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It is probably helpful to read this in conjunction with the Ricoh GR1 sales brochure

Indicator lamps
The indicator lamps operate in the viewfinder to alert you to certain conditions when you press the shutter release button part-way down:

Other Viewfinder Indicators
(Certain lighting conditions and subjects can make some indicators difficult to see.)

Loading film
The camera automatically makes appropriate settings whenever a DX coded film cassette is loaded. Be sure to perform the following procedure in a shady area away from direct sunlight:-

  1. Slide the back cover latch camera to open the back of the camera.
  2. Load a new film cassette into the camera's film chamber.
  3. Make sure that the film is positioned between the upper and lower film guides and not on top of them. Do not let the film bend upwards and make sure that the film cassette is not pointing upwards
  4. Close the back cover and press down until it locks in place.

The pre-wind system automatically winds the film from the cassette on to the spool on the other side. If the film has been loaded correctly, the counter digits on the LCD panel count up to the number of frames available. ‘0’ will flash on the LCD panel if the film cannot be wound because it is not loaded correctly. If this happens, open the back cover of the camera and correct the problem. If the camera was not turned on when you loaded film, the count is cleared from the LCD panel about five seconds after the winding is complete.

Unusually, all of the film is transferred from the cassette to the spool and during picture taking it is wound frame by frame back into the cassette, so that, if the camera back should be accidentally opened and the film exposed to light, most of your exposed frames will be already safely in the cassette and only unused film is ruined.

Removing the Exposed Film
The film automatically winds into the cassette when it reaches the end and ‘E’ appears on the LCD panel. If you wish to rewind a film before reaching the end of the film, push in the manual film rewind button with a pen or something similarly pointed.
If the film rewind button is pressed with a pen again, whilst it is rewinding, the film leader will not be wound into the film cassette but will remain sticking out to allow reloading.

A film rewind operation cannot be stopped once it starts.

Taking pictures
To take pictures in program AE mode turn the aperture dial to [P], exposure compensation to ‘0’ (zero) and select your desired flash mode with the switch on the back.

  1. Press the red power button to switch on the camera. The lens extends, the lens cover opens, and indicators appear on the LCD panel and in the viewfinder.
  2. Aim the camera. Always use both hands and, when using it vertically, always position it with the flash at the top. Be careful not to place your fingers over the lens, flash, or focusing windows.
  3. Compose the picture in the viewfinder. The range is from 0.35 m (1.1 ft) to infinity. The shutter release is disabled when the subject being focused upon is closer than 0.35 metres (14 inches).
  4. Press the shutter release button part way down. This performs light metering and auto focus operation and causes an auto focus mark, the shutter speed, and a distance symbol to appear in the viewfinder. The auto focus marks in the centre flash if the camera cannot focus.
  5. Make the exposure by pressing the shutter release button all the way down.

Auto focus problems
The auto focus marks inside the viewfinder flash to indicate that focusing is not possible under current conditions. You may experience problems when trying to focus the following types of subject:

Whenever you have a problem focusing on a particular subject, point the camera at another subject the same distance away as the subject you are having problems with and press the shutter release part way down. Keeping the shutter button depressed part way, point the camera at your original subject and then press the shutter release all the way to take the picture.
Remember that this operation will also set the exposure to that for the substitute subject.

Auto Power Off
Camera power turns off automatically if you do not perform any operations for about five minutes. Lightly press the shutter release button part-way down to turn the power back on.

Aperture Priority AE
The camera employs aperture priority auto exposure that automatically selects a shutter speed to match the setting you make with the aperture dial. The aperture can be set in a range of f2.8 to f22 in half stops.
To change the aperture setting, rotate the aperture dial until the value you want is aligned with the pointer mark. In the case of flash photography, a smaller aperture setting lets you shorten the distance between the subject and the camera.
A flashing AE warning lamp (along with 500 or 30 flashing in the viewfinder) indicates that proper exposure cannot be achieved under the current conditions.

Exposure Compensation
You can set an exposure compensation value within the range of +/- 2EV (two exposure values) in increments of 1/2 EV. The [+/-] indicator is visible in the viewfinder whenever the exposure compensation dial is set to anything other than ‘0’.
If the AE warning lamp starts to blink (with 500 or 30 blinking in the viewfinder) when you press the shutter release button part-way down after making an exposure compensation setting, it means that the compensation setting on the camera's exposure coupling range and the specified exposure value cannot be attained.

Self Timer Mode
Each press of the self-timer/time exposure mode button changes modes in sequence. These modes are exited automatically whenever the shutter is released.
The camera automatically also exits these modes when the power is turned off, when the auto power off operates, whenever the film is replaced, and whenever the batteries are replaced.

  1. Mount the camera on a tripod whenever using self-timer mode.
  2. After composing the picture, press the self-timer/ time exposure mode button to display the clock indicator on the LCD panel.
  3. From behind or alongside the camera, press the shutter release button (this sets the focus and exposure so don't stand in front of the camera). The self-timer LCD on the front of the camera stays on for about eight seconds. Next, it flashes for about two seconds. The shutter releases 10 seconds after you press the shutter release.
You can press the self-timer mode button to cancel a self-timer operation before the shutter releases. Pressing the shutter release button any time while the self-timer LED is still lit or flashing releases the shutter immediately.

Time Exposure Mode
The camera's time exposure mode makes it possible to keep the cameras shutter open for virtually as long as you want.

  1. Be sure to put the camera on a tripod.
  2. Press the mode button to display the ‘T’ time exposure mode indicator on the LCD panel.
  3. Press the shutter release button. The shutter opens and a counter indicating the time in seconds that the shutter has been opened appears on the LCD panel. When the count on the LCD panel reaches 60, the LCD panel clears, but the shutter stays open. Pressing the focus mode button displays the ‘T’ indicator along with an ‘L’ indicator to let you know that a time exposure operation is in progress.
  4. Press the shutter release button again to close the shutter.

Focus Modes
Each press of the mode button changes modes in this sequence:

The camera automatically exits a selected mode whenever the film or batteries are replaced. The focus mode does not change if camera power is turned off, except that the fixed focus mode changes to the single auto focus mode.

In the Infinity Mode focus is fixed at infinity so the auto focus marks in the viewfinder do not change no matter where your subject is located. In dim light, turn off the camera's flash and mount the camera on a tripod to prevent movement while the picture is being taken. The operation of the flash in infinity mode can result in under exposure.

Single Auto Focus Mode Use the single focus mode to lock the focus in the following situations:

Use the focus mode button to display the small square indicator on the LCD panel. Look through the viewfinder at the object you want to focus on his inside the auto focus marks. Press the shutter release part-way down. At this time focus and exposure setting are locked according to the object inside the auto focus mark. While keeping the shutter release pressed part-way down, re-aim the camera so that picture is composed the way you want it, and press the shutter release all the way down to take the picture.

Note that at EV6 and above, centre weighted (Spot) light metering is used - below EV6 average light metering is used.

Fixed Focus Mode This mode lets you fix the focus for a specific distance, making it possible to shoot a picture with minimum time lag between when you press the shutter release and when the shutter opens.

  1. Use the focus mode button to enter the single auto focus mode.
  2. Lock the focus on the object you want.
  3. Keeping the shutter release pressed part-way down, hold down the focus mode button for about one second until the [SNAP] indicator starts to flash on the LCD panel. The [SNAP] indicator means that focus is fixed. The focus will remain locked at this distance until you either switch off the camera, or press the focus mode button to clear it (when the [SNAP] indicator will stop flashing).

Snap Mode With [SNAP] selected on LCD screen, focus is locked at 2 metres - 7 feet.
If the aperture is set between f11 and f16 (if lighting conditions will allow), depth of field will extend from around one metre to infinity. See also depth of field data below.

Note: In Infinity, Snap and Fixed Focus modes, the exposure and focus are set separately. In the normal multibeam and single point autofocus modes, the area chosen to focus upon is also the one from where the exposure is assessed.

Flash Photography
Modes are selected via the three-position switch on the back of the camera. The built-in flash of this camera provides additional light when it is needed. A red eye reduction setting is also provided. Note that the maximum shutter speed when used in Program AE is 1/30th second. The flash monitor lamp will light when you press the shutter release part-way down to indicate that it will fire during your picture taking.

Changing the Battery
The camera is powered by a single CR-2 3V lithium battery. Replace it whenever the battery mark is flashing on the LCD panel.

Important! Turn off the camera power before opening the battery compartment cover in the bottom of the camera. Remove the old battery and replace it with a new one, ensuring that the positive end is facing up (so that you can see it when it’s in its compartment).

Despite being smaller and of lower power than the conventional CR123A compact camera battery, these CR-2 batteries are usually even more expensive! They can be obtained at a more reasonable price, however, by mail order from Guernsey - www.7dayshop.com or www.Color2U.com.

Ricoh GR1 features:

Hyperfocal Distances
(Use single-point focus mode to select an object that is this far from the camera to ensure that the distant background will be in focus at this aperture)

Depth of Field when in SNAP mode
(focus is fixed at 7 feet - 2 metres)

Particularly worth remembering in SNAP mode is f13 (between f11 and f16), at which aperture the depth of field extends from 3.2 feet to Infinity

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How to use the
Ricoh GR1
ultra compact 35mm camera