Ricoh GR IIIx The (almost!) perfect small camera 

Here is my next instalment in my “Tiny Camera” series! What would you like to see next? Let me know in the comments! ☺️ Watch this next: “Dear Lumix…” ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-6qOt1McBYtE.html

i buy and sell so many cameras and never had an interest in a GR. But about a month ago I won a 3 (not x) at a decent price on ebay. I have never loved a camera more than this thing. It is a pure joy experience

If you travel much, the Ricoh GR is the perfect gadget to record your adventures. A true one-handed and low profile design enables you to be a tourist without looking like a tourist. The snap focus facility is awesome, I just set it to infinity, which enables me to capture anything and everything in a moment without worrying about focus. A good review. 👍🏻 ❤

Thanks Emily, always a pleasure to watch your reviews.

I owned a GR IIIx for about six months. While it’s a really good camera, I kept thinking of my GX850 with its tilt up screen, faster autofocus, equal image quality AND the fact I can carry it with the LUMIX 20/1.7 and 14mm/2.5 and have a tiny kit that was pretty much equal to a GR III and GR IIIX. The LUMIX also has better battery life. Love your videos! 😊

GR camera is mainly having a third focusing method known as snap focus. Fix the focus distance and adjust the depth of field with aperture. Used mainly for street photography. Check that out. Hence why many street photographers go for it

Thank you, by far the best video I have watched on the GR. I am going to get one one day but just have to save up some pennies first. Thanks again loved the honest and well presented video from rural Lincolnshire

Nice review. I've had the first version of the 28mm equivalent GR since 2013 (wow, that went fast) and most of what you said applies equally to that. The build is great, the haptics are spot on. The exposure comp is a bit different (there's a dedicated rocker switch, that I really like), and while I've not held the mk III I'm not sure I'd be a fan of the new approach. But yeah, basically, you could have been describing the original model. I think Pentax and Ricoh do great menus/software. The JPEG profiles are all pretty tasteful, and you can dial the strength of them up/down to suit your preferences. The in camera B&W support is particularly nice. The original GR is 16 MP, and comfortably beats the IQ of my M4/3 cameras (a GX-7 and a GX-8). There's plenty of headroom in the RAW files, and they're particularly good for B&W conversion in post. And they're in DNG format, so they work in all editors. The Achilles heel of the original is the potential for specs of dust to get in through the lens and make their way onto the sensor. I've been very careful with mine (never put it in my pocket, for example) but have a dust spot on the sensor. It's re-touchable in post, and is only visible if it's on an area of solid colour. It's just a bit annoying. I don't think they really improved on that in the mk II, not sure if they've sorted it in the mk III. I wonder if the IIIx supports long exposure auto shift? Have a look at this review of the original and then search for "long exposure" and "auto shift" (it's a pretty neat long exposure feature): www.thewsreviews.com/2013/10/ricoh-gr-buttons.html For 40mm I think I'll be sticking with my Lumix 20mm and an M4/3 body, though the IIIx would make a perfect adventure cycling camera… hmmm

The IBIS just got a buff with firmware 1.71

Hi Emily did you try the Olympus E-pm1 or mk2? That was my first m43 camera, and using it a lot more than the ones I get after, mainly for its pocket size. I believe that is the smallest m43 of all time. Cheers

I love my GRIIIx. And it focusus very well. And love the beautiful and sharp images

Good review! I have this camera and love it but agree with you in basically every way. I've gotten used to focusing with the touch screen and completely ignoring the auto-focus (learned that the hard way).

Great review - for me the added functionality comes from the crop modes that provide different effective focal lengths via the sensor crop. Given the 24MP you can get at least one additional usable focal length jump whether using the GR3 28mm @24MP to 35mm @17MP or the GR3X from 40mm @24MP to 50mm @ 15MP

Is it compatible to E-P7 + 20mm F1.7 ?

try the snap focus mode, you can fix your focus length so if you just know the distance between you & the subject you can set your focus length quickly & not deal with the autofocus issues

What is the Speed of this camera, how fast it can shoot?

You can see the lens moving out further when you put it in Macro mode, so it definitely is doing more than a simple crop. :) I found in difficult focus situations, just set the SNAP Focus distance and use that instead. Works great as long as you're doing a center focus!

How did you fit the Peak anchor links for the strap? I found the lugs on the GR too small?

Alternatively a GX80/GX9 . Smaller sensor but so versatile and the opportunity to use a variety of lenses. What's not to like?

Hi there. Ricoh GR 3 or Ricoh GR 3x for traveling?

I may be purchasing the Ricoh GRiiiX. The auto focus may be a negative but one of the features street photographers love is the snap focus. It is simply zone focus and you get almost instant focus. The big negative for me is the lack of an EVF. I like framing my images using a viewfinder. Ricoh has an add on viewfinder that isn’t an EVF and is expensive. I may just buy a cheap Chinese plastic viewfinder. One feature this body has is its small size. It is the smallest APSC sensor camera. Many use this as their every day carry camera. Small, light, and pocket size. I use a GX 85 and the GR is smaller. I agree with your X choice. For me, the iii’s 28mm equivalent FOV is too wide. Unless I’m working a crowd I am forced to get too close for my comfort to get my shot. The V’s 40mm is between the 35 and 50mm equivalent focal lengths I like. There are a lot of GR enthusiasts. I love my GX85 with the Panny 15mm lens for street photography. I’d love to try the Fuji X100V. It is unavailable and there is a premium over the MSRP for new or used bodies if you can find one. I’ll wait for the X100VI instead. Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)

What is the best answer if you want weather sealing? Nice to see some local images - Hope Valley etc!

Did you try Snap focus? This is what going to give you the fastest focus than any autofocus system. As soon as you learn how to doo it, it's very intuitive and excellent way to work. The Snap focus capability is very extensive in this camera.

Hi, I had a Ricoh GR for years and most of my portfolio is comprised of photos from this camera (the original GR and the GR II). However, over the years I grew out of it for a couple of reasons. #1 as you mention is cost. I think Ricoh ought to reduce the price. The battery is terrible and the fixed lens collapsible thing-a-ma-bob fails over time. My old Ricoh for example no longer collapses the lens back down. I got tired of carrying 3 batteries with me all the time and when shopping for a new GRIIIx I just couldn't justify the price. I went with Fuji and never looked back. Sure, I miss Ricoh's compact form and the unique image quality, but in the end, I'm enjoying my Fuji cameras and the look of the images better, so no regrets here! FYI - when surveying my best photos over the years, Ricoh was up there in the rankings but even over all the years of camera upgrades and wonderful lenses, the Olympus e-p2 still gave me some of the best images I ever took! Wish I never sold that little gem and its 17mm pancake lens :).

Interesting that the autofocus wasn't working well in what seemed to be decent lighting conditions. I've been using DOF Deep priority and snap focus to mitigate this issue as much as possible. Also if your other hand is free it's much easier to just tap in a focus point on the screen so the camera knows what to focus on from the start. Try not to let it decide things for you as the face detection isn't great either

A thumb grip to be insert into the flash hotshoe is cheap and really perfect (to prevent exposure compensation dial touch by exemple).

I did some street photography with my Fuji X-E1 Fuji 27mm f2.8 slow auto focus not bad but not super fast. I would focus from my waste to the side walk and then stop the lens down to f5.6 or f8 and set my shutter speed and use auto ISO. Worked out very good with everything in focus.

Love those arcade shots, Emily.

Does this camera have a leaf shutter?

Hi! I’ve had and still have a lot of different cameras including the Ricoh GR3, which I’ve had for a few months and it has been one of the best focusing cameras I’ve ever had and with very good low light performance, in short an amazing little camera, with splendid colors, maybe a little over contrasting but overall is capable of producing great photos! But I agree I also really don’t like the placement of the little lever right by the thumb that can change so many settings, that was perhaps a little optimistic

Love my lumix tz200 for ease of use and pocketable with great results

A great choice. Only aps-c camera that fits in your pocket. Great Image quality and probably the most underrated camera there is

When will the next gr6 be released?

My god. I’ve watched HOURS of crooning “vibe” videos about this camera. Finally someone just talks flippin straight, and tells me what I need to hear.

Great video Emily , the Ricoh GR ii was my favourite camera ,but it died on me years ago , I had planned on getting the gr iii but the high price and low battery life has stopped me so far , hopefully one day

Pretty sure the macro feature is not cropping in at all. What you've described is just focus breathing where lenses appear to zoom in/out depending on focal plane. Macro lenses seem to have lots of focus breathing usually.

It's a shame that Lumix doesn't go after that market considering how expensive the GRs are. The two Lumix pancake primes are good approximations of both current GR offerings with the added benefit of being able to clean the sensor!

As a lot of others have stated, the GRIIIx is fantastic, but you end up selling it. I shot an entire travel book with one, but it just lacked....something. The LCD is unusable, so it was like shooting film - I didn't know what I had til I was home. It's replacement? A GX85 with the Leica 9mm. Occasionally a 17mm.

Hi Emily, a good, well balanced review - thanks. To fully appreciate the GR cameras you need to embrace Snap Focus and utilise the U2 / U2 / U3 settings - for example, my U3 Setting is for Infinity focus (amongst other parameters) so no chance of the wind affecting landscape shots from the top of a hill :- ) Regards - Peter

I really liked your video and your humor. my thoughts are : Considering the number of apsc compacts on the market, its price is not so high for this image quality. Unstable autofocus: we can try manual focus with the dial, as for macro mode. And above all: beware of dust, a problem with all GR. the storage pocket must be kept clean (personal experience).

Good review. I’ve a GRII. Nice pics but sucks in dust like a hoover. Been thinking about selling it and just using a GF6 or GX880 with the 14mm lens. If you have that set up handy, a comparison would be nice.

I use my pentax Q-S1 exclusively with the 40mm equivalent standard prime lens. I had been for the longest been meaning to get this IIIx version of the GR, but the price is a bit out there. Still, I've been saving towards it because I know for a fact that is the focal length I can shoot with as my only one.

I need a small take along camera. But the fixed lens doesn't excite me at 40mm equivalent. I know they have a 28mm version which I would prefer. But I'm thinking that the GX85 (US model) might be more interesting. With a 12, 14, or 17mm prime instead of the zoom. Love this, keep it coming!

I heard the jpegs from Ricoh are really good. My aunts old boyfriend was from Japan and he worked for Ricoh and he gave my grandfather a Ricoh 126 camera. My Grandfather was in the US Army and in the pacific ocean and in WW2. When the Red Sox had home games at Fenway Park my Grandfather and my aunts Japanese boyfriend would go to the baseball games together. Some people say the Ricoh old 50mm lens has some of the best bokeh.

I had the original gr3 28mm and I totally agree with you on the better 40mm and the pants autofocus. 40mm is definitely better for people shots and landscapes with mountains in the distance (which aren’t distorted into a small size). For me, the reason why people get the gr is because of the aps-c sensor size 😜 so image quality… but the build quality , weather sealing and ergonomics is atrocious imo. I would not get this camera used. The small form factor is brilliant for putting in your pocket though. It has got ibis in a smaller package than a m4/3 camera.

Thanks. Think that’s me finally decided on buying one after watching about a million reviews,

I guess I shall be sticking with my GX9 then!

I bought the GX85 & 20mm f1.7 to be my Ricoh GR.

Thanks for the video. About noise (3:30mns), let me say that Topaz Lab Noise AI does a great job on noise.

The leaf shutter 👍

please compare gr iii to iphone 14 pro 48mp raw ......

I do like the look of this camera but didn't have the spare £900 for one! Instead Bought a like new 20mm F1.7 from MPB for my GX80 and it does pretty much the same job. I have also got the 14 mm so covers the other version of the camera as well.

This might sound silly, but what about taking an Olympus tough with you on the street. It doesn’t have shutterspeed control but it offers the common aperture’s and in normal light it could perform competitive.

I had the Ricoh GR 3 had it for a year and sold it, I don’t get the hype but whatever makes people happy.

I like the .dng files from ricoh and Pentax. Waiting for a monochrome version

The price is the only thing that stops me

I used to own the original GRd, and there is something very special & unique about shooting with a GRd, feels like an extension of your hand, as the cliché goes. Does the latest version really have IBIS?? And they are a bit renowned/rumoured for failing after a few years use I've heard. The LX100 is very nearly the Lumix GRd...?

Awesome, Emily. The GR3X simply is the best😀 Thanks for sharing.

Great photos, and I think quite a fun little camera🥳 it’s very expensive for what it is tho 🤣

I just can’t decide between the GRiii or the GRiiix. How did you find the 40mm equivalent?

What is the red thing hanging off of the camera?

This is completely off topic, my apologies, but I'm hoping you have some first hand knowledge of a field monitor, around 5 inch screen size, that will work with my LUMIX GH5M2, that has a touch screen, with camera control. I am having a heck of a time finding a definitive answer and I don't want to shell out the money only to find it doesnt function how I need it to. I've recently started photographing and filming as a volunteer for roller derby, and physical limitations make it so I cant squat or kneel to get the lower perspective shots I want. And, the game play can be quite quick, and difficult to follow and focus with a tiny screen. I'm trying to outfit my camera with a cage, handle, and screen so I can see what I'm doing if I hold it low, which is, of course, well away from my face. I would be very appreciative of any info you have, if you have some time. No worries if you don't, I'll keep searching. :)

PS I have just subscribed and liked the video :)

What are the other APSC alternatives? There are not too many...

I have Ricoh gr2 and gr3x. I had to buy gr3 when I think about my photography style... Anyway I absolutely love gr3x and don't look a7m3 anymore

I prefer my Olympus EPL7 with the Lumix 20mm or the Lumix 14mm. Adjustable screen and possibility of adapting an electronic viewer. And the LCD screen on the old Olympus looks better than the Ricoh one. Plus the EPL7 has a good image stabilizer and good focus...😁 all for much less money

You didn't mention the miserable battery life. That was a deal breaker for me. I loved images I got out of the GRII, the 28mm (eqv) lens, and the size, but the blip of battery life and the absence of a viewfinder were loud negatives against the admitted positives.

I love my GRIIIx but not having a viewfinder is starting to get tiresome...

This is not a video camera, but if you look on the left edge of the camera that is where the video button would be (I re assigned mine - as this is not a video camera!)

I have gr3,I sold my Leica q2 after using my GR

Sold my gr3, and super regret it. Plan on buying another soon.

Autofocus isn't the best but that's why most people use snap focus

I wish I had a dollar for every time I accidentally activated the exposure compensation toggle.

Maybe a x100v is a better, all be it bigger / more expensive option

Ricoh GR users are not into auto-focus, it's all about speed which means - SNAP mode is all what these cameras about

Girl, there is literally a special feature called "snap focus", which many Street and landscape photographers really love about the Ricohs, which would have solved your AF problem with that particular landscape photo. There really is 0 reason to be using AF for landscapes with this camera.

Definitely a cool and interesting camera, but it literally costs as much as my S5 (without a lens tho), soooo yeah, too expensive 😅

Cute chanel!

It's perfect if you like dust on your sensor 😀

I´m just somewhere in grip and handling part... Either your hands are really small or you have bigger GR then the rest :D

The macro on the 28mm version is better

Canon N for tiny camera.

9:50 the Ricoh GRs do have really good photo profiles. There are some good sources to use some Ricoh recipes, as well. Those profiles do a good job compared to Fuji.

What most people do not get: You will not find a APS-C sensor camera with such a good APS-C lens on it. There is no lens from Nikon, Canon, Fuji, which comes close to the 28mm and 40mm in these Ricoh GR 3 and GR3x. You get a Leica quality lens and the body is for free. The price is a bargain for this image quality. A Leica Q costs 3x of that and the other brands even do not have such a lens that can compete with the Ricoh GR lenses. Top quality always with you! By the way, I do not have AF issues at all. You have to learn how the AF is used best as with all cameras. The GR is not for shooting car racings, so it is not the fastest. But very reliable, if you pay attention to how and on what you focus.

With those negatives you highlighted.... it's not almost perfect... maybe somewhat ok of a camera. Still prefer my EM10 and my LX7!

erganomic only if you right handed

I have a poor man's gr, it's a canon s95

Emily, with auto-focus you may be running into two issues: * not understanding the design concept around its focus system, in particular the zone focus based snap focus and how this camera is intended to be used * based on the above and what settings you have, you may have snap focus on full press enabled by accident, setting the focus distance to the preset snap focus distance (you have to set and change), snap focus on full shutter button press with take precedent over actually focusing using contract detect - that would explain your out of focus shots The GR series is meant to be used with zone focus based snap focus for fast action. You set the aperture, based on focal length/aperture you end up with DoF zones you set the snap focus distance to, then you can just simply point and shoot and everything in your zone will be in focus. The actual contrast detect autofocus in the GR is a bit lackluster, especially in lower light. The GR is not a low light camera, in spite of the larger sensor and reasonable fast lens.

Which one will you pick as EDC? - Ricoh GR3X - Lumix LX100 Mk2 - Lumix GX9 + 20mm f1.7 I own the first one, but sometimes I think that other options could be better. Thanks.

The gr3 has a record button on the side for video, the same one to connect to wifi. I had one briefly but decided to sell it. I went back to my GM1 with 20mm and 45mm Olympus lens. Slightly less pocketable, but gives me way better results. Color science besides dynamic monochrome is way better on the Ricoh, but that's why lightroom presets exist. The build quality feels like one of the worst cameras on the market... all the horror stories about dust getting inside the lens didn't warm me up either.... and it being the camera model with the most build quality and technical issues didn't aspire any confidence to hold on to this thing long end. I live in Brazil, this thing costs about 6 minimum wages. Autofocus is an absolute joke.

if it was made in Japan it would be a Leica beater Ricoh is cheating us with Vietnam build

The real problem I found with all Ricoh GR cameras is the lack of serious purpose, especially considering the price tag. Let me explain: for a small and light alternative to a normal camera, for pros or enthusiasts is very limited. No MF, no exposure triangle dials, no EVF (built in) and moderate aperture for low light. This camera can’t replace my Sony a6000 or the A7C. But the X100V or the Leica Q2 can (though I don’t like both for different reasons). To the contrary this is a camera that can (almost) easily replace the smartphone for a beginner or someone that wants just a point and shoot with great image quality. But again, the price makes it tough to recommend. I was considering buying a small camera for every day carry for years and I was between the GRIII and the X100V… after intense research and thought I decided to convert my old a6000 to such a camera! I just paired it with a TTArtisan 23mm f1.4.

Get a Sony a6000 series camera with a pancake lens - FE 40mm f2.5 - problem solved

The too overrated Ricoh GR cameras are too expensive.