Recently I bought my son a film camera. He is 7 years old yet very enthusiastic about film photography. Maybe he got this from me but he really enjoys my film photos. Then one day he asked me if he could take film photos as well. I naturally got excited about started searching for point & shoot film camera. My first condition is P&S film camera for my son must have 1) A mode (Aperture Priority mode) 2) Exposure compensation 3) Wide angle 3) Bright lens such as F/2.8
It wasn’t hard to figure out Ricoh GR1 is the best fit. (There are other film cameras that meet these conditions but Ricoh GR1 seems to be the best among them.)
It was easy to figure out Ricoh GR1 is the best candidate for my son, but it was really challenging to find a good conditioned Ricoh GR1. On top of this over the years, Ricoh GR1 price has gone up much higher.
As soon as I got this one, my son was over the moon with joy. I got him Portra 400 for his first film which he liked from my film photos. Even though from my Ricoh GR2 experience, I know Ricoh takes great photos. As Leica user myself, I didn’t think P&S camera could make clear images like Leica does.
I was totally wrong. Ricoh GR1 makes a great color out of Portra 400 film. It feels like the color is more vivid than the one from Leica M7 with Summilux lens combination.
I took them in A mode (Aperture Priority mode). Images are stunning just like Leica. I guess I now know why people say Ricoh GR1 is the best P&S film camera.
Here are two more shots from my son. I was also shocked by his photos. Because they are well composed considering his age. Of course, he used P mode (complete auto mode) but soon he would pick up some more skills, then he might excel me. I am very pleased to know that he has a natural eye for photography. Evidently, we will enjoy film photography for long together.
