's only been a few days but i get how it gets out of your way. the snap focus has unlocked a new level of convenience for me. what used to be a two-handed device is now pretty much all one-handed. it's been very fun shooting this at ISOs between 10000 and 25600 at night, with the pop-up flash being used about half the time in those circumstances. it's amazing in letting me get, at worst, technically okay images that capture good moments without getting in the way of me taking part in the festivities. the unit i got was bundled with the wide angle converter and filter adapter for a bargain price, which sweetens the deal. i actually like keeping a GR2 grip on the GR (bodies are the same size), so keeping the converter around works for me, but it does get in the way of the flash, so at night i don't bring it out

Awesome photos! Looks like you had a blast. There’s so much to do in Oahu, I have places that I’ve yet to check out whenever I make it back. Hopefully you’ll make it back. I had the KP & 18-135/50-200/15 Limited when I went last June. It wasn’t all that necessary. Most of my shots were at 28mm Focal Point or with the 15mm Limited. I’ve been using the K1, the last few days. Wow, what a beautiful camera body.

The images you took were amazing!

I agree that just having one camera with you is often less of a limitation but actually encourages your creativity, especially if you ony have one focal length available. I have MFT as my backup (these days: my primary) system, and once went on holiday with a two prime lenses solution: The GR for wide angle and my Olympus E-M10 with Oly 45/1.8 as my tele option. So that was around 200 gr. for the GR and 500 gr. for the Oly combo, in two separate small bags. I can hardly think of a lighter combo that offers so much IQ and it went really well. On MFT I could substitute the GR by using the E-M10 with my Leica 15mm (30mm equivalent), which would be stabilized and faster, at f/1.7, but then I would not have the tele option, and I don‘t like to change lenses in the field unless I really have to. Of course the GR has the better dynamic range compared to the MFT 16 MP sensor.

The colors are awesome!

You just tricked me into watching your family vacation photos 😃

Nice video man...I can totally relate. I have a Leica with some lens and decided to keep it at home and bring only my GR3 to a trip to Mexico City. Loved it, especially since you don't see many people with cameras there. If I had my Leica around my neck the entire trip, I'd feel really awkward. Also bonus, I edited everything in camera to Positive Film and HC b+w. Really made the photos look nice with minimal effort.

I really liked the photos, too. Some were really great, others document the experience, so you can really relate to that experience you had. As for the travel camera experience and the GR, I have the exact same model, bought it for around 300 USD (equivalent) some years ago. For the prize of the newer ones, I would not dream of upgrading, either. The IQ is fantastic. As this is a Pentax channel, too: I am pretty confident there is no similarly sharp prime for Pentax in the 28mm to 35mm region, apart from the Sigma 35/1.4, which weighs something like 800 gr. (without camera!). On a negative note, this is also something that frustrates me a bit about my Pentax gear (some of which I have had for 16 years now). There simply are hardly any lenses this sharp for Pentax to be had and I never got images that crisp from my K-5 or K-3 II, ever, no matter if I used the DA 12-24 or limited primes. The corner sharpness is especially good with the GR lens. Most Pentax lenses were great on a K10D (and designed around that time) but are too soft with the 16 MP generation, let alone the 24 MP one. And yes, unfortunately I have to pixel peep to check border and corner sharpness of pictures, even if I hardly ever print them.

A great video, with some wonderful photos. Well I had a GR just like the one you have, but sold it a number of years ago. I now have a little Fuji Xe3 with a 27mm lens, I find it just right in terms of size and performance for personal vacations, thank. Hawaii is on my bucket list of places to visit.

I agree the Gr is just so easy to bring along and offers all the controls of a much larger camera. I have the GrII and more or less set i to BW or color Positive and use files SOC. Only down side is that when I use it at night the green light from autofocus makes people aware that I'm taking photos.

Fantastic images! Now I want to go to Hawaii. :) Looks like the GR is a winner for sure. I still have - and love - my ancient Samsung EX1 (AKA TL500). All metal body, lovely F1.8 Schneider lens and a large OLED full articulating screen. Hard to find now but worth snagging if one pops up.

I feel the pain of overloading with gear. I have an even bigger burden myself, I also shoot film so, go figure. The OG GR really shines, and I guess that's why its price never goes down. Hope you enjoyed Hawaii!

Years ago I learned that lesson not to take all the gear with you. A few years ago we had a once in a lifetime (because the kids will grow up) trip, travelled with the kids to Europe from Australia for 2 months holiday taking trains and car around France, Germany, Italy and southern England. It was winter, snow at times and being this one special family trip I really wanted every shot to count but not get in the way of our family holiday by having too much gear. I have a few cameras but I decided to take my biggest chunk of a camera, the robust, weather sealed, Pentax K-1 with 28-105mm zoom. I left the fast Limited primes at home because they aren’t weather sealed and in the winter cold and sometimes snow or damp I wanted total reliability. That big full frame sensor handles low light in cathedrals and low winter sun like a boss. I knew that the slow aperture zoom would limit some creativity but the big sensor actually gives you some shallow depth of field even with a slow lens. As for weight walking around villages and cities, yes it was a heavy kit but it was easy enough in my 10yo waxed canvas Domke slung across the body. At times I wish I had something more discrete and lighter but at the end of the day I knew the Pentax K-1 was the most capable camera for the conditions. But I did keep it simple with just one zoom.

If you're handy you can open the GR and remove the dust from the sensor. I did it on mine. There's a guide somewhere for the all process. It's not a lot more difficult then changing the battery of a G-Shock (small screws, tiny bits...) plus the sensor cleaning part. I don't like that the new GR III dropped the TAv mode, my preferred one.

I'd say you have the best image quality of all the pentax users on tube.

the Panasonic ZS-100 is my goto camera these days. Just a perfect compact all around.

Looks like you guys hand an awesome trip! I definitely agree with you that if we take all our fancy lenses & equipment it often takes away from the experience itself. Those little GR's fit the bill perfectly for capturing the images that you you did 👏. I actually quite like my wife's Canon M100 when we travel, it is small enough to chuck in her bag, takes nice video and good enough photos for documenting our trip.

I love my GRiii..it consistantly takes better pictures than all my other gear.

My Ricoh GR is a Panasonic GX-85 and a 20mm f1.7. This is my every day carry. This goes in for an IR conversion when prices drop enough on its follow-on, the GX-9. See, this is how you still end up still carrying a camera bag of gear on trips despite the best of intentions.

This was a great video - thank you. I enjoyed your Hawaiian travel photos and narrative, as this is a destination which we'd also like to visit. Your comment about the GR's 16 mp capability as 'good enough' echoed my own recent decision to replace my aging K20D (99k clicks) with a K-5 instead of a K-70, a choice with which I've been very happy. You've also got me curious to check out the current market for the GR, although I use two Canon Powershots (D20, SX10is) as compact travel/hiking cameras and have been satisfied with their performance thus far. I appreciate your channel and look forward to seeing the next instalment. Cheers.

Great video. I’ve had the GRiii and it is an incredible camera. It’s insane the amount of detail and quality it could capture. I just personally found it too much. A bit over facing if that makes sense. Eventually sold it on, but I have often thought about getting the mark one version.

I bought an Olympus Pen-P3 with a Panasonic 12-32 pancake lens as a travel camera, still pocketable size.

you know someone is not a bird photographer when they get excited over a starling sound.

June 29, 2022 We are going to Maui. I am taking a Canon EOS-M (tiny camera), a Kamlan 50mm f/1.1 and a TTArtisan 35mm f/1.4 lens. I have a little bag for these and the charger and a couple batteries. That bag is so small, it will fit in the carry-on bag.

A few years back I went on a waterfall tour in the upper peninsula of Michigan. The first morning, my Sony A7Rii bluescreened (too much moisture!). I had to use my backup camera, a little Fuji x70 pocket camera. I got amazing pictures, and yeah, I enjoyed the trip because I didn't have to fuss with my camera.

Thx for sharing- Hawaii is a beautiful place. Glad you were happy with your choice of camera. The GR series is a somewhat confusing . Some have small sensors, other are APS-C and some are for film? I have to go and check what version I have ... It's a GR Digital IV . It has the tiny sensor, which is good for street as I don't have to stop down too much for everything to be sharp, and it focuses very close too (1cm). Not so good for distant subjects. But I always keep it in my bag. I remember when we (me and the mrs), visited Paris for the first time and had the choice between a slow Canon G2 or use film gear. At the last moment I jumped the gun and invested in the brand new Nikon D70 (in 2004). It cost more than the trip, but I didn't regret it. The shots I got with that camera and kit lens, I would never have got otherwise. It still is a quick shooter that takes great images on a 6Mp CCD. (My wife gave me hell when she found out - lol)

need to get this T-shirt

The GR series just can’t be beat imo for the bed EDC. So glad they finally made the X. Wish it was a 50mm, but I’ve gotten used to the 40mm and couldn’t be happier. I take it everywhere everyday. 🙌🏼

I just love the Shirt. GReat!

Speaking of 16mp era sensor, my gx80 has one and i love it. The em1 mk2 is great too tho!

Nice shots The sensor generation I think is similar to K5 and K01. I used the K01 several years as a compct and found meanwhile that a 1"-Sensor (Sony RX100M4) is even better in low light performance. On the GRII I had the opportunity to use it during last Photokina and found the menus totally inacceptable

Pentax Q7 is my current take everywhere camera. It's great.

I lived in Hawaii for a year and a half back in the 60's. Been there a few more times in more recent years. If you go back I recommend you go to Island of Kauai. It's just beautiful. Not as much commercialism. If you like nature, I highly recommend it. The Big Island is nice too. So is Maui. Oh heck they're all outstanding!

More and moreI I see you using the GR-s, more and more I want one :D. Watching your videos is not friendly to my bank account :P

Cheers for that, been looking for spare batteries for the GR for a while, can't justify getting a few of the originals, How do the wasabi perform?

If all the pics shown on this video r SOOC, seriously i really wanna get one...i am using Samsung NX300 as travel camera with 16mm prime & 18-55mm zoom lenses. They r still cheap and light, and can be charged on micro USB...got APSC sensor..but...i hv never got a result like urs..really impressed....great...

Prefer my old Fuji X70 with the amazing X-Trans sensor, tilting screen, 21mm adapter and optical viewfinder attachment. You should check one out! You have a great eye for landscapes though!

For me right now - when going superlight - Olympus OM E M5 Mii with a 17mm f/2.8. :) what was that second camera that you mentioned you took?

For a camera like that, my Pentax max-1 is a good choice. 12 megapixels, a very fast zoom lens, and enough manual feathers to get the shots I want most of the time. Try one if you ever get the chance, I think you will like it.

Fujica GW680iii Bronica ETRSI Canon EOS 3 Canon WP-1 Canon EOS R Yashica GX Canon nF1 Olympus PEN FT Fuji Instax Mini EVO Toyo 125vx ... I know the camera selection pain:) Luckily my collection maps pretty well to specific use cases / activities, so that helps. The GX or WP-1 are my go-to's for pocket cameras. Looks like an amazing trip and fantastic photos! Now grab a Ricoh GR1 and lets see which wins for IQ:) You'll get about 24mpx of resolution out of 35mm Portra. Thanks for sharing!

Answering to your question, I hope that camera will be the GR 2013 as well. I have the X100V and I love it as well. I'm just curious if I can go more compact with the GR and I've found one used for about $217. I'm watching all the videos I can about the GR to convince myself that I need it. 😅

Great shots. We’re the videos from the gre

I luv your shirt

👍

why has the ricoh GR gained so much popularity recently? maybe because of the griiix. either way, i fell for the popularity as well. i just found out about these little cameras and ended up buying a GRiii and i LOVE it. i don’t even use my sony a7ii anymore lol

Have you tried the Olympus tg6?

"..a few of you, I know, you own way too many cameras" I feel personally attacked 🤣

I think you made a good choice in wives - she seems like a very kind and gentle person.

Make sure you print some of the pictures. Be thankful for the trip. It should provide some good memories for you. As for what to shoot with, it all depends on what you are after and your tolerance for lugging equipment around. The last time I was in a tourist area, and that was perhaps 5 years ago, almost nobody had a dedicated camera out of hundreds and hundreds of people just me and one other. They used their phones. Phones work pretty darn well and get better all the time. It is a hassle to carry much as a tourist. I however always want more than what a phone will do, that's my nature. I have an omd-em10 version 1 with a manual 25mm 7artisans 1.8, among the many things. If you seek basic, small, and interchangeable lenses, that is it. That combination is very retro, trust me, it's like 1972 all over again only with stabilization and a vast selection of "ASA" possibilities and no 2 week wait to know if you got the shot. So, I lean m43 when not doing a Fuji X. If light is low, Fuji is a much better bet. The LX100 series is also nice. But here is an odd one, a bit larger but not too big, Canon G10. If you know how to use it, minimum ISO, maximum F stop, care in use, and know when not to use it, it can deliver spectacular results, especially landscape, it has an excellent lens. People have no idea how lucky they are to have access to photography for so little, and with such ease. I paid the inflation adjusted equivalent of $200 for a 126 instamatic with a case years ago maybe it came with film and a flash cube? I paid way more for a 35mm Argus/Cosina with a 50mm lens. Best wishes! (Save your money for teeth ;) )

I own way too many cameras… that are faulty. I buy dirt cheap cameras with issues on the off-chance that the fault isn’t as bad as the seller thinks. I’m mostly wrong! 🙄