Ricoh GR III initial review: Tugging on those high-end heartstrings
(Pocket-lint) - The Ricoh GR range has a long heritage, a bastion of fixed-lens compact cameras. With the GR III - first announced as under development at Photokina 2018 - the Japanese brand eschews the modern smartphone world and ever-expanding zoom lenses to deliver a new, small camera with a big sensor that's still in everyone's heart Regards GR is delivery.
But the GR III isn't a camera that's 100 per cent deadlocked. Yes, it has a 28mm f/2.8 lens (equivalent), meaning there's no zoom for optical quality reasons. But this new model introduces touchscreen controls, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, an all-new sensor with a higher resolution than ever for the series, and improved macro functionality with no add-ons required.
Sure, the GR III isn't for everyone. But if you've been looking for a handheld camera with an APS-C sensor for a long time, then there's not much else out there. The Fujifilm X100F will indeed require very large bags, while the Panasonic Lumix LX100 II (ok, we know, it has a Micro Four Thirds sensor) has a zoom lens for a different audience. So overall, does the GR III hit its niche with the right tones?
draft
- Fixed lens at 28mm, f/2.8 (equivalent)
- 3-inch, 1040k-dot LCD touchscreen
- Customizable ADJ and Fn buttons
- Flash shoe for viewfinder accessories
- Dimensions: 109 x 59 x 26mm
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity
- USB-C charging
If you're familiar with the GR II, you'll be pleased to see how the III has been scaled down into a smaller and truly portable compact. It's not quite the Sony RX100 VI at its size, but the Ricoh has a far larger sensor, so its palm-sized frame is impressive all things considered.
This small size can feel a bit finicky in use, however, as the front thumbwheel is a bit tucked into the body and not always natural in its position. However, if you're an existing GR user, you'll feel right at home as it's been a part of the theme format for a long time.
In the style of a true compact camera, the GR III has no viewfinder. It's a screen-based camera through and through, thanks in part to its small design. You can add an optical viewfinder accessory via the hotshoe if you're buying one - or if you already own one from a previous purchase (the 28mm lens is the same focal length, so it fits).
The lens is the biggest flaw for a camera of this type. Because it's fixed, you get a single view of the world. The optics are 28mm equivalent and have a fast f/2.8 aperture (set with the thumbwheel, as unfortunately there's no aperture control ring here). There are 35mm and 50mm equivalent crop modes, with the camera producing lower-resolution output with the appearance of a longer focal length - but that's your lot, there's no zoom toggle or workaround to this camera's build.
That's really the whole point. A fixed lens is "delightfully restrictive" for the right user. They know what fits into the frame and start searching with that foresight. You get sharper corners and edges in images than an equivalent competitor. You have to step back and forth a few steps from time to time to really think about accurate framing in the camera.
It's not all dated, however, with a USB-C port for faster charging, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth if you want to share it with another device, and touchscreen controls to make focus selection easier.
power
- The hybrid autofocus system combines phase detection and contrast detection
- AF modes: Auto, Area, Pinpoint, Tracking, Face Detection
- Continuous autofocus available
- Dust Removal System (DRII).
- 0.8s camera start time
- Macro mode at 6 cm
That touchscreen makes the GR III feel so much more up-to-date to us than its predecessor. The ability to tap on the screen where the focus point should be is a godsend that speeds up the workflow so much. If it's not for you, just disable it from the menu settings.
There's no vari-angle LCD screen here, though, which we find disappointing. Being able to successfully capture waist-level or overhead shots would be a huge benefit of a small camera like this. However, adding such a feature would actually increase the width of the camera and undermine its ability to be so small in the first place.
So you'll need to keep a close eye on this screen, which offers a +/-2 brightness boost for outdoor use. Certainly handy for us when we're out and about in the sunny city of London on a whistlestop shooting tour. However, the screen does get surprisingly hot during use - something we haven't seen from any camera in a while and which indicates poor heat management (and that heat doesn't feel optimal on the hands!).
Autofocus is one of those features that manufacturers always claim is the fastest you've ever seen. Not so with Ricoh. There are no specified timings - except for the camera's start-up time of 0.8 seconds from cold - to show just how fast the AF system is. Perhaps because this hybrid system (which combines on-sensor phase-detection pixels with contrast-detection) just isn't the fastest. And due to the way this lens is constructed, when shooting macro shots it has to physically move to maintain focus, which can slow things down and cause the system to seek focus.
However, macro is quite impressive as focus is possible up to 6cm away. Because the lens is moving, the visible ratio can change during composition, which is a bit tedious, but it's easy enough to compensate by adjusting the distance and refocusing. The touchscreen focus is particularly useful here. And no accessory is required to enable close-ups - just hitting the "flower" icon is all it takes to get things started.
Autofocus comes in a variety of flavors, from auto-range to single-point AF and even pinpoint for specific accuracy. If you're a real street snapper though, you might not use the system at all: Snap AF is also available, where focus distance and aperture can be fixed. This is what classic shooters of the early 20th century were known for - so set the filters to black and white for an additional emulation of that era!
picture quality
- All-new 24-megapixel CMOS sensor
- Triaxial image stabilization
- GR Engine 6 processing
- ISO 100 - 102,400
- 14-bit raw files
- image filter
Where the GR III really shines is in its image quality. A mixture of high-quality glass, a bright light intensity of f/2.2, a large sensor size and three-axis image stabilization combine to create a wonderful effect.
These are things no smartphone can offer - and if you take images away from the GR camera's small 3-inch screen and look at them on a larger scale, you can feel the magic happening. Much of this depends on depth of field; how an otherwise mundane snapping of Coke cans in a fridge suddenly reveals more depth and cinematic quality than meets the eye at the moment.
Ricoh points out that everything is new with this camera: new sensor, new image processor, new lens.
When we used the original GR many years ago we found it to be quite good, but found some aberrations in images (purple edge shadows at least) that were absent in the JPEGs we've seen of the GR III. Although the wide-angle nature of the lens causes some distortion, sharpness remains strong through most of the frame. That's a tick in the "New Lens" box.
The new sensor and processor also generally do a good job together. The automatic white balance is exceptional. The detail is great without being overly sharp. Image noise is held back a little better than previous iterations - but it's certainly not lacking - with daylight and medium-light shots delivering crisp, deep results.
Why, oh why, there's an ISO 102,400 sensitivity option, but we don't know - even in the JPEG it's a hint of color noise that's like a cloud of colorful locusts. Stick with the lower sensitivities down to four figures and the results are excellent though. The GR III will be a great low-light camera for handheld use due to its fast aperture rather than ultra-high ISO sensitivity.
There's also three-axis stabilization for the first time in a Ricoh GR camera. It's undoubtedly been drafted by Pentax, meaning it's capable overall - but not as advanced as some competitors' five-axis systems that have been on the market for a number of years. Still, having the option of stabilization is better than not, so we're glad it now has pride of place.
The Ricoh GR III is a compact camera that pulls at those high-end hearts. For users familiar with the range, this camera will evoke the same feelings as before: it is very special in use, very focused with its fixed lens and very capable of delivering impressive images.
It's also a bit more contemporary, thanks to touchscreen controls that change up the speed and ease of use, while Wi-Fi and Bluetooth sharing and USB-C connectivity and charging add a touch of modern grandeur.
As always, though, there's a caveat: the GR III is a niche camera due to its fixed lens (yes, there's no zoom here). And in a world of smartphones, the overall audience for such a camera will more than likely dwindle. But as a niche product with a niche audience, we think Ricoh is broadly letting this product down, proving the classic is still alive.
Also consider
Panasonic Lumix LX100 Mark II
Another suggestion: if you want a bit of zoom (24-75mm) and a little more control (lens ring and aperture ring), the LX100 II, with its Micro Four Thirds sensor (slightly smaller than APS-C, but not through loads) and built-in viewfinder is an interesting proposition. The second-gen model didn't update the first-gen model, however, and this camera isn't as pocketable as the Ricoh.
Fujifilm X100F
Another very different offering, the X100F offers a fixed lens and APS-C sensor size, but in a body dominated by its dual-format viewfinder (it's wider than the scene but can overlay digital components to improve composition to support). for a completely different way of working. We love it, but it won't be for everyone. Oh, and macro shots are out the window here too.
Writing by Mike Lowe.
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