| Latest Review Posted | Ricoh GR IIIx
I bought the GR IIIx to fill a specific niche - a camera small enough to carry anywhere I wanted to go, but with the kind of photographic quality I expected from a DSLR. I have not been disappointed.
The IIIx is a tiny APS-C camera - not much larger than a pack of cigarettes - but with an excellent 26.1mm, f2.8 lens - equivalent to 40mm in full frame. To me, this focal length is very desirable - it's wide enough to capture a lot of scenery, but at the same time, it's long enough to capture a close image of a friend.
In addition, the IIIx has an optical 'macro mode' that comes in very handy. This macro mode won't go to 1:1, but it gets you about as close as you realistically can get while hand-holding the IIIx.
The IIIx is a very unobtrusive camera. It's small, plain, unadorned black body does not draw the eye like a larger, flashier camera would. At first glance the IIIx looks much like an old film point-and-shoot, so if anyone sees you shooting with the camera, they tend to ignore you and look at something else.
The IIIx is *extremely* quick and easy to use. I carry my IIIx in Ricoh's belt pouch that secures the camera with a strap equipped with a magnetic 'clasp'. If a photo opportunity comes along, I reach down, flick the strap out of the way, and pull the camera out of the pouch. As I'm raising the camera to my eye, my finger hits the power button and then moves to the shutter. The camera will have the lens cover retracted and be ready to shoot before I get the camera... |
