Sony RX1 even handles street shooting...

Ray Sachs

Legend
Location
Not too far from Philly
Name
you should be able to figure it out...
I'm done testing and comparing cameras for a little while, at least until the Ricoh GR shows up. So now I'm trying to get some actual SHOOTING in and get to really enjoy just shooting with the RX1, rather than assessing it. Yesterday I went into Philly with the RX1 and the GXR-28, figuring I'd pull out the Ricoh for street stuff and do everything else with the RX1. And my intent was to NOT do much street shooting. But my bottom line is that when I'm in an area with lots of people around, I can't help trying to shoot them and I'll use what I've got in my hand, unless its somehow just not working for me. Well, I never pulled out the GXR - just shot the whole day with the RX1. And the more I use this camera, the more I like it. My workflow with it is terribly simple. I leave it on auto-ISO. In good light I shoot in aperture priority (because the shutter speed will take care of itself and will be always be higher than the camera's imposed minimum of 1/80). In low light I generally shoot in manual so I can push the ISO and get faster shutter speeds than 1/80 if I'm shooting anything moving and I can adjust the shutter speed down when I'm not. I shoot AF for non-street stuff but I have the AEL button set up as a toggle to immediately put me in manual focus. So it takes me about a second to hit that button and give the focus ring just enough of a turn to get into the focus distance I use for zone work. On the occasion I'm doing narrow DOF work, I hit the center button, which brings up a center target that will track whatever I initially put in it, then I focus on it and recompose, knowing it will keep that object in focus even as I move the frame around. That's pretty much it. I have bracketing and face detection easily available but rarely use them. And when I'm street shooting and my attitude toward the sun is changing and I'm moving in and out of shadows, I'm working the exposure comp dial constantly. And for lower light street shooting, it turns out there's more DOF than I was giving it credit for. If it was 28mm with this quality lens and sensor, it might be perfect. At 35mm, its wonderful, just a slight sliver less than perfect. Anyway, here's a mix of street and non-street from the day. As usual, I have waaaaaay too much stuff up on Flickr... And some of these are heavily processed, which sort of hides how great the lens and sensor are, but sometimes that's just the way I see it. Others really kind of show off how good it is. Particularly some with some heavy cropping...

This camera was a huge expense, but I'm not having any second thoughts at all. I'm very fortunate I was able to do it and glad I managed to convince myself to pull the trigger.

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Philly RX1-66-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

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Philly RX1-310-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

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Philly RX1-83-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

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Philly RX1-224-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

Springtime in Philly:
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Philly RX1-189-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

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Philly RX1-396-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

The culmination of bad habits:
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Philly RX1-361-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

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Philly RX1-132-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

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Philly RX1-271-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

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Philly RX1-372-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

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Philly RX1-222-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

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Philly RX1-181-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

-Ray
 
Nice stuff as usual, Ray. I particularly love the first one. Question - are you getting shots with the RX1 that you couldn't get otherwise with an APS-C camera? Like you said, some of your stuff is heavily processed, so one line of thinking is that an APS-C sensor could be processed just the same and the other line is that maybe the RX1 files have more latitude to be pushed and pulled.

Thanks for sharing.
 
Nice stuff as usual, Ray. I particularly love the first one. Question - are you getting shots with the RX1 that you couldn't get otherwise with an APS-C camera? Like you said, some of your stuff is heavily processed, so one line of thinking is that an APS-C sensor could be processed just the same and the other line is that maybe the RX1 files have more latitude to be pushed and pulled.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks John. I think its mostly tradeoffs, as you've begun to identify. Generally I'd be at least as well off with a smaller sensor camera for the street shots, since you can get more depth of field at a larger aperture. In good light, not much difference there, but in low light there's probably an advantage to a really good APS based camera. Or m43 or even, if someone would ever make one, something like a GRD built around Sony's 1" sensor which is only good to about 3200 but where the whole world is in focus at f3.5 or so. OTOH, the files from the RX1 are so good that they help you in two ways. First, as you note, they can really be pushed and pulled that much more than any APS files I've worked with. And second, the cropping potential from a sensor with this much resolution and a lens that actually lives up to it, is pretty consequential. None of the shots in the initial post are all that heavily cropped, but this one is cropped down to almost a quarter the size of the original and the grain was added for effect, not necessity. If I was going out for a day (or night) specifically intending to do street shooting, I'd no doubt still take a 28mm APS based setup, probably the new Nikon or Ricoh once that dust settles (I loved the Nikon and expect to be pretty happy with the Ricoh too). But for a day or night of mixed shooting that will include plenty of street but also some other shooting where IQ and/or low light capability will matter a lot, I wouldn't hesitate to take only the RX1, which I didn't expect would be the case when I bought it. And just in terms of the flow of shooting with it, it may actually trump my Fuji gear and Ricoh's I've used in the past, which have been pretty much my high water marks in that regard. There's just nothing I'd ever want to do with this camera that I can't seem to get to pretty much instantly and without having to think about it.

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Philly RX1-61-Edit by ramboorider1, on Flickr

-Ray
 
John kind of stole my question. I was wondering much the same myself. You're not the type of shooter to do a lot of what I call "exploitive narrow DOF shots", so I was wondering how your use of the RX1 to get your shots differs from your other gear. I can't believe the files are that much more malleable than the Fujis. Since your shots tend to have more DOF in them, what particularly like about the RX1 above your other cameras. I'm just wondering since I see a huge pile of used RX1s on Amazon for around $2,250.

Great shots as always, of course.

(I posted while you were posting Ray...I see your answer already)
 
Ray, the interesting thing here, for me, is how you work.The shots are always good,I've come to expect it from you.But they prove to me that it's your eye and not the camera that makes them so.You make your point though,this camera allows you a technique of shooting that works well and fast on the fly.
 
John kind of stole my question. I was wondering much the same myself. You're not the type of shooter to do a lot of what I call "exploitive narrow DOF shots", so I was wondering how your use of the RX1 to get your shots differs from your other gear. I can't believe the files are that much more malleable than the Fujis. Since your shots tend to have more DOF in them, what particularly like about the RX1 above your other cameras. I'm just wondering since I see a huge pile of used RX1s on Amazon for around $2,250.
Luke, I tend to shoot jpegs with the Fuji and they're the most workable jpegs I've ever used, but no comparison to the RX1's raw files. And no, for this tupe of shooting, there's no real advantage to this camera other than the surprising degree to which the camera "flows" for lack of a better term - its as "out of my way" as any camera I've worked with and I'm still pretty new to it, still feeling my way. Its got the tactile controls I love on the Fuji and the customizability of the Ricohs in one pretty great package. Its more just a very nice surprise that I don't GIVE UP anything with this camera for this kind of shooting. Or not enough to keep me from doing plenty of it and mixing street and non-street together on a day out with just this one camera along for the ride. I was really expecting it to be my "non-street" camera - good for other stuff but pretty compromised for street shooting. And it turns out to be very damn good for this too. Happy surprise...

-Ray
 
Thanks John. I think its mostly tradeoffs, as you've begun to identify. Generally I'd be at least as well off with a smaller sensor camera for the street shots, since you can get more depth of field at a larger aperture. In good light, not much difference there, but in low light there's probably an advantage to a really good APS based camera. Or m43 or even, if someone would ever make one, something like a GRD built around Sony's 1" sensor which is only good to about 3200 but where the whole world is in focus at f3.5 or so. OTOH, the files from the RX1 are so good that they help you in two ways. First, as you note, they can really be pushed and pulled that much more than any APS files I've worked with. And second, the cropping potential from a sensor with this much resolution and a lens that actually lives up to it, is pretty consequential. None of the shots in the initial post are all that heavily cropped, but this one is cropped down to almost a quarter the size of the original and the grain was added for effect, not necessity. If I was going out for a day (or night) specifically intending to do street shooting, I'd no doubt still take a 28mm APS based setup, probably the new Nikon or Ricoh once that dust settles (I loved the Nikon and expect to be pretty happy with the Ricoh too). But for a day or night of mixed shooting that will include plenty of street but also some other shooting where IQ and/or low light capability will matter a lot, I wouldn't hesitate to take only the RX1, which I didn't expect would be the case when I bought it. And just in terms of the flow of shooting with it, it may actually trump my Fuji gear and Ricoh's I've used in the past, which have been pretty much my high water marks in that regard. There's just nothing I'd ever want to do with this camera that I can't seem to get to pretty much instantly and without having to think about it.


-Ray

Thanks for the thoughtful response, Ray. Be careful what you say about cropping though, you may start Megapickle War II! ;-)
 
I'm not surprised at all that the RX1 can do street images. It's size would make it discreet enough and then you have all it's internal goodies. Nice to know you are bonding with it, it would be a shame if you weren't given the expense. It would seem for you the investment was quite worth it. Good to hear!
 
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