Ricoh Ricoh GR III

An example of a primary change, this kind of shot is easy with the stabilisation and generally could not have been done with the II. This is also the in camera's in built b&w.
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What rattle is that then ?
Seems (I think over on DPR mainly....shocking I know) that people are put off but the slight rattle of the sensor element when turned off. They should NEVER get one of the older Sigma f/2.8 primes. The whole lens element was free floating when not mount and the camera turned on.

If I had to guess you probably won't hear much about it here since most of us here seem to have a clue. Just MHO.
 
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Oh that rattle. No, mine doesn't rattle any more. See I had the camera mounted on the car dashboard , anyway I took a corner far too fast and the shutter mechanism slid over so fast it shot out the side of the camera. (not covered by warranty) so i stuffed it back in and filled it with expanding foam. No more rattle for me. :D
 
Got it finally! Very first impressions (need to charge the battery, but couldn't help myself fiddling just a little) are that the smaller size will take a little getting used to, they took out some of the depth in the grip area which makes my thumb placement feel a little "off" but I imagine I'll get used to it. Focus seems pretty darn fast so far, in moderately-lit office environment. Definitely anything but slow in reasonable conditions. Interface seems like there are spots that will further fill in with firmware updates, but there's a surprising amount of customization in some areas I was not expecting. Such as: high-ISO noise reduction settings for EVERY full stop of ISO (off, low, med, high). Meaning if you wanted NR in just ISO 1600, you could do that. Never seen that level of control before. Also the image control fine-tuning is huge compared to previous. Really allows for a unique image output out of cam.

Can't wait to actually use it.
 
Got it finally! Very first impressions (need to charge the battery, but couldn't help myself fiddling just a little) are that the smaller size will take a little getting used to, they took out some of the depth in the grip area which makes my thumb placement feel a little "off" but I imagine I'll get used to it. Focus seems pretty darn fast so far, in moderately-lit office environment. Definitely anything but slow in reasonable conditions. Interface seems like there are spots that will further fill in with firmware updates, but there's a surprising amount of customization in some areas I was not expecting. Such as: high-ISO noise reduction settings for EVERY full stop of ISO (off, low, med, high). Meaning if you wanted NR in just ISO 1600, you could do that. Never seen that level of control before. Also the image control fine-tuning is huge compared to previous. Really allows for a unique image output out of cam.

Can't wait to actually use it.

Nice! I just picked mine up at lunch today. Just got home from work and am charging up the battery. But, like you, I dabbled for a few minutes. Although I didn't dig as deeply in the menus, I do echo your other comments. Definitely feels a bit different than my old GR, but the smaller size is a nice addit...er, reduction.

Also ordered a dual charger with extra batteries from Amazona that arrived today. Charging those too, so I'll have 3 batteries in total, plus the ability to charge outside the camera.

Will try to put it through its paces this week.
 
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Two more members have received their new GR’s.
this thread has gone quite.
The suspense is killing me.
Are they happy with their purchases ?
Do their copies rattle too much ?
Are the buttons and dials working ok ?
Have their cameras caught fire exploded or fallen to bits ?
Me, I’m very happy with mine. Also delighted to say that the rear screen presents no problem at all in bright sunlight. Best screen I’ve ever used in that respect.
 
Two more members have received their new GR’s.
this thread has gone quite.
The suspense is killing me.
Are they happy with their purchases ?
Do their copies rattle too much ?
Are the buttons and dials working ok ?
Have their cameras caught fire exploded or fallen to bits ?
Me, I’m very happy with mine. Also delighted to say that the rear screen presents no problem at all in bright sunlight. Best screen I’ve ever used in that respect.
Well it does rattle. I'm not sure it's built to last as previous editions. I thought the dial on mine was slightly mis-aligned, but they're all like that. But on the plus side, the stabilisation is very good and results in positive, technically better images. But the files, they're not like the GR/GR II, no, they remind me more of Fuji files. Nothing wrong in that per se, but the previous edition had it's own unique magic in the files, especially the mono files. That's not there anymore. Plus the internal PP options are overdone, not quick and punchy as in the previous edition. The unique B&W/ High Contrast B&W in the previous edition is also not there, not the one known and loved in the GR/II. However, being able to crop a bit more is nice and guarantees more keepers. And generally, you do get more keepers if street shooting. There's definitely more resolution too and 1/500 at iso 3200 does indeed work very nicely, that's potentially a big deal. I'm ok with my purchase, I'm not going to return it. But it's more of a computer than the previous edition (and I haven't even used the touchscreen, probably never will) and not as 'raw' or straightforward as the previous edition. If you have the GR/GR II and it's working perfectly (mine wasn't), then think very carefully about getting the III. And do not let your copy of the previous version go, I think that's going to be looked on as a classic.
 
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Forgive me for editing, but...

- I'm not sure it's built to last as previous editions.

- I thought the dial on mine was slightly mis-aligned, but they're all like that.

- ...the files, they're not like the GR/GR II, no, they remind me more of Fuji files. Nothing wrong in that per se, but the previous edition had it's own unique magic in the files, especially the mono files. That's not there anymore.

- ...the internal PP options are overdone, not quick and punchy as in the previous edition.

- The unique B&W/ High Contrast B&W in the previous edition is also not there, not the one known and loved in the GR/II.

- ..it's more of a computer than the previous edition... ...and not as 'raw' or straightforward as the previous edition.

...these are many of the reasons why, after careful consideration, my brand new GR II will arrive tomorrow...
 
Two more members have received their new GR’s.
this thread has gone quite.
The suspense is killing me.
Are they happy with their purchases ?
Do their copies rattle too much ?
Are the buttons and dials working ok ?
Have their cameras caught fire exploded or fallen to bits ?
Me, I’m very happy with mine. Also delighted to say that the rear screen presents no problem at all in bright sunlight. Best screen I’ve ever used in that respect.
I've posted some thoughts over on the thread at Mu-43. Here's what I said there yesterday:


Initial thoughts: the body is noticeably smaller in the grip area, both front and back. Fingers touch the outermost part of the lens assembly, and I haven't gotten totally comfortable with where to put my thumb yet, but these are both very minor things. Definitely not ergonomically bad, just a little different. Ridiculous people elsewhere have been complaining about the IBIS clunk (it's very minor, not much different than an M4/3 body), as well as a slightly wobbly rear 4-way controller and slightly offset looking lens barrel. I can see both these things, but they don't appear as defects to me, just quirks. Overall the body feels a bit heavier and more solid than the GRII, definitely a premium product.

It's not without some annoying parts, though. For one, the only customization for the exposure controls offered is in M mode, where you can swap shutter and aperture between the front dial and rear ADJ toggle. In M, exposure comp is hardwired to the rear wheel (not the ADJ toggle which is marked with an exposure comp icon!). In Tv and Av, the front dial controls the main control (shutter or aperture), the ADJ does exposure comp (okay, that's what it's labeled for) and the rear wheel does NOTHING! Can't be set to directly control anything. You can change ISO with it with an extra press left, but only if you've left that programmable button set as ISO. On a camera that is supposed to be so customizable, I need to be able to swap dials around as I wish. There are very comprehensive customization options offered in some areas, but not others. For example, high ISO NR can be customized to every single full ISO stop, between off, low, med or high. So if you want only medium NR on ISO 1600 only, you can do that. Image control replaces effects for JPEG styles, and has a lot more options to fine-tune files, which is great. However, something like bracketing does not even have a menu item devoted to it, instead being accessed from the Drive menu, with only two settings (EV between shots, and order of EV). So bracketing only works for exposure values. It feels half-baked.

I strongly suspect that some aspects of the camera didn't get finished in time for release. Keep in mind that very little was said about the camera until just before release, and things like max ISO were TBD until just before launch. By the designers' own admission, the camera was designed first for ultimate image quality, and they admitted they took longer over this than they expected to. However, most of my quibbles can be easily fixed via firmware (we know the grain effect for image control will be added in an update) and I really suspect they will be.

Another item that has been commented on is the way the camera sometimes heats up near the top right of the LCD, under the thumb. I have noticed this a little, and whenever I did, I popped the battery out to see if that is what caused the warmth. The battery has felt a bit warm in these cases, but not warm enough to transfer enough heat to the outside of the camera body. So I don't think the battery is the culprit, but perhaps the power transfer where the battery terminals mate with the internal circuitry. I suspect the power draw is ultimately the reason for the camera warming up. It's certainly not alarmingly warm, in my case. Less warm than my smartphone often gets.

I'm surprised that people have complained abut the IBIS clunk, but I haven't seen anyone ringing the alarm bells about the IBIS sound! It's fairly loud if you put your ear near the camera, similar to the Panasonic GX85, but it somehow sounds less refined than the Panny. Kind of squeaky rather than a quiet hum. Also, it seems the stabilization effect is constantly on, rather than just during half-press and/or exposure. You can hear adjustments being made when you move it around. This is even though the LCD doesn't appear to be super stabilized. I strongly suspect the IBIS unit could have some fine-tuning applied that would save battery life.


Oh, yeah. Complaints about the AF speed. In general I've found it to be pretty fast, a definite step up from the GRII. When I've been able to defeat the AF system has been in extremely bad light. Like, light bad enough that the LCD barely shows details that can be seen while focusing (the LCD gain in low light cuts out during focus, like most cameras). In conditions like this you will not get focus 99% of the time. Picking up my GX85, I was able to of course nail focus regardless, but that is because the GX85 focus is flippin' awesome. You buy a Panasonic system if you want extremely good single AF in low light, full stop. In nearly every situation where I would actually want to take pictures, the GR III is good, in the lowest lighting it hunts, and when it hunts it racks focus once fairly fast, then moves into the extremely slow focus rack that's been shown in videos. There is a definite limit to the lighting that AF will function in, and I think I just have to learn where that cutoff is.

Image quality is screaming, bloody good. Even with the added resolution, the lens is razor sharp. I don't know how they do this with such small amounts of glass. High ISO looks great, though I haven't analyzed files in detail yet. In the end, this is a camera made for IQ above all else. In a tiny package.
 
Well it does rattle. I'm not sure it's built to last as previous editions. I thought the dial on mine was slightly mis-aligned, but they're all like that. But on the plus side, the stabilisation is very good and results in positive, technically better images. But the files, they're not like the GR/GR II, no, they remind me more of Fuji files. Nothing wrong in that per se, but the previous edition had it's own unique magic in the files, especially the mono files. That's not there anymore. Plus the internal PP options are overdone, not quick and punchy as in the previous edition. The unique B&W/ High Contrast B&W in the previous edition is also not there, not the one known and loved in the GR/II. However, being able to crop a bit more is nice and guarantees more keepers. And generally, you do get more keepers if street shooting. There's definitely more resolution too and 1/500 at iso 3200 does indeed work very nicely, that's potentially a big deal. I'm ok with my purchase, I'm not going to return it. But it's more of a computer than the previous edition (and I haven't even used the touchscreen, probably never will) and not as 'raw' or straightforward as the previous edition. If you have the GR/GR II and it's working perfectly (mine wasn't), then think very carefully about getting the III. And do not let your copy of the previous version go, I think that's going to be looked on as a classic.
The JPEG science is a little different, yes, but I'm not convinced that the GRII look is altogether gone - I think you can get back there with a couple of tweaks to the very in-depth image control. I'm going to be experimenting, I'll be interested if you manage to find a tweak you like as well. I want to play with hi-contrast B&W a little, I never thought the GRII was perfect, but it was certainly a cool look. I am a positive film addict, and it too feels a bit different. It's where I'm going to put the majority of my effort.
 
But it's more of a computer than the previous edition (and I haven't even used the touchscreen, probably never will) and not as 'raw' or straightforward as the previous edition.
Specifically on this point, I do think we tend to feel like new cameras, that are different, are more like "computers" simply because the menus etc. are dense and we haven't gotten comfortable with them yet. I do think this GR is just as capable as previous models to feel like an extension of the arm, I suspect a little time will make it just that.

On the touchscreen, don't discount the utility of touch to compose and shoot. It's not for every occasion, but on the street, if you want to select a subject quickly and release inconspicuously, I think this feature is going to rule. You could even do it while holding the camera with your left hand, which doesn't look like you're anywhere near ready to shoot a photo. I like "pure" cameras, i.e. dials, shutter buttons and dedicated controls, but in the moment when you have to think of both getting the shot quickly and not disturbing or raising the ire of subjects, these shortcuts work really well.
 
I’ve had mine a week now and it’s growing on me more each time I use it. Setting the focus point by touch is great, fast and accurate. I’ve not tried the touch to focus and shoot yet. Doubt I will.
As for the focus, I know it’s probably my imagination but it appears to be getting better with use ?
Ibis. Didn’t think I was really necessary with the focal length and leaf shutter of the GR. I was wrong. It’s a real improvement.
The metering in my opinion is quite a bit more accurate than my mk2. So is the white balance.
I haven’t played around much with the jpeg picture control . There most be thousands of different permutations ! I’m usually on positive or the hard and soft black and white.
Again today I had the opportunity to check out the screen in very bright conditions. It’s great. I have screen brightness set on the adjust lever.
Someone posted a short video on DPR showing the wobble in the rear dial. It’s obvious the poster didn’t like it. Mine is the same btw , but I’m not scared. My
Nikon V1 dial was about the same. I don’t think anyone can conclude the build quality is bad. We should come back to that in a few more months of use. And it’s pretty subjective isn’t it. I treat my camera equipment very well. It doesn’t get abused. Others are not so careful.
At this moment I don’t have any issues with this camera. If this changes I’ll be sure to let everyone know.
A few things I would like taken care of in firmware at some point. And I have emailed Ricoh about the Bluetooth failure to communicate with my apple devices. Tried my dads Android and that’s ok ?
Doubt I’ll use it but it should still work .
 
Took it out for a while today, took 72 photos without the battery indicator dipping below "full." I didn't chimp much at all and switched the camera off in between longer periods of shooting, but wasn't going overboard. Also spent a good amount of time this evening in the raw development function processing sixteen of those images, taking my time over different settings. When I finished the battery had just dropped one bar, and the area that tends to get warm had gotten a bit so. Pulling the battery out, it was also a bit warm. I do think the battery life is capable of a lot better figures than are being reported, if you're judicious with use of the camera.

Focus was fast on every shot today, and accurate, except for three images; all three were instances of aiming and shooting fast, without stopping or ascertaining that the focus box was green before full depressing the shutter button. It really does seem like the shutter button is designed to act like "release priority" on my Panasonic GX85: if you full depress the shutter while it's trying to focus, it will err on the side of getting the shot, which means if you don't give it enough time to focus, it will be out of focus. This will take a little muscle memory to overcome.
 
It really does seem like the shutter button is designed to act like "release priority" on my Panasonic GX85: if you full depress the shutter while it's trying to focus, it will err on the side of getting the shot, which means if you don't give it enough time to focus, it will be out of focus.
Don't you think this might be changeable if you disable "Snap Focus"? If you depress the shutter button fully, it's probably set to "Snap" focus distance, and depending on your aperture, that won't be hyperfocal, especially not at close range.

Thanks all for your interesting observations. So far, most of you seem quite happy with the purchase - good to know. Still on the fence, though ...

M.
 
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