GXR-M - what might you pack?

[Tom Caldwell]

Been overseas, so what is new?

My wife warned me that I was not allowed to take my whole camera kit (meaning dslr gear) - but no problem, I had been honing up my rag-tag collection of GXR-M suitable lenses. But whilst being a devotee of manual slr lenses adapted to the LM mount the size restrictions of these lenses would quickly fall foul of size and weight limitations prescribed for me.

So quite desperate to try out a range of lenses I had to select a representative kit that may have had some overlap in function.

In the end I took a Voigtlander 15mm f4.5, Russar MR-2 20mm f5.6, Ricoh GR 28mm f2.8, Jupiter-12 35mm f2.8, Voigtlander Nokton 40mm f1.4, Jupiter-3 50mm f1.5, Jupiter-8 50mm f2.0, Jupiter-9 (ltm) 85mm f2.0, Minolta M-Rokkor 90mm f4.0, Jupiter-11 (1955 model!) 135mm f4.0. Covered the range from 22.5mm - 200mm effective and the baggage was acceptable.

All this and a few more bits fitted into a "wearable" shoulder bag. My object was to try as many different lenses as I could reasonable hope to carry without too much inconvenience. The collection might overlap in focal length but we have a good variation of "lens-capture look" to add some spice to the performance. I tried to use a different lens a day to give myself a decent amount of feedback.

I have not had time to process any images yet but promise to get some examples up of each lens.

Without the "seeing is believing" of sample images I note a few points:

It was hard to see the extra benifit of a Jupiter-3 over the very nice Jupiter-8; the Ricoh GR (as mighht be expected) was a standout; I have fallen in love with the Jupiter-9 even though the Rokkor is also excellent, the J-9 is physically larger, but also a faster lens and has its own "look". The J-11 is a less "universal" lens having close focus at 2.5 metres, but it is quite useful from there to infinity and I am happy with it.

I must emphasise here that I am not into "perfection" in lenses but more into whether I like using a lens and that the lens I use produces a "look" that I like. So a lens to me is "art" rather than rigorous scientific precision. So I am not talented enough to produce high quality arthouse images, but I am willing to be "experimental" in my choices and a pioneer of new horizons. In fine wine terms I tend to take a bottle from the rack and only check the label if I have enjoyed the experience.
So for the expense of the odd rough red I have been also often been amazed and delighted by many that I have tried that don't carry designer labels.

Give me a few days and I will get some sample images on this thread but in the meantime if any of these lenses is of interest then let me know and I can prioritise what I am processing. I did take a few J-3 shots but the J-8 worked so well there hardly seemed any point.

Only once did I resort to the VF2 which I found clumsy in use in bright light although useful in that regard. For the rest of the time in some glaringly bright conditions I managed without. I did notice that in some very bright light / backlit situations the magnified Mode2 view just could not be discerned. However temporarily raising the EV brought the contrast indicator lines into display, then once focused, the EV could be reduced again to take the image.

TomC

 

[Tom Caldwell]

Jupiter-11

 

[Duane Pandorf]

Wow Tom that's still a lot of gear to pack! I've come to the conclusion that at most I will only need 3 lenses max. My A12 28mm, Leica 40mm and I'm still trying to decide on the third. Either a Minolta 58mm f1.4 with adapter or Leica 75mm/Voigtlander 75mm.

I will also buy a second body and leave the A12 28 on one and my 40mm on the other.

 

[Ksnow]

In less than 3 weeks I will be heading for France for 14 days, mostly to be spent in Paris. I've decided to bring the following: GXR, VF-2, A12 M, Voigtlander 15mm f/4.5, A12 28, A12 50, Zuiko 50mm f/1.8, M-Rokkor 90mm f/4.0, and Zuiko 75-150mm f/4.0, plus the COMA OM-M lens adapter, a tripod collar for the zoom, a couple of extra batteries, and a very small carbon fiber tripod. It's more than I really want to carry, but it all fits in my small Maxpedition sling bag with enough room for a small water bottle and an umbrella (an essential item in France). Once I get there I'll probably not take everything out with me at the same time, just what I think I'll need for the day. I also have a relatively small messenger bag that disguises everything, including the tripod, and I expect that to be my "daily" camera bag.

 

[pollobarca]

The same for me Tom,
Beware of tripods in hand luggage when flying. I was stopped by the friendly security of Bergamo airport. Apparently you can brain a policeman with a tripod, grab his weapons and go berserk. Luckily the policeman (not the security) told me to hide the thing in my trolley. Tripods in checked bags .
I use a National Geographic back pack, carries my epl1, ricoh gx100, fl40 flash, filters,cards, batteries, manfrotto mini , chargers, netbook (at a pinch it will take a 17inch laptop) , lens's are a Nikon wce68 for the ricoh (with the adaptor), Tamron 135mm,jupiter 8, sigma 55/200. I need a wide angle for the EPL1. All this and I still have room for packed lunch and a water flask.Oh there is the mains adapter for the netbook too.
When walking the hills the tripod hangs underneath or fits in a water bottle pouch.

Tom, like the sunglass's pic, well seen,composed and captured.

b rgds

paul

 

[britinjapan]

GXR and Ricoh 28mm and you`ll get the best shots for small package!

 

[Tom Caldwell]

Wow Tom that's still a lot of gear to pack! I've come to the conclusion that at most I will only need 3 lenses max. My A12 28mm, Leica 40mm and I'm still trying to decide on the third. Either a Minolta 58mm f1.4 with adapter or Leica 75mm/Voigtlander 75mm.

I will also buy a second body and leave the A12 28 on one and my 40mm on the other.

Duane,

You should not buy a M-Rokkor 90mm f4.0 then or you will be hooked. Best stick with your wides. I like the longer lenses for portraiture mainly, but the harbour shots do not work so well with a wide.

I took a good collection simply because I had the opportunity to make them work and see how they performed. No point in accumulating the gear and leaving it back at the office. What was interesting was the individual characteristics of various lens types. They all have their own individual charm.

I hope to progressively work through my images and put up some samples of this wild bunch.

I second body was handy but not essential. Changing lenses before I set out is better than changing them in the field.

Also once you have the need for a bag to carry them in then it is remarkable how easy it was to carry the lot. Shoulder sling and easily fitted in an overhead locker.

Neadless to say I did not bother with my M42 mounts. For instance the MIR 20A is a great lens but has an object lens the size of a saucer.

Tom

 

[Tom Caldwell]

Ken

My bag is a Lowepro, can't find it's model name but I must take a picture before it is completely unpacked. It's main claim to fame is that it does not particlarly look like a camera bag, but more like a general tote bag. It is divided into three internal padded compartments and has a zip out expanding section at one end. I added a layer of polyurethane sheet at this end to protect my camera bodies against knocks - the other compartments were well padded anyway. It has a quick release strap lock and the strap can be lengthened or shortened instantly.

For some time I have been using cheap beer can/bottle holders as lens gloves. The fixed cylindrical ones are handy for ex-slr lenses, for long ones two can be used - one over each end. There is a "flat folding" type as well which is made of softer material. I use this type to make "pockets" for my RF lenses. If you fold the top edge back on itself it gives a second layer of protection and the edge height can be adjusted. This leaves the top end of the lens exposed but if the storage is layered then the bottom of the next level covers them with a cushion anyway. Packed into a restraining space you end up with a section of little lens pockets.

My bag gobbled up 10 lenses (two fitted to camera bodies), spare batteries, charger and power adapters, lightmeter (which I did not use), my GRDIII (also hardly used), some spare batteries, spare caps, a small light and a hanging "thingie" that goes around my neck.

The hanging thingie is another of my "inventions". It is a sort of emergency neck strap for when I need my hands free. It is a modified dog leash (no laughing please ....) I moved the joiner closer to the clip end to give a larger loop which slips over the end. It is of thick soft strong material that causes no problem with neck rubbing and the slide clip is secure and both my camera hand straps slip into it quickly when I need my hands free. Most of the time I just use hand straps as they get in the way a whole lot less and I only use the invented neck strap in emergencies rather than putting the camera down. On this trip I recycled two Canon lens bags to keep the camera bodies/lenses in. They are drawstring bags and can also be clipped on the neck strap or on a belt loop when necessary. Not terribly "elegant" but it worked.

Tom

 

[Tom Caldwell]

GXR and Ricoh 28mm and you`ll get the best shots for small package!

No doubt. But the P10 my wife carried is even smaller and more compact with a good zoom range especially when I volunteered to carry the spare batteries and the charger gear in my "Sherpa-porter" kit bag. But seriously all that gear was still fairly easily luggable.

The P10 has to be the world's most perfect "travel camera" when you just want to record and preserve your trip memories. Despite being sometimes maligned for its small sensor it is nevertheless a very capable camera within its design restrictions.

My main trial was to see how a professional-level "kit" would work with a quality aps-c sensored camera. Considering that I had more range of lenses than you average professional 'tog would carry and two camera bodies and the whole thing was a fraction of the size and weight of even a restricted dslr kit. Consider that world travel is possible with a full kit in the overhead locker and not in two or three specially constructed camera cases in the airliner's hold.

This is not considering quality travel cameras for your holiday pictures but an exercise in photographic assignment. Not that I was on assignment (perish the thought) but those like myself, packing a good range of kit in a small quite portable space now demonstate the full impact of the EVIL-type camera on photography and in particular the GXR with A12 mount and the possibility of having the complete gear to tackle a wide range of work.

For me it was simply an experiment to check it's practicality.

Tom

 

[Tom Caldwell]

The same for me Tom,
Beware of tripods in hand luggage when flying. I was stopped by the friendly security of Bergamo airport. Apparently you can brain a policeman with a tripod, grab his weapons and go berserk. Luckily the policeman (not the security) told me to hide the thing in my trolley. Tripods in checked bags .
I use a National Geographic back pack, carries my epl1, ricoh gx100, fl40 flash, filters,cards, batteries, manfrotto mini , chargers, netbook (at a pinch it will take a 17inch laptop) , lens's are a Nikon wce68 for the ricoh (with the adaptor), Tamron 135mm,jupiter 8, sigma 55/200. I need a wide angle for the EPL1. All this and I still have room for packed lunch and a water flask.Oh there is the mains adapter for the netbook too.
When walking the hills the tripod hangs underneath or fits in a water bottle pouch.

Tom, like the sunglass's pic, well seen,composed and captured.

b rgds

paul

Paul

My steady of choice is a Velbon Ultra Stick 50 - which is a short monopod and very easily carried. I use a Novoflex button-type quick release. On most cameras the button can be left permanently on the camera. But on the GXR it has to be removed to access the compartment door. A bother but not a great one.

The Ultrastick is a great tool and can be left on camera without becoming in the way. It is a good hand brace and can be leaned horizontally against a wall as necessary. I rarely extend it but it can be obviously used as a conventional monopod when needed. It is just 335mm long folded (13") and whilst this makes it very "packable" it is also a very good photographer's night stick. I was not game to try and walk through security with it and put it in the checked in luggage where it did not seem to bother security.

Thanks for appreciating my picture, will get some more up asap. I think it worth the effort to try and show the range of imaging from a reasonable sized lens collection made in one extended sitting.

Tom

 

[Tom Caldwell]

PS, the bag I was using was the Lowepro Passport Sling. It seems to be designed for a dslr and kit zoom and can carry other personal items. I had mine wholly set up as a camera bag. On less exacting "tours" I would take less gear and hardly need the extension pocket unzipped. (Making it even more compact).

It does indeed just look like a general tote bag (not a camera-bag) and can either be shouldered, carried under-arm or swung around in front for easy access. The quick release and adjust belt lock makes configuration of strap length for different situations very quick and easy.

The internal camera dividers make a sort of velcroed-in "box" (where I stored my lenses in their "pouches") that also keeps the bag upright when placed on the floor. The double zip runs the full length of the top of the bag and makes access to your kit very quick and easy.

I have a lot of camera bags and this one seems to suit my GXR kit pefectly - would not be so happy imho for its stated design purpose of being a dslr tote bag - unless of course you were to limit yourself to one entry level dslr and kit zoom only.

Tom

 

[Ksnow]

>pollobarca: Thanks for the tip on packing tripods!

>Tom: I always like your approach to things photographic! Thanks for posting this topic!

 

[pollobarca]

Tom,
I'll look out the monopod.
I have the Manfrotto Pocket but it can be limited (as well as unlimited!) for some things.
A monopod at concerts would be useful or just getting round and having that bit of steadiness when required. I have seen them used as walking sticks too.
I use cases and neck straps all the time for my cameras. I have found that the neck strap on the EPL1 helps keep things steady in low light.Especially in museums and galleries.Idem the ricoh but its less critical due to the weight.
b rgds

paul

 

[Tom Caldwell]

Tom,
I'll look out the monopod.
I have the Manfrotto Pocket but it can be limited (as well as unlimited!) for some things.
A monopod at concerts would be useful or just getting round and having that bit of steadiness when required. I have seen them used as walking sticks too.
I use cases and neck straps all the time for my cameras. I have found that the neck strap on the EPL1 helps keep things steady in low light.Especially in museums and galleries.Idem the ricoh but its less critical due to the weight.
b rgds

paul

Personally it has been a long time since I used a fitted case and neck straps get in the way for me and used to give me neck pains. But these are very personal use-choices and should be recognised as such. I made myself up a pull-steady years ago but I should use it more.

A pull-steady is a length of light chain attached to a thumb bolt cut to correct length as the same thread as the tripod mount. Drill a hole in the flat thumb piece and attach the chain with a keyring loop. Cut chain to a suitable length.

In use: screw thumb bolt into tripod mount, drop chain to ground, step on chain, pull up. You have a tension based equivalent of a monopod. A piece of string might do but is springy and more prone to tangle. The whole lot is cheap and quick to make and takes up very little space in your bag.

Tom

 

[Tom Caldwell]

GXR + A12 Mount + Jupiter-12 35mm f2.8

 

[Blow-in]

I made myself up a pull-steady years ago but I should use it more.

A pull-steady is a length of light chain attached to a thumb bolt cut to correct length as the same thread as the tripod mount. Drill a hole in the flat thumb piece and attach the chain with a keyring loop. Cut chain to a suitable length.

In use: screw thumb bolt into tripod mount, drop chain to ground, step on chain, pull up. You have a tension based equivalent of a monopod. A piece of string might do but is springy and more prone to tangle. The whole lot is cheap and quick to make and takes up very little space in your bag.

Tom

Dyneema (http://www.dyneema.com/en_US/public/dyn ... a_home.jsp) might be a good substitute for chain....you could also tie a foot loop in to it rather than just standing on it - I do like the pull-steady idea though and it's one I've not come across before.

Richard

 

[Tom Caldwell]

I would like to post some Jupiter-9 images but I can't get the levers to work properly - they are hidden by fuzz from other parts of the thread.

Tom

 

[riccadonna]

Hello I`m new to the forum and recently fan of Ricoh. My Ricoh adventure started with m-unit as I previosly shot with Leica M6. I went for it insted of Nex because of m-mount and more important, ability to cap the sensor while changing the lenses in adverse condition. Later I added A12-28, partly because my VC 21/4 turned out to be decentered and partly to it`s compact size, AF, excellent optical quality and flash sync up to 1/3200, amazing. Back to walk-about outfit. The basic is of course A12-28. When travelling I add VC 15/4 for max wide, Summicron 35/2, Summicron 50/2 and Tele-Elmarit 90/2.8. The camera is on the neck, the lenses two and two, each pair held together with leica double backcap, land in my vest pockets. That`s it. Recently I discovered the beauty of my old Noctilux with A12, so it would eventually go in little backpack which I anyway always carry with me travelling, as well as Tele-Elmarit 135/4. Sometimes I missed the zoom lens but the weight and size contradict the idea of small package. Beside it, Tele-Elmarit 135/4 is of such a quality that it`s possible to double the focal by cropping. I do consider two camera style for pure concentrated shooting. One, of course fitted with A12-28 and the second with A12 unit with, say Summicron 50/2. The GRX bodies are reasonably priced so probably I will end up with it as it doesn`t look like Ricoh will update the body with articulated screen anytime soon. Stanis

 

[Tom Caldwell]

That sound like a great outfit Stanis, your method works well. I did a similar thing on a revent trip. A good range of GXR gear does not take a lot of space. I had forgotten about the back to back caps. I am trying as far as is possible to fit ltm->lm adpters to my ltm lenses permanently and fit them with lm end caps. Much less fiddly. I will have to get some deeper lm end caps to fit those lenses with a larger back protrusion such as the Jupiter-12.

Tom

 

[Katsunami]

In my Canon time, I had a backpack that could hold all of my lenses (6: 17-40, 24-105, 70-200, 300mm f/4, 50mm f/1.4, 85mm f/1.8 and the extender 1.4x), two camera's, and 2 flashes. Except for the second camera and second flash (backup and second for wedding photography), I normally took *everything*.

Then I quit photography for over 3 years and sold all of my Canon stuff; basically wanting a cheaper Leica with Zeiss lenses. Then The GXR-M came along and I jumped at it. When I bought the GXR-M, I have also gotten a small bag into which I can back the camera and 3 lenses. I did this on purpose: I will NEVER take more than 3 lenses on a day trip ever again. For my next vacation, I'll buy a bigger bag to fit more lenses if need be, but still I'll only take 3 when going out into a city or something.

Sometimes I take only one lens when going out, on purpose.