Ricoh GR III Field Test Part I: Razor-sharp images from a camera that fits in a pocket!
posted Monday, June 10, 2019 at 2:34 PM EDT
Click here to read part one of my Ricoh GR III Field Test
Almost a quarter of a century ago, Ricoh created a cult favorite with the GR1 film camera, the first in a now-decades long series whose latest iteration is the coat pocket-friendly Ricoh GR III. Much like its many predecessors both film and digital, the GR III makes for a great street shooter thanks to its compact, unassuming body and bright, razor-sharp 28mm prime lens.
And much as in the GR and GR II before it, a roomy APS-C sized sensor sits behind the GR-branded optic, ready to turn photons into pixels. But while the GR III looks very similar to these predecessors, it actually represents a brand-new design, with a tweaked body and a completely overhauled imaging pipeline.
Keen to see how the brand-new GR camera compares to its forebears, I headed on an impromptu roadtrip to Cherokee, Waynesville and Maggie Valley, North Carolina recently, and packed light with just the Ricoh GR III and a couple of spare batteries. I have to say that I came away from the experience extremely impressed with what this tiny little camera can do, as you'll see in my first Ricoh GR III field test.
If you're in the market for a compact, fixed-lens camera and don't need a zoom lens, the GR III should definitely be near the top of your shortlist. To find out how it shoots in the real world (and whether it's right for you), head on over to part one of my GR III Field Test now, and be sure to check out my GR III gallery as well, where you'll find even more shots that I didn't have room to fit alongside the field test.