Roll 295
Film: Fujifilm FujiColor 100 (expired one year, shot at ISO 100)
Developed & scanned: DEP Lab 2025/9/19
Camera: Ricoh GR21 21mm f3.5
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By the time you're reading this, both of my Ricoh GR21s have been sold. One went for 30,000 NT; the other for 35,000 NT.
When I bought them, I already knew I'd sell them one day. So I kept one for myself and lent the other to a friend — something this rare felt worth sharing.
I don't know what my friend made of it, but for me, using the GR21 always felt like a slight mismatch. Less that it's the wrong camera and more that something else might suit me better.
I wanted to convert the value into other cameras.
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#1
The film itself.
#2
An evening after work. My work is primarily web design from home, but I also have clients on a monthly retainer for integrated marketing services — which means anything that contributes to their business growth, with web design being just one item on the list. The most time-consuming part is usually negotiating collaborations with external marketing partners on their behalf. Because of this kind of work, I'm forced to leave the house at least one day a week and come into Taipei from Banqiao. Fresh air, new surroundings. I appreciate it — otherwise I'd have very little to photograph on film.
#3
A morning run — though looking at the shadows, it's not really morning anymore.
#4
The tree test. Honestly, I've shot this scene so many times that it's started to feel compulsive. And it only tests stopped-down performance — useless for close-focus or bokeh. On another note, I feel like I've recently figured out how to evaluate compact cameras properly, and I now have a fairly clear frontrunner for each focal length. The 21mm category goes to the GR21, obviously — it's the only entrant.
#5
What happens when you press the shutter without checking the focus indicator.
#6
The GR21's range of subjects is actually quite narrow. Self-portraits look strange — the 21mm distorts everything. I didn't want to keep it just because it's expensive. That would be a waste.
#7
This GR21 has the original Ricoh protective filter attached. This shot tests how it handles light with the filter on — the result isn't great.
#8
Remove the filter, and everything clears up immediately. I've never been a filter person — not on film cameras, not on digital. I like to use extreme examples to think through these things: someone might say a protective filter has no impact on image quality, but what about 100 of them? If 100 would make a difference, then one does too. No scientific basis for this, but I genuinely believe a single protective filter does more damage to image quality than a lens scratch would.
#9
An old building in Banqiao, New Taipei.
#10
The GR21 tilts easily in landscape orientation. It tilts even more easily in portrait.
#11
More Banqiao buildings.
#12
I keep forgetting this film is Japanese-made Fuji 100 — like the GR21, rare and priced accordingly.
#13
Still waiting at the red light.
#14
Still waiting at the red light.
#15
Still waiting at the red light. This was a 24-exposure roll, so that's everything.
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That's this roll — Ricoh GR21 21mm f3.5 with Fujifilm FujiColor 100. Thanks for reading.
