Ricoh GRIII - First Impressions...

Before we kick things off, I will be doing a full video review of the GRIII on my YouTube Channel - so be sure to Subscribe… So, I have had my GRIII for 24 hours now and thought I would share my initial thoughts and a few sample images…

I have been a massive GR fan for years, nothing quite feels like a GR and it is close on the ‘perfect’ street photography camera. Having owned previous iterations, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the latest version. The new model is a very similar size and shape to the previous model (minus the flash!) but also has a much improved 24mp sensor and a touch-screen, along with many other refreshed items.

Straight out of the box, the camera feels familiar, with the basic layout being much the same as its ancestors. The sleek design and desecrate branding, make it a perfectly pocketable weapon for those looking to keep a low-profile whilst shooting ‘street’. Whereas, I’m not much of a street shooter, I do appreciate the form factor and ease of use for shooting city scenes whilst not having to carry around a backpack etc.

The fixed 28mm (equivalent) lens goes against my usually (lazy!) style of shooting, which normally incorporates a short telephoto lens. It will certainly be a learning curve to get use to this focal length again but one thing is for sure, I’m going to need to take my ‘brave pills’ and get closer to the action. The autofocus feels snappy and from what I have seen so far, accurate. The other great thing about this camera is the start-up time, pretty much as soon as you hit the power button, you’re ready to shoot - essential for those capture action whilst out-and-about.

Looking at the images coming out of the new sensor, I’m impressed enough, considering how use to shooting full-frame I am. The only area where I am still on-the-fence is the low light performance. Noise starts to appear at around 3200 ISO and whereas 6400 ISO is perfectly usable, I think there is a clear grain structure there and although, due to my editing style, I actually quite like this - It will remain to be seen whether low light shooting becomes an issue. One thing is for sure, it hasn’t ‘wowed’ me straight away like the Fuji X100F did…

All-in-all, my first impressions are very good and I’m so happy to have a GR in my pocket again, it will be a fantastic everyday carry. I will make a full review over the next few weeks to give more in-depth feedback.

Sample images - Edited, the full review will include a RAW image comparison.