Ricoh GR for Travel: Around the World in 80 Photos 

Thanks for the kind words!! I'm new to this whole video thing. Hope you put that GR III through its paces!

Yess indeed relaxing vibe👌

Thanks, Rop!

Thanks, Tony!

Thank you for the kind words, John! You may have had a 1/2.3 sensor but the memories are for life :) And 2008 would have been a great year to travel -- before everything went the way of Instagram. Here's to more great adventures in the future

Thank you for the kind words Emesko! I was very fortunate to be able to go on such a trip -- I hope you get the chance to go on a long adventure and take great photos along the way. I've met many travelers, and haven't met anyone that regretted taking the journey :)

Thank you for watching and for the kind words!! :)

Thank you! I miss it too--hopefully we defeat this virus by end of 2021

Thanks Ryan! Lucky shot there. It's true -- even one line / caption can make a simple photo more interesting

Thanks! :) There are adventures to be had everywhere - Hope that GR serves you well!

Thanks, Peter! :) Ricoh seems to be doubling down on street photographers as their target market (for good reason), but the GR just happens to be great for general use too. I'm tempted by the GR3 too but haven't pulled the trigger yet

Thanks for watching - hope the GR serves you well!

Thank you! Perfect camera for Japan - safe travels!

This is a GR2 though. I also thought it was a GR3, until he addresses the negative features. GR3 has IBIS, which GR2 does not have, as mentioned in the video.

Thank you for the kind words :)

Thank you! I have great memories of Minsk and the people there. Take care of that GR and it will take care of you :)

Thank you for the kind words! :) Check out "Sean Tucker", great photography RU-vid channel

LOL 😂

Thank you! It really is a liberating feeling - even more so than using a smartphone. Pure photography. Congrats on the GR III :)

Thank you for the kind words!

Thank you! :)

Thanks for the kind words! :D

Thank you, Francis!

Thank you! :)

Thank you for the kind words, Will! I know the used GRs have been in short supply lately - here's hoping you get a good one for your adventures :)

thanks! :)

Thanks Sean

Thanks for the kind words, Bill! Hope you get some great shots with the camera - it goes unnoticed in most museums. Don't skip the haggis :)

Thank you for watching and for the kind words Owen! It was truly a trip of a lifetime (16 months long). I cut out a lot to keep it short and snappy but glad to hear that the format is OK. Will try to create more like this.

非常感謝！:)

Thanks, Larry!

Right on Dennis! Glad you got some great shots in Cuba. Every photographer should spend at least a day in Havana :)

Thanks!!

Thanks!

Thank you! :)

Thank you for the kind words, Steve!

Thanks, Gary. Yeah the dust issue is really annoying and ultimately affects all fixed lens cameras sooner or later. A sealed GR would be killer!

Thank you for the kind words, Josh! :) The GR is truly one of a kind, but living in a dusty environment would frustrate me to no end! If I do another long adventure like this I would probably experiment with another system (maybe Nikon Z50+16-50 kit lens), but I suspect I would greatly miss the GR ergonomics. There is an oft unspoken benefit to shooting with the Fuji system as well--Fuji bodies are aesthetically pleasing and people respond more positively to them. I believe that in a world where the technical differences between camera systems are less and less prominent, anything that increases the "comfort level" of the subject to the photographer becomes more important. In any case, long live the GR series!

a good camera shop can de-dust the GR for around $50-80. Wasn't that an option for you?

Thanks!

Thank you! :) My favorite camera of all time

Thank you Beng! Sorry to hear about your GR. I think the GR III was also priced a bit high -- there are so many choices at that price point. I wish they had kept the same size as the GR but added more sealing / weather resistance instead

Thanks for the kind words, Brad! You're gonna get some great shots with the III :D

True words right there Jed! Thanks for watching :) I know a lot of folks prefer 35mm, but I was glad to have the 28mm for dense urban centers like Hong Kong and Tokyo. I could see myself doing well with a 24mm 1.8 + 50mm fAnything combo with ILCs

Freedom is the right word for sure! :) Another option is to use the GR for most situations and keep a big camera with a proper telephoto for those rare cases.

@@lensvana Exactly, mainly Astro and underground photography, cool vid mate

Thanks for the kind words! Between the two of us the trip actually happened back in 2016 :) I just only recently decided to make a video about it. Took over a year off to travel and have no regrets now that the entire global travel situation has changed. I'm also amazed the camera survived it all. Kudos to Ricoh!

Thanks, yep all of these were taken with the original 2013 version. Never tried the III but the IBIS is tempting for when the light drops a bit.

Thanks!

Never had a chance to use one but I remember seeing great reviews and sample pics of the GRDIII. It's the one handed operation that makes it a favorite of mine for travel and street.

@@lensvana They're making somewhat of a comeback with a lot of shooter becoming interested in the older CCD sensor look, and the GR cameras did it arguably the best. But yeah, one-handed op has been one of the GR series hallmarks throughout back into the film era. Love them.

Thanks :) In my experience anything larger than jacket pocket sized often gets left behind. I'd definitely go for the (newer) GR III today with the 24 megapixels. I agree "zooming with your feet" is not a valid strategy in many situations - the GR would pair well with a 50 or 85mm equivalent focal length setup...

Thanks for watching! Re: battery life, I didn't even have a spare battery, just traveled with one and recharged every evening. Never ran out but I have a habit of not leaving the LCD on too long. Ultimately the compactness and optical quality make this one a winner

@@lensvana I have a Sony RX100VA….same battery issue, extras are a must. I love that little Sony, but that Ricoh GR…has some “X” factor to it that is very intriguing.

@@Gogogordy1 I'm a big fan of the RX100 series, used the original RX100 Mark I for traveling before switching to the GR (and never looked back). With that said, hybrid shooters (photo + video) would certainly be better off with a RX100 (the VA must be quite a machine)

@@Gogogordy1 some might even call that the GR IIIX 😂

Gracias José! X-T20 is quite a nice camera! But you're right, there's a difference between "compact" and "pocketable." I think you'll be satisfied with GR as long as you're OK with 28mm :)

@@lensvana That is my only concern at the moment. The only lens I own is a 50 mm equivalent (35mm f2). I do enjoy shooting with the main camera on my phone, which is essentially a 28 mm lens. Fuji's option for a 28 mm equivalent is too expensive to just try, so the Ricoh might solve my problems. Thanks for the reply!

Thanks!

Thank you for your kind words Juan! GR + C-Lux, great combo indeed :) And Japan is truly a photographer's paradise, hard to go wrong with any camera there. Once you get spoiled by the excellent ergonomics of the GR, it's hard to go back...

Thanks, Pankaj! Nope, all were shot RAW and edited in Lightroom afterwards :)

Thanks for watching! GR3 should be excellent for landscapes, lots of resolution for cropping and a very sharp lens as always in the GR line

GRIII-sized with a 28-75 would be a dream :) It's a tough call between those two cameras but in the end the ergonomics of the GR won out for me. But you can make great prints with either! RX100 if you want to do video, too.

If you want photos, Ricoh. Videos, Sony. I've had both, and since I'm mainly using cameras for photography, Ricoh is sooooooo much better than the Sony, and it's nowhere near close

Yep the Ricoh GR Mark I (the first one with the APS-C sensor). Thanks! :)

Thank you! I don't do anything special, no presets or filters, I generally adjust the exposure a bit and lift the shadows to bring back some detail in the darker areas. And I add a tiny bit of saturation to particular colors if they are important. But every image is different so it depends. I always do automatic lens corrections and Chromatic Abberation (CA) reduction though. With GR lens the files are much sharper than many other cameras so sharpening is rarely necessary

I was taking a lot of pics at 1:1 because I was just excited about trying out different aspect ratios -- no legitimate reason really (my latest video describes this bad habit). All I know is that it's a wide lens (28mm equivalent) so if you take pictures up close to people there's gonna be some distortion. But as long as you step back it should be just fine for environmental portraits

Just sold my a7iii. Wasn't for me.

@@srtrades Haven't had a chance to try GR3, from reviews it looks like a great improvement but I feel they priced it just a bit too high. I've been enjoying shooting with a Nikon Z5 lately

Yep, just looking at the Ricoh GR III specs it seems perfect. But the dust issue is super annoying, tempted to bring a small MILC with a compact prime next time (and some sensor swabs...)

@@lensvana interested to know what kind of setups you'd consider? Lumix 14mm f/2.5 on a GX9 or Sony 20mm f/2.8 on a A6XXX body would still be fairly pocketable. Fuji's 18mm f/2 is not pocketable but still compact (and the 27mm f/2.8 is pretty much pocketable, but much tighter).

@@MrJed_s Hard to choose because any of those would be excellent setups for travel! GX9 + Lumix 14mm would definitely get the job done. I'd probably prefer Fuji to Sony now because of the psychological factor -- Fuji cameras look very "cool" and retro and I think people respond much more positively to that these days. Even FF mirrorless aren't that big these days -- the dream setup would be a Nikon Z6 with the upcoming 28mm pancake, or even a Sony A7 III with Samyang 24mm 2.8 (with 50mm in the daypack)

@@lensvana The dust issue is now solved according to Ricoh, since the GRIII can clean off the dust through an ultrasonic shake. It works through the IBIS motor in the GRIII. Of course no one knows yet if the GRIII can keep out the dust forever but its nice to have the new feature.

@@gibson4ever28 Yea it's awesome that IBIS can play a dual role like this. Previously people were using the "put compact camera on top of a washing machine" method and hope that the dust falls off :D

Hey, thanks! I haven't considered something like that, but I will reach out if it happens :)

Thanks! GR lens is very sharp and I shoot f/4 or f/5.6 a lot

Thanks, this is GR I. Same camera but without wifi

@@lensvana so is it 10mP

@@SriramNatarajan25 16.2 mp

First of all, congrats on almost finishing your university education! A long trip is something I've always wanted to do and felt it was the right time after working for some time. I resigned from my job and just went for it. I don't advise such a long break for everyone - in many fields it can be a big black mark on your resume/CV (I was working in tech, so it was less of an issue). It was on my mind for at least a year before quitting. Part of my preparation included saving up some air miles from business trips that I was going on anyway during my job -- so when I quit i had >300k miles and a lot of my long flights were free or close to free. I would say you either do this kind of thing as a "gap year" early on, or do it after you've worked for some time and have accumulated some "experience capital" -- so it's easier to go back into the job market later. I've met plenty of people living like this full time--the ones that survive 5+ years are almost always remote software developers (also met video editors, freelancer writers/translators, etc.) It doesn't have to be a year, either. What you can do is when switching jobs, ask the new employer to delay the start date by 1-2 months and take a long "sabbatical' like that. That would be a nice compromise and you can do it regularly. Overall, I recommend seriously considering the tech industry--not just for the more lax approach to long sabbaticals, but for the fact that your skills will be more mobile in general and less affected by local markets.

​@@lensvana Thanks for the congratulations and the very long and in depth response! I am very fortunate to graduate in embedded systems(masters), with a background in computer science(bachelor), so it's looking up for me! I am a bit worried that bigger (and also older) companies like HP, Cannon and other more embedded system focused companies could be less inclined to allow such sabbaticals as those companies are more hierarchal like in the olden days, but still just working there and acquiring experience (and money) until something like a resignation certainly feels like it is within the realm of possibility, especially taking into account the experience for the CV/resume. I don't think I'll have any way to get airmiles however as I haven't found any job in the region which includes travelling as I live in the Netherlands and all companies here are just branches where people are sent out to and not headquarters where people are send out from, but I guess I'll make up for it by just skipping the Americas. PS. I forgot to mention, your video was so good, it sold me on the GR, thanks for that also!

@@sdziscool Awesome, thanks for watching :) I think you're well positioned to succeed with that degree going forward! I also wasted a lot of money when I was younger (spending on random things like fancy clothing and gadgets), if I had invested that in safe index funds I would have had 2-3x the money. So I say get a good job (brand name company is great for your resume then you don't need a resume after that it's all recruiters on LinkedIn), save a good portion of your income, keep costs down, invest in broad market ETFs, and you'll be well positioned for long trips! If you don't have good air miles programs in your area then cash back credit cards are better anyway. Those giant companies may be traditional, but the benefit is they are generous with salary and stock options. I would switch companies every 1-2 years early in career for the biggest salary jumps and starting bonuses too. Anyway, hope you take some great pics with the GR !

Thanks! :) But really cameras are so good these days that it doesn't matter too much as long as you enjoy shooting with it!

@@lensvana I do not agree, give iPhone to a prof photographer, he/she can take a killer photo.

@@rothschildianum it appears you agreed with me

@@lensvana Did you change your posting?

@@rothschildianum My original response to you was edited to add the word "Thanks". You responded an hour after that

Happy shooting!

¡Gracias! Siempre RAW :)

I didn't keep all the RAW files but I have put up a sample of my photos in a Dropbox folder here: www.dropbox.com/sh/v0tlkq3c0fstg2d/AAA3fROOYpDiUW48rcO18HUsa?dl=0

Hah! :) I should get started on my book...

I use it for everything. Street, documentary, kids, travel and so on. Best camera ever made. Check instagram.com/landberg

@@rikardlandberg thanks for sharing Rikard, you have a great feed. Amazing camera indeed

Lensvana thanks!

After my shutter gave up on my GRI, I made the leap to GRIII and it's better in pretty much everything - the only thing that miss from the GRI is the slightly bigger size (didn't expect to say that) and the more robust feeling. I always feel I have to baby griii (I think it's the bigger LCD which already has a scratch on it), whereas gri / ii is built like a tank. Second thing to mention is the battery life which is considerably lower, but I can always just charge it from a power bank and with USB C it's much faster. Third, focus speed in low light is still crap. Would I get the GR III for double / tripple the price of GRII again? Yes, because you can't put a price on your memories. However if you're on a budget, GR I/II is more than capable and still outperforms every phone just for the ergonomics. I also own a Leica Q and the GR is still with me most of the time. With GR I can caputre much more personal photos. And the style of shooting is drastically different for each, with Leica (or any viewfinder) camera the way you look at things is just different compared to hip / lcd / blind shooting. Source: I've been on the road for the past year and half :)

@@mKoBeats Thank you for sharing your experiences Martin! GR and Leica Q is quite a powerful combo. I have noticed that I'm much slower / more meticulous with viewfinder shooting. Ultimately "back of LCD" shooting is more like phone shooting, so I don't spend as much time on each shot as usual. I really liked the size / build of GR 1. One of the things that threw me off from upgrading to the Ricoh GR III (aside from price) was the remove of the rocker +/- switch on the right side but I'm not going to knock it till I try it. Never used the flash while traveling so I won't miss that. Safe travels!

~14,000

Always RAW then edited in Photoshop and exported in JPG for web etc.

Thank you for sharing, Marco! Yes it seems a backup battery is key for the III. I also prefer to have a viewfinder if possible, especially on sunny days

Used the GR I in this video, haven't tried the III yet!