EP300: Breaking Free of the Fake Panorama — Ricoh R1s 30mm f3.5 / 24mm f8 with Harman Phoenix II 200

Roll 300

Film: Harman Phoenix II 200
Developed & scanned: DEP Lab 2025/10/10
Camera: Ricoh R1s 30mm f3.5 / 24mm f8

Recently I gathered up all my irrational impulses and finally borrowed money from the bank to buy a Sigma BF. I'd originally planned to pay for it outright, but since I'd suddenly decided to fly to Komatsu, Japan in the summer of 2026 — taking my son to see the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum (one of the world's three great dinosaur museums) — I was afraid that being short on cash would drag me into a vicious cycle of anxiety. So I borrowed from the bank and let myself bury my head in the sand for a while.

I'm not sure whether I should write a proper review of the Sigma. But I don't think I need to — anyone who ends up buying a Sigma BF will naturally discover the reason deep down inside, no convincing required.

This roll was shot in October 2025, when I was trying to unlock the Ricoh R1s's uncropped 24mm f8 wide-angle view through a non-destructive modification. It seems to have worked. My method was to take a small strip of paper, cut it down to size, roll it up to about the thickness of a matchstick, and stuff it into the R1s's shutter-blind mechanism so that when the camera switches to the 24mm f8 lens group, the upper and lower blinds don't drop down.

Once you unlock the 24mm f8, you'll see obvious vignetting, and the edge quality falls apart — which is exactly why Ricoh built in the fake-panorama mode instead. But I think it's a fun experiment, and paired with black-and-white film, even better.

#1
I played with spinning tops for a while as a kid — just whipping one whenever I was bored. Now my son seems to be taking an interest too.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#2
Taichung's Liuchuan riverside is well maintained — still lush and green after all these years, probably because the water level stays so stable.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#3
Eight Way Dumplings is my last line of defense when it comes to dumplings and potstickers.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#4
Getting ready to go for a run.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#5
The day's route took me through here.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#6
Wanted to test out how Harman Phoenix II 200 handles the sky.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#7
Harman Phoenix II 200 is very demanding about light, which makes the Ricoh R1s 24mm f8's vignetting even more pronounced.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#8
Because of the vignetting, the photos can't easily be cropped — it would look unnatural.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#9
A wide-angle lens not suited to distant subjects.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#10
As a child I had a very naive image of clouds — I thought that if you just got close enough, you could feel how soft they were. It was only when I grew up that I learned they're just a mass of fog so thick you can't see your own hand.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#11
A rather unreliable vending machine — its rate of eating your money or malfunctioning is probably around 30% right now.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#12
The tree's-eye view.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#13
Clouds again. I like clouds.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#14
Anyone who exercises outdoors probably dreads a completely clear, cloudless sky — it means brutal sun. A few clouds are a good thing.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#15
The Google headquarters I often pass while riding. It isn't actually Google's headquarters, but I always call it that.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#16
When my son was little and loved excavators, I often brought him to this recycling yard to watch the owner operate his. The owner is very friendly — seeing me bring my kid, he'd deliberately dig around to give him a show.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#17
What I find most remarkable about Shopee is its extensive rollout of Shopee pickup points — a genuinely unexpected business strategy.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#18
Went to shoot for a client that day. This is the sky after I wrapped up and finished work.
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#19
Ricoh R1s 24mm f8

#20
For the past few years, whenever I'm thirsty I just go to a convenience store and buy water — it's genuinely the best thing for quenching thirst, and the least taxing on the body. We really don't need to drink sugary drinks. My favorite is Yes brand mineral water, though the major convenience stores don't carry it. Near my home, only Simple Mart sells the chilled Yes mineral water.
Ricoh R1s 30mm f3.5

#21
My holy site for dumplings. Dumpling Brothers, No. 24, Lane 88, Minxiang Street, Zhonghe District, New Taipei City.
Ricoh R1s 30mm f3.5

#22
The stage when a kid first starts wearing shoes is delightful, because the shoes are so tiny. My son's shoes are all big now.
Ricoh R1s 30mm f3.5

#23
About to walk my son to school — you can tell I'm bleary-eyed and a bit puffy. Honestly, I think walking my son to school is a genuinely happy thing. I'll do it for as long as I can.
Ricoh R1s 30mm f3.5

#24
A building that looks like it's been sliced open.
Ricoh R1s 30mm f3.5

#25
Every time I see a sport bike on the road, I wonder whether I should actually buy one. Maybe after mulling it over for another five years I'll have an answer.
Ricoh R1s 30mm f3.5

#26
This Casio gold watch isn't expensive, but I love it. Sometimes wearing it reminds me of my father, because he also used to wear a gold watch.
Ricoh R1s 30mm f3.5