Ricoh GR Performance

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Ricoh GR Performance

Timing and Performance

Very good performance overall, but shallow buffers when shooting RAW.

Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	~1.6 seconds	Time it takes to turn on and capture a shot.
Shutdown	~1.0 second	How long it takes camera to turn off before you can remove the memory card.
Buffer clearing time	1 second after 20 Large JPEGs*	Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card.
	3 seconds after 4 RAW files*
	3 seconds after 4 RAW+ L JPEG files*
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a SanDisk Extreme Pro 95MB/sec UHS-1 SDHC card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode. ISO sensitivity and noise reduction settings can also affect cycle times and burst mode performance.

Startup time is much slower than most DSLRs, but not bad for a compact camera. Buffer clearing times are very good with fast 95MB/s UHS-1 compliant card, though buffers are very shallow with RAW files.

Mode Switching
Play to Record, first shot	~0.5 second	Time until first shot is captured.
Record to Play	~0.7 second	Time to display a large JPEG file immediately after capture.
Display recorded image	~0.1 second	Time to display a large JPEG file already on the memory card.

Mode switching times are very good, no complaints here.

Shutter Response (Lag Time)
Full Autofocus, Spot AF (center) mode	0.283 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, with the lens already at the proper focal distance setting.
Full Autofocus, Multi AF mode	0.287 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, with the lens already at the proper focal distance setting.
Full Autofocus, Spot AF mode Auto Flash Enabled	0.462 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, with the lens already at the proper focal distance setting, Auto flash enabled.
Continuous AF	0.274 second	This mode usually shows no speed increase with our static subject; we have no way to measure performance with moving subjects.
Manual Focus	0.092 second	For most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus, but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused".
Prefocused	0.028 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.

The Ricoh GR's autofocus and shutter lag times are fast compared to most compacts, and almost as fast as most consumer DSLRs. Full autofocus shutter lag is about 0.28 second in Spot AF mode (center), slowing just slightly to 0.29 second and Multi AF mode. With the flash enabled, the GR's full AF shutter lag increases to about 0.46s to account for the preflash metering. Continuous AF mode (Subject-tracking AF) is slightly faster than Spot AF, at 0.27 second, however we have no way to determine its tracking ability in this test.

When manually focused, the Ricoh GR's shutter lag drops to only 0.092 second which is quite fast, and when prefocused, shutter lag is a very quick 0.028 second, which is competitive to faster compacts, and much faster than most DSLRs.

Cycle Time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large JPEG	1.02 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots, 1 second to clear.*
Single Shot mode RAW	0.96 second	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots, 2 seconds to clear.*
Single Shot mode RAW + L JPEG	1.33 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots, 2 seconds o clear.*
Early shutter penalty?	No (But takes another shot without refocusing)	Some cameras don't snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.
Continuous Mode Large JPEG	0.25 second (4.01 frames per second); 20+ frames total; 1 second to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots with no signs of slowing.
Continuous Mode RAW	0.16 second (6.12 frames per second); 4 frames total; 3 seconds to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length of 4 frames.
Continuous Mode RAW + L JPEG	0.16 second (6.12 frames per second); 4 frames total; 3 seconds to clear*	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length of 4 frames.
Flash Recycling	1.6 seconds	Flash at maximum output.
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a SanDisk Extreme Pro 95 MB/sec UHS-1 SDHC card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode. ISO sensitivity and noise reduction settings can also affect cycle times and burst mode performance.

Single-shot cycle times are about average for a compact camera at just over one second for large JPEGs, just under one second RAW files, and about 1.3 seconds for RAW+ L JPEG, but that's quite a bit slower than most DSLRs.

In Continuous mode, the GR captures about 4 large JPEG frames per second, which is a little below average these days, though there doesn't appear to be a buffer limit, at least with a fast card. Interestingly, the GR can capture RAW or RAW+L JPEG frames at over 6.1 frames per second, but buffer depth is limited to a rather meager 4 frames when capturing RAW files.

The built-in flash takes only 1.6 seconds on average to recycle after a full discharge, which is very fast.

Download Speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	10,963 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-769=USB 2.0 Low; Above 770=USB 2.0 High

Download speeds are quite fast, quick enough that you likely won't feel the need for a separate card reader, even with large memory cards. (Note that this test was performed with a SanDisk Pro 95MB/sec UHS-1 card: Slower cards would likely show slower transfer times.)

Bottom line, the Ricoh GR's performance is generally very good. Startup is a bit sluggish compared to DSLRs but not bad for a compact, while mode switching, autofocus and shutter lag are fast. Burst speeds with just JPEGs is mediocre at 4 frames per second, though there doesn't appear to be a buffer limit. With RAW files, bursts oddly speed up to 6.1 fps, but with a very shallow buffer of only 4 frames.

Battery

Battery Life
Good battery life for its class.

Operating Mode	Battery Life
Still Capture, (CIPA standard)	290 shots

The Ricoh GR uses a custom rechargeable DB-65 lithium-ion battery pack for power, which is charged in-camera. (A dedicated BJ-6 battery charger is available for additional cost.) The battery is rated for 290 shots per charge using the CIPA standard, which includes 50% flash shots with the built-in flash. Although battery life is good for its class, we strongly recommend getting a second battery for your GR if you plan any extended outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on a fully-charged rechargeable battery), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))