Go raibh maith agat, Baile Átha Cliath

May 14, 2014Olivier Glod

For the non Gaelic-speaking amongst us, here's a quick translation of this post's title :-)

THANK YOU, DUBLIN

I spent an amazing (alas too short) two days in Ireland's capital with my best friend, Benny. While he packed quite a bit of gear (Sony Alpha77 with multiple lenses, a Fuji X20 and a tripod), I decided to once again travel light, much like our previous trip to Edinburgh last year.

The Sony RX1R, along with a Manfrotto Pixi and a Manfrotto Befree where all I took.

At first I was rather hesitant as to whether or not I should pack a tripod, but we spent quite a bit of time shooting after the sun had gone down, so both came in really handy :-)

The Pixi helping me achieve a long exposure shot at the Guinness Storehouse. Picture by Benny.

Yours truly setting up the Befree for a dark alley shot. Picture by Benny.

Dublin is a fantastic city. There's so much to see, so much to do. It's not beautiful in the traditional sense, such as Paris or London, but it's got heaps of character, and then some!

The Irish really are lovely people. Open and welcoming, always more than happy to chat for a bit and to help a poor tourist from abroad find his way.

One thing I did not like much though, is the fact that most attractions only open between 9.30 and 10 a.m.

So, how did I cope with shooting only in 35mm ?

Well, I did miss a few shots due to it not being wide enough, but oddly enough I wasn't aching much for a longer focal length. I have to admit that 35 really is sort of a sweet spot.

The RX1R really is a beast of a camera. Incredible performance in a tiny, unassuming package.

I really love this camera, but have a few suggestions for a mark 2 version:

tilt- / flip-screen
weather sealing
change the battery door cover, it's horrible!
integrate the EVF into the body, even it if makes it a little bit larger
faster AF
while the silent leaf shutter is brilliant, 1/2000 of a second a f/2 might be too slow in quite a few instances. It does go up to 1/4000 of a second at f/5.6, but this lens really shines at f/2

Alright, enough with the boring prose, here's a couple of my favourite shots :-)