It's now been more than a month since I received my replacement GR. This time round neither dust nor pixels gave me any problems. But the more I played with the camera the more I began to wonder if indeed this camera was meant for me. Coming to it from the wonderful GRD IV, I assumed and expected not just the same operability but also the utility and the same aesthetic.

Let me explain. There is nothing wrong with the GR. It produces fantastic pictures, is almost completely customizable, is fast, silent, has fantastic ergonomics and is pocketable. What's not to like? If you are a street shooter or a documentary photographer, then these specs are absolutely perfect. But that's what I felt about the GRD IV. And it's true ... there were 3 principal things that the latter excelled at - street, documentary and macro. Not that you couldn't take portraits or landscape or architecture with it ... but the difference in quality between the street shot and the architecture study was sometimes evident ... often the sharpness at the centre was not matched by the sharpness at the sides of the frame.

And the GR? Well here's the problem: you can't crib and confine its abilities to street and documentary (macro may not be the best fit anyway). Because sharpness is much more even across the frame, because it has a much larger sensor, because it is capable of some delicious bokeh, because it has a built in ND filter ... the list is endless ... it is capable of much more. As a photographer recently in possession of this camera you are as surprised by its abilities as you discover them as you are uncomfortably conscious those you have not yet discovered. Sometimes the camera responds to your intention without you pushing too hard; sometimes it makes you experiment countless times till you get the effect you demand. I think this is what Don (Streetshooter) was onto in some of his earlier blogs.

Anyway, and this is very personal, I have come to relish this camera for a number of reasons (and not just those linked to snaps like the one above). These are in no particular order:

• Street

• Still Life

• Landscape

• Architectural Detail

• Abstract

• Object Detail

• Documentary and Portraits

Ultimately, I think you need to take control of the camera to really unlock its potential. I'm really not sure if I am even halfway there yet. The real challenge here is to learn all of the camera's limitations. Often yesterday's limitations disappear today and we are back to acknowledging that we have still not mastered what we thought was an easy enough camera to control. Or perhaps, despite the familiar controls and FOV, we need to relearn our technique, recalibrate our aesthetic and reaffirm our vision.