Can you get noiseless photos at night from a Ricoh GR APS-C sensor camera? In a word ... YES, along with a little assistance from Lightroom's new Denoise feature.

The photos in this video can be further inspected individually here:
View the Before and After Lightroom's Denoise feature added to each Photo in Video

So, more 'fake, AI processing?' No more than the jpeg you get straight out of the camera. That's right, the jpeg straight out camera likely has been processed to death before you see it. Even if you're shooting in manual mode, and even if you dial in the parameters of the editing straight to camera, the brain of the camera is doing exactly the same thing you're brain is doing when you use photoshop or lightroom. It's taking the digital information it's allowed to absorb, and doing it's best to make it look like a finished photo should look like.

Did an ebay purchase gone bad turn out to be a good thing for me? In this video I discuss what happened when I ordered the wrong item based on the seller's description. Find out how and if the ordeal was resolved to satisfaction.

Nonetheless, I took the opportunity to try out the camera in question and in this video I explain my first impressions and show some images I shot both indoors and outside. I also explain how to tell the difference between the two versions of the Ricoh GR and Ricoh GR Digital cameras, and why there is a price difference so you don't get bamboozled into the wrong camera!

But the question is, if you did get bamboozled, would it be worth keeping? Check out the video and find out my impressions and opinion.

After a heart-stopping moment when my Pentax K70 took a 6-foot tumble off my tripod, I go in-depth and discuss ten major benefits the Pentax K70 offers that rival many DSLRs recently released. Is the Pentax K70 a camera you want to consider in 2023? Check out the positive and negative features I point out in this video and you be the judge. If you own a Pentax K70, let me know your thoughts and opinions on how this camera fits your shooting style.

In this video, I go through the details from start to finish, including how to prepare your images, how to use the InDesign template ($1.99 from link below - or you can create your own template using any program that you are comfortable with), how to create a cover using the free KDP.Amazon creator, how to create your final PDF, and how to upload to KDP.Amazon so the public can purchase a copy.

Part 1 of this two-part series here: https://youtu.be/ki3V4U6qZHA

Of course, you can create your own template if you are familiar with InDesign. The details are available on the KDP.Amazon.com website tutorial section, which I highly recommend for advanced knowledge. The zip folder containing the 8.5" x 8.5" template folder is available immediately after purchase. However, it is important to note that I do NOT offer any tech support, feedback, or assistance on how to use the template. I suggest you create your own if losing the $1.99 will result in financial hardship for you, we don't want that!

In this video I return to the streets of Indianapolis for my first street photography walk in 2023, using my new-to-me Ricoh GR, the original.

I wasn't sure what kind of results I was going to get with the Ricoh GR, as I'm used to using the GR III, which is a much more advanced version of the original GR. However, I found I really did not need the bells and whistles that come along with the newer GR III, including the crappy plastic selection wheel on the back of the newer model that went bad on me within a few months of use. There is no plastic wheel on the original Ricoh GR, just a normal, usable selection button that should have been also used on the GR III.

I went for harsh contrast with this outing, as it was high noon on a very sunny, and unusually warm February afternoon. The sun made for great contrast, but the key is to position yourself in the right place, and wait for people to pass through the space with heavy shadow separating them from the sunlight.

I shoot all my images in RAW, and process in Lightroom. The effect of blacking out the shadows is accomplished mainly by slamming the BLACK slider in Lightroom all the way to the left, leaving the shadows at midpoint, and typically adding some WHITE slider to the right, requiring a bit of LIGHT to be pulled down to the right as needed. Add some BRUSH of black in some of the dark areas to fit your style and that's all that's required. I typically leave contrast at mid-point, or back off a bit, but usually do not increase contrast (as it makes the white areas too washed out and harsh.)