RICOH GRIII Street Edition Kit

A belated review. A pocketable camera that takes high quality pictures. So much more rewarding to use than a mobile phone. Worth every penny.

Bonjour Voici un appareil extra compact et extra ordinaire. La plupart des compacts expert embarque un capteur de 1 pouces. Celui ci il embarque un capteur aps-c soit bien plus gros. Les photos sont excellente en couleur comme en noir et blanc Il a une belle qualité optique et donc pour sa petite taille va vous faire des photos incroyable en couleur comme en noir et blanc. Je crois que le plus de la version street est la housse inclus et une deuxième batterie. Pour finir la chose qu'il faut absolument avoir en tête au moment dr l'achat c'est que c'est une focale fixe en 28 MM. Contrairement au Gr3x qui lui est à 40 mm. Donc en grow 28 min plus pour du paysage et 40 mm pour du portrait. L'écran arrière est assez grand et lisible mais n'espèrez pas de viseur. Il n'y en a pas. Pour finir en plus de tout cela il est bien compact et logé facilement dans une poche de jean par exemple.

Es mi segunda GR III y solo puedo hablar maravillas de esta cámara. La calidad de los raws, con un muy buen rango dinámico; la nitidez de su lente en cualquier diafragma y la sencillez de uso sumado a su tamaño tan reducido y discreto la hacen la cámara perfecta para la calle. Cámara muy bien pensada que es casi, en si misma, una manera de entender la foto de calle. Y para quien dude entre el 28mm de ésta o el 40mm de la GR IIIx decirle que la magia de estas cámaras está en el 28mm.

La Ricoh GR III Street Edition è una fotocamera che incarna la filosofia del “meno è più”. Compatta, discreta e incredibilmente reattiva, offre una qualità d’immagine sorprendente per le dimensioni del sensore APS-C. L’obiettivo da 28 mm f/2.8 è nitido e coerente, mentre l’autofocus aggiornato garantisce precisione anche in movimento. Il corpo, dal design sobrio ma curato, trasmette solidità e un piacere tattile raro in questa categoria. La personalizzazione dei comandi e l’ergonomia la rendono uno strumento perfetto per chi desidera catturare la vita urbana con spontaneità e controllo totale. Tempi di consegna impeccabili, confezione integra e prodotto perfettamente sigillato. Una scelta consapevole per chi conosce il valore della discrezione nella fotografia.

First of all, I got the Street Edition because it simply looks stunning! Secondly, the Ricoh GR III has a huge cult following... and for a reason. Now to the review: it offers AMAZING image quality for the size. I wanted something ultralight to take with me on a multiday hiking as well as daily carry besides my phone. I also own a Fujifilm X100V among other FF and DX cameras but the Ricoh is by far the smallest. POSITIVES BUILD QUALITY The body is made of Magnesium. Feels very light but at the same time very solid. The paint especially on the Street Edition is fantastic. The interchangeable ring unclicks relatively easily so you have to be a little careful IF you like to store the camera in tight spaces like a jean pocket. The buttons click great and only the control wheel feels a little 'flimsier'. Some reports online complained about the wheel not working correctly* after some use but more about this later. PORTABILITY It weighs only 259gr with battery, strap and tempered glass screen protector (after market). This is extremely light for packing such a big sensor. All other compact zoom cameras that weigh similarly, normally have a smaller 1" sensor, that although great in good light, is inferior to the Ricoh in low light. With its retractable lens, it is so small that it fits in your pocket*, literally (more on this later). LENS The GR has a 28mm equivalent focal length. For me this is wide enough for the majority of situations but of course, it lacks a zoom like other popular travel cameras like the Sony RX 100 series. The 28mm lens is also admirably sharp practically edge to edge. The only "bothersome" issue I've encountered is that the lens vignettes heavily and vertically on the sides of the image, especially noticeable on clear skies. This is not a major problem as it can be corrected in post if you shoot RAW and its automatically corrected in camera if you shoot JPEGs. PERFORMANCE I understand that people use their smartphones for daily use but no flagship phone comes close to an APS-C sensor size & performance. The biggest sensor on a smartphone today is 1" (e.g. Sony Xperia Pro-I) and while this is magnificent for a cellphone, the sensor is still approx. 4 times smaller than APS-C . This means that no matter how many Mpx (!) the Smartphone manufacturers try to sell you, the larger APS-C sensor's photosites will always deliver photos with a higher dynamic range, less noise and improved low light performance. This also results in files been easily edited in post and with great latitude. The fact that Ricoh fitted such a big sensor in such a small package is simply stunning. IBIS (in body image stabilization) Greatly stabilizes the image and allows you to reduce the shutter speed even further in order to capture more light. SNAP FOCUS Basically it allows you to preset the camera's focus distance. This means that taking a photo is much faster than having to wait for the AF system to lock-on the focused subject(s). In a nutshell, If you set the focus distance to 1.5.-2m and use an aperture of f/11, when you press the button, everything will be reasonably sharp from approx. 1m to infinity. NEGATIVES (basically debunking the majority of them) NO WEATHER SEALLING This camera is not intended to use in heavy rain or dusty environments. In light rain and / or with an umbrella, I see no problem. Perhaps Ricoh will implement this with the IV :) DUST ON THE SENSOR Seems to be the biggest issue with the Ricoh GR series. Mind that ANY camera with a retractable lens will suffer from the same issue if not handle properly as the lens tends to suck air-in when retracted. Note that the MAJORITY of issues or complains with the Ricoh GR are related to the fact that this camera is so small that people tend to stuck it in their pockets with lint and tiny dust particles that eventually find their way into the camera. Storing the GR in its dedicated leather case or a small camera bag will solve in a great percentage these issues. Summarizing; in order to avoid the majority of issues like dust and buttons not working properly, avoid carrying this camera (or any non-weather sealed camera in your pockets. BATTERY LIFE The battery lasts approx. 200 shots. Not great but it only weighs 25gr so carrying a spare (included in the kit) is not a big deal. I usually turn off the camera between shots (as you should). NO CHARGER For the price, this is totally unacceptable and unfortunately many other manufacturers are starting to do the same (Fujifilm, Apple, Samsung, etc). OVERHEATING Same as before. Just turn off the camera between shots. It is normal that the body feels hot as it is so small. Heat has to dissipate. So that will be all. There are other amazing features like the Leaf shutter or integrated ND filter but this will become very technical for the average user. I leave you with a sample photo to reinforce my sayings, amazing little camera.