Tips, settings and how to use Ricoh GR Zone Focusing, Full Press Snap Focus and Manual Focus for shooting closeup Street Photographs.
21 thoughts on “Ricoh GR Zone Focusing Tips for Closeup Street Photography”
Hello michael! Just bought me a used Ricoh GR for fun. My question is: Does snap function only work in manual focus mode? Or does it also in A / F mode? I have difficulty seeing the snap funktione is in force or not? Hope you understand the question! Best regards Sean
Thank you for the question. I have updated the post and added how to use Full Press Snap Focus. This is the mode that is also available in every Auto Focus mode. Let me know if that was what you were looking for!
Hello Michael, I’m a bit confused by the Snap Focus and the Full Press Snap Focus. It’s the same thing no ? What I understood on the GR (correct me if I’m wrong…) is that the Snap Focus allows us to keep working with the AF and when we want to take a shot with the Snap Focus, we just full press to bypass the AF. Btw I love how close you get to people. Awesome ! For the photograph with the woman, you were with the camera so close to her face !
Cheers Michael
That´s right. The GR has a dedicated Snap Focus Mode where you can use only the predefined focus distances AND there is the option to use Snap Focus Mode when you are in Auto Focus Mode. To use Snap Focus you will have to enable it in the Camera Menu first. Then when shooting in Auto Focus Mode press the Shutter Button down fully. That will omit the cameras half-press Auto Focus function and you will shoot a photo using the selected Snap Focus distance instead. Hope that helps you to understand it more clearly.
Thank you for your thoughts about about the closeness. I think it is a style one has to try out at least once when shooting street, just to get a feel for it. Photographing like this happens to be very quick. For the particular picture I was walking in the opposite direction of the woman and raised my arm just before she passed. After trying it I realized that is is too intrusive for my personal taste (except some very special cases).
Here´s a tip if you want to try it: Stick around street crossings near transportation hubs (rail < -> bus) during peak hours (morning and after work). Cross the street with the people and snap along. Most people are rushing to catch their transports and wont complain because they are too tired :)
Hey Michael, thank you for this interesting article. I have to admin I’m a bit lost with the DOF chart… If I compare your chart with the DOF calculator I don’t get the same results :
With your chart : f5,6 / distance at 1.5 you say it’s clear from 1 to 3 meters.
From DOF calculator its says from 1.3 to 1.7….
I suppose you selected “Ricoh GR” in the online DoF calculator. This is the older model with a 1/1.7″ sensor. To get to the right value you can select Pentax K-5. To my knowledge it uses the same Sony sensor as in the GR and GRII. Also check out the Notes under the Ricoh GR DoF Chart made by Gerd Waloschek!
Thanks for the chart Michael. I have saved it to my phone for reference. I move too much when shooting, so have been trying Shutter priority at 1/1000 in good sunlight. Anything more than a couple of meters away has been in focus, but it can be an issue in shadows. Looks like f8 is the sweet spot for focusing so I will give that a try instead today. Maybe try 1/500 with auto ISO too.
Glad it helped you understand and apply the functions Steven. Today I added another section “Ricoh GR Focus Distance Examples” I hope it will help to get a visual idea in regards to different focus distances and possible results when photographing persons on the streets.
An excellent round-up of tips -but what I really loved is the DOF chart! This is extremely useful and I’ve been searching all over the internet for something like that -thank you :) I’ve been using the Ricoh GR ii for almost a year now because I’m a street photographer enthusiast and -mainly- a travel writer. I wanted something light for my journeys and this is hands down the best camera I ever owned. Not sure if I will upgrade to the new version (GR iii) but I think I’ll stick with my current one. The results are stunning.
Keep up the good work and thank you once again!
George
Thanks for your feedback George, I am happy to hear that it is useful. I too traveled with the GR II for a year now and must say that it is a great travel companion. Sometimes I wished for a longer lens when in nature. It is ideal for street and documentary purposes for sure. I am curious, did you use the GH-3 lens adapter to protect the lens? I did and so far I had any dust issues. As for upgrading, I am not convinced about leaving the flash behind but I would enjoy making higher resolution images for sure.
Hello Michael,
sorry for the delay, I didn’t get a notification back for your message. To your question, no, I didn’t use the GH-3 adapter. I didn’t have so far any dust issues and I’m glad for it. I read a lot about this issue on the internet. It might have helped that I bought from day one a hard case that keeps it protected. So if I don’t use it for a couple of days in a row, I will have it in the case.
In general, I didn’t use any accessory, even though I was really tempted to use the external viewfinder. But I thought of having the raw Ricoh GR experience. I think I can’t get over the fact that it fits literally in your pocket. I also miss the longer lens in a variety of circumstances, but I guess that’s the price you pay for traveling light.
I’m not convinced either to upgrade to the GR iii. It is tempting though to have the IBIS plus a high-quality video -in the GR ii the video reminds me of a first generation smartphone video sometimes…But I’m gonna miss the flash, too, so I think I will stay with my GR ii :)
Very interesting article, but I am struggling to tell the difference between Full Press Snap Focus and Snap Focus. If I have already set the Snap Focus distance to 1.5 metres for example and I use Full Press Snap Focus to ensure the camera focuses at 1.5 metres, why would I use the alternative Snap Focus feature if this uses an AF function? Wouldn’t this override the 1.5 metre zone of focus? I cannot see why I would use this instead of Full Press, I hope you can clarify!
Hello michael! Just bought me a used Ricoh GR for fun. My question is: Does snap function only work in manual focus mode? Or does it also in A / F mode? I have difficulty seeing the snap funktione is in force or not? Hope you understand the question! Best regards Sean
Hi Sean!
Thank you for the question. I have updated the post and added how to use Full Press Snap Focus. This is the mode that is also available in every Auto Focus mode. Let me know if that was what you were looking for!
Best, MiK
Hello Michael, I’m a bit confused by the Snap Focus and the Full Press Snap Focus. It’s the same thing no ? What I understood on the GR (correct me if I’m wrong…) is that the Snap Focus allows us to keep working with the AF and when we want to take a shot with the Snap Focus, we just full press to bypass the AF. Btw I love how close you get to people. Awesome ! For the photograph with the woman, you were with the camera so close to her face !
Cheers Michael
Hi Jean
That´s right. The GR has a dedicated Snap Focus Mode where you can use only the predefined focus distances AND there is the option to use Snap Focus Mode when you are in Auto Focus Mode. To use Snap Focus you will have to enable it in the Camera Menu first. Then when shooting in Auto Focus Mode press the Shutter Button down fully. That will omit the cameras half-press Auto Focus function and you will shoot a photo using the selected Snap Focus distance instead. Hope that helps you to understand it more clearly.
Thank you for your thoughts about about the closeness. I think it is a style one has to try out at least once when shooting street, just to get a feel for it. Photographing like this happens to be very quick. For the particular picture I was walking in the opposite direction of the woman and raised my arm just before she passed. After trying it I realized that is is too intrusive for my personal taste (except some very special cases).
Here´s a tip if you want to try it: Stick around street crossings near transportation hubs (rail < -> bus) during peak hours (morning and after work). Cross the street with the people and snap along. Most people are rushing to catch their transports and wont complain because they are too tired :)
Best,
Michael
Hey Michael, thank you for this interesting article. I have to admin I’m a bit lost with the DOF chart… If I compare your chart with the DOF calculator I don’t get the same results :
With your chart : f5,6 / distance at 1.5 you say it’s clear from 1 to 3 meters.
From DOF calculator its says from 1.3 to 1.7….
Can you please explain me these differences ?
Thank you !
Thanks for the question Gilles!
I suppose you selected “Ricoh GR” in the online DoF calculator. This is the older model with a 1/1.7″ sensor. To get to the right value you can select Pentax K-5. To my knowledge it uses the same Sony sensor as in the GR and GRII. Also check out the Notes under the Ricoh GR DoF Chart made by Gerd Waloschek!
Hope this helps,
Michael
Thanks for the chart Michael. I have saved it to my phone for reference. I move too much when shooting, so have been trying Shutter priority at 1/1000 in good sunlight. Anything more than a couple of meters away has been in focus, but it can be an issue in shadows. Looks like f8 is the sweet spot for focusing so I will give that a try instead today. Maybe try 1/500 with auto ISO too.
Excellent, detailed guide which has explained where I was going wrong perfectly. Thank you for going to the trouble of producing this ?
Glad it helped you understand and apply the functions Steven. Today I added another section “Ricoh GR Focus Distance Examples” I hope it will help to get a visual idea in regards to different focus distances and possible results when photographing persons on the streets.
An excellent round-up of tips -but what I really loved is the DOF chart! This is extremely useful and I’ve been searching all over the internet for something like that -thank you :) I’ve been using the Ricoh GR ii for almost a year now because I’m a street photographer enthusiast and -mainly- a travel writer. I wanted something light for my journeys and this is hands down the best camera I ever owned. Not sure if I will upgrade to the new version (GR iii) but I think I’ll stick with my current one. The results are stunning.
Keep up the good work and thank you once again!
George
Thanks for your feedback George, I am happy to hear that it is useful. I too traveled with the GR II for a year now and must say that it is a great travel companion. Sometimes I wished for a longer lens when in nature. It is ideal for street and documentary purposes for sure. I am curious, did you use the GH-3 lens adapter to protect the lens? I did and so far I had any dust issues. As for upgrading, I am not convinced about leaving the flash behind but I would enjoy making higher resolution images for sure.
Hello Michael,
sorry for the delay, I didn’t get a notification back for your message. To your question, no, I didn’t use the GH-3 adapter. I didn’t have so far any dust issues and I’m glad for it. I read a lot about this issue on the internet. It might have helped that I bought from day one a hard case that keeps it protected. So if I don’t use it for a couple of days in a row, I will have it in the case.
In general, I didn’t use any accessory, even though I was really tempted to use the external viewfinder. But I thought of having the raw Ricoh GR experience. I think I can’t get over the fact that it fits literally in your pocket. I also miss the longer lens in a variety of circumstances, but I guess that’s the price you pay for traveling light.
I’m not convinced either to upgrade to the GR iii. It is tempting though to have the IBIS plus a high-quality video -in the GR ii the video reminds me of a first generation smartphone video sometimes…But I’m gonna miss the flash, too, so I think I will stay with my GR ii :)
Hi George,
which hardcase would u recommend?
jp
Great guide. Thank you very much.
Hi Michael
Very interesting article, but I am struggling to tell the difference between Full Press Snap Focus and Snap Focus. If I have already set the Snap Focus distance to 1.5 metres for example and I use Full Press Snap Focus to ensure the camera focuses at 1.5 metres, why would I use the alternative Snap Focus feature if this uses an AF function? Wouldn’t this override the 1.5 metre zone of focus? I cannot see why I would use this instead of Full Press, I hope you can clarify!
Hi there
What are differences between snap focus and manual focus? From my understanding both work similar way.
Thanks
Nice write up. Can you provide the exit for the image with the guy smoking? It’s great! Thanks.