It's not the camera or the lens telling the story...

Last Update: 31st May 2026

As the years pass by like chapters in one's book of life, I find myself reflecting more on the paths I chose in life. In my youth, I consciously opted to turn away from the idea of a rainbow nation. Twice the Lord granted me the incredible opportunity to work overseas. Consequently, my children spent a significant portion of their formative years in the majestic landscapes of Switzerland. Now, as my wife and I approach the twilight of our lives, we look forward to drawing nearer to our children, who have embraced their new Swiss identities, becoming more Swiss than South African.

Taken with my 8MP Konica Minolta Dimage A2. A lovely scene at the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

As I paged through my image collection, the warm melodies of CDs I'd crafted from my cherished LPs filled the air. The music, rich with that classic vinyl essence, resonated beautifully through my Ken Ishiwata Marantz CD player. I couldn’t help but wonder how much joy these timeless LPs would bring me today. What a stark contrast to the moment I decided to part with my entire vinyl collection. Little did I know just how dearly I would come to miss those beloved melodies.

As I flipped through my images, a wave of emotion washed over me, harmonizing with the gentle tunes emanating from my "vinyl" collection. Each image has its own story, transforming moments into memories. This journey of revisiting our photo collection felt like a unique moment with each photo, whether it was taken with my Pentax SLR or one of my digital cameras. What a captivating journey that intertwined my past and present, with a delightful symphony of sight and sound, until...

I took these with my Pentax SLR. A modified Thorens on the left and my own design and built on the right.

My wife and I shared a passion for photography, resulting in a vast trove of film negatives and prints. About 8 years ago, I purchased a scanner to breathe new life into our analog collection. The journey of scanning and editing our negatives unfolded in a way that was worlds apart from the familiar territory of digital photo editing. To my surprise, my knowledge and experience with Olympus , along with my expertise in using Workspace, greatly improved my analog image processing.

I took this image with my Pentax SLR and edited the scanned negative in Photoshop.

I took this picture with my Canon 350D. My wife and I grew up in the outskirts of the lovely city of Pretoria. 

My wife and I are devoted Christians. We married 40 years ago in Pretoria and raised two children.

I took this image with my Pentax SLR. Durban was always a popular and safe holiday destination.

Shortly prior to leaving South Africa for the first time.

I took this image with my Canon 350D. In 2000, we made the decision to return to South Africa.

I took this image with my Pentax SLR and edited the scanned negative in Photoshop.

I took this image with my Konica Minolta A2. We were happy seeing our relatives again. This is the Hartbeedpoortdam area.

I took this image with my Canon 350D in the Hartbeespoortdam area.

I took this image with my Canon 350D in the Hartbeespoortdam area.

I took these images with my trusty Pentax SLR. These were son and dad boat projects.

My wife took this image with her analog Olympus Mju.

I took this image with my Pentax SLR. My father and mother with 3 children (families) and 5 grandchildren.

Out of a family of thirteen, four members will remain in South Africa. Through hard work, we have excellent educational backgrounds, talent, and experience, all motivated by a commitment to invest in our country and contribute to the development and the well-being of all its citizens. However, we have been confronted with the difficult choice of embracing a new culture in pursuit of a safe future for our children. Despite the challenges, our love for Africa and its people never changed.

Lüderitzbucht, Namibia. I cannot help to think we have such awesome digital cameras today...

I took this image with my Pentax SLR. My grandparents immigrated from Germany to South West Africa (Namibia today).

It’s hard to imagine a South African family that hasn’t lost loved ones to violence or faced the trauma of horrific incidents like sexual abuse, carjackings, or home invasions. As the country marks 31 years since apartheid, it finds itself on the brink of an economic collapse while being hampered by 145 discriminatory laws preventing minorities from partaking in the country's job market. The grim reality of violent farm attacks continues to linger in the shadows, often downplayed and misreported as mere theft, yet the pain and suffering of farmers resonate tragically throughout our farmlands.

One left South Africa, and the other family became another statistic of "theft."

We never intended to leave South Africa for a second time, but life took an unexpected turn when I received an offer from Switzerland. One evening, as I was reflecting on our future, an unimaginable tragedy unfolded nearby. Three girls were left in the care of their grandmother when their parents returned from work. Tragically, with the parents being tied down in the garage, the grandmother was powerless to intervene while the three innocent girls suffered a horrific ordeal inside the home. It was in that moment, as I looked into the eyes of a girl who had endured such tragic suffering, that I realized it was time to seek a new beginning for my family. The journey away was not one of choice but rather a response to the painful injustices that plagued our beloved country for 31 years.

In the heart of the Oval Office, a spark of hope flickered to life as the President of the United States greeted the President of South Africa and his entourage. However, that glimmer quickly faded as the world’s media unleashed a troubling spectacle casting doubt on the foundations of an independent media. Our prayers are with fellow South Africans during this tumultuous time, as many struggle to comprehend the far-reaching consequences of this most recent journalistic catastrophe.

Our son and his family live in Switzerland, while our daughter returned to South Africa. Like many South Africans, she and her husband pursued opportunities abroad, leveraging their qualifications to build a new life in Australia. South Africa had a recorded population of 17M in 1981, and by 1994, a remarkable 95M participated in the country's inaugural free and fair elections.

Julius Malema chanting, kill the boer, kill the farmer. Source video (Newsline SA)

In a realm where tales of anguish fade into silence, the true extent of the oppression directed at cultural minorities remains elusive. South Africans navigate through unthinkable suffering, a reality marked by relentless brutality and violence, compounded by the disintegration of families. All of this unfolds beneath the watchful eye of an independent global media. Yet, in our current climate of doubt and skepticism, one might be tempted to downplay these horrors as mere petty theft or dismiss them as just another conspiracy woven into the fabric of religious and family values.

Ricoh introduced the 10MP GR Digital II in 2007

Last Updates: 7th August 2025 (New color profile)

Imagine having an invitation to a fun photo walk with older digital cameras. While reviewing feedback from relevant reviewers and forum conversations, what would your expectations be for an 18-year-old compact camera? For example, would you say images captured with the 10MP Ricoh GR could still be relevant in 2025? Some of the Ricoh images (JPEGS) in this article were slightly edited in Photoshop, and some are RAW files converted with Adobe Camera Raw (ACR). Is it possible that the older Ricoh GR Digital II could surprise many as an exciting and flexible performer in 2025?

The following compact cameras would be great for an oldies photo walk:

- Olympus XZ-1 (10MP)

- Pentax QS (10MP)

- Canon Powershot G11 (10MP)

- Panasonic LX-7 (10MP)

- Sigma DP2S (14MP)

- Olympus E-400 (10MP)

- Olympus E-PL9 (16MP)

TIP: See this article for more information about the technique I use to capture the image below.

GR Digital II JPEG @ ISO100, f4.0, and 1/1050. The lighting was perfect, and the Richoh seems to have a unique gamma (tone) curve.

The Ricoh GR Digital II is an exciting camera that stood out in the 10MP camera category. The listed compacts in this article had larger and more expensive sensors. Apart from the Pentax QS having a BSI sensor, the XZ-1 and G11 have CCD sensors, and the LX-7 has a CMOS sensor. It is often suggested that older CCD sensors produce more vibrant Kodak like colors. However, I contend that it's largely due to manufacturers’ choosing an analog look rather than pre-empting a modern digital photography look for 2007. This is evident in the unique Kodak look images produced by the Ricoh GR.

The Olympus E-400 and Sigma DP2S differ in their design and features. The Sigma DP2S is renowned for its unique 14MP Foveon X3 sensor, delivering great color and detail. In contrast, the E-400 features a 4/3 CCD sensor, while the DP2S has a APS-C sensor. Notably, earlier Olympus E-Series DSLRs were recognized for their use of CCD type Kodak sensors; however, the E-400 literature does not explicitly reference the Kodak CCD sensor. Personally, I favor the Olympus E-450, with its 10MP CMOS sensor, as it's quick and delivers a similar Kodak color palette as older CCD models.

I converted the Ricoh GR Digital II raw files in Photoshop with the Adobe Raw Converter (ACR).

Will I use the Ricoh GR Digital II in 2025? The Ricoh is a notably refined and agile camera, with great image colors. Although I would recommend it to others, I do not plan to use it much in 2025. I lean more towards the Olympus XZ-1/2 or the Stylus S1. Additionally, I love to create a color profile that would mimic the "Kodak" look of the Ricoh GR Digital II for my Olympus cameras.

Olympus E-M10 IV with the amazing M.Zuiko 75mm, f1.8 lens. I converted these Enhanced Raw Files in Workspace.

Large camera manufacturers seem to have lost sight of casual and hobby photographers. It has been suggested that the emergence of mobile phone photos contributed to an upswing in overly specified camera models, particularly as the quest for extravagant video specifications, higher resolution, and larger sensors was not a grassroots requirement but rather a marketing strategy. 

Grassroots-friendly cameras such as the E-PL9, E-P7, and E-M10 II/III/IV continue to offer exceptional value when paired with the M.Zuiko 75mm f1.8, 12mm f2.0, 17mm f1.8, 25mm f1.8, and 12-45mm f4.0 lenses. Any used E-M5 III, E-M10 IV, E-P7, or E-PL9 with two of these lenses outperforms mobile phones in terms of having fun doing photography, creativity, versatility, life cycle, and value. Will AI processing widen the gap between mobile phones and older compact and M43 cameras?

The beta version of my Ricoh GR color profile shows great potential. My initial impression is that this profile exhibits a more refined and nuanced image look compared to some of my older profiles. Its application is also different from my existing color profiles. For example, I incorporated features unique to Olympus for this new color profile. My intention was to ensure compatibility for all Olympus cameras. Consequently, the process of applying the new color profile requires converting an enhanced raw file in Workspace and saving it as a 16-bit TIFF file. The Ricoh GR color profile is designed for converted Olympus TIFF files. This method represents a distinct editing approach, offering numerous advantages in the realm of "layered" processing with Workspace.

See this link for more information about the new Ricoh GR profile.

Ricoh GR Digital II color profile with Soft Focus ART filter.

A collection of Ricoh GR Digital II photos

I did not use the Ricoh GR Digital II noise filter for the images in this article. Those using crop sensor Fuji, Olympus, and compact cameras have grown to accept a little film-like noise. What drives this sentiment for "small" sensor photography? It could be that those buying crop sensor cameras came to terms with the technical limitations of the sensor. This might also shed some light on why full-frame photographers jump at every AI noise reduction offer from DxO, Topaz, and Adobe AI. How many of them were told that full-frame cameras have no technical limitations like dynamic range and noise? It is regrettable to have such inaccurate marketing information at the present day.

See this article for more on the technical limitations of digital cameras.

Examples of my new Ricoh GR Digital II color profile