| Review of: Ricoh GR II by 24thNomad on Sat April 7, 2018 | Rating: 9 | View more reviews | |
Views: 40427
Reviews: 3
|
I purchased this camera as an upgrade to an older Point and Shoot. I wanted something that was going to be on me through my day to day. However, image quality was also very important. I wasn't sure if a wide angle prime compact was the way to go but I was really drawn to the larger sensor of this camera and the sample photos I saw from this camera. After months of debating it, I pulled the trigger. I'm so glad I did. This camera is pretty niche but if it fits your needs or you can adjust to it, it's a great camera. The photo quality from this camera is phenomenal.
Build & Handling: (8) The first thing I noticed upon unboxing this camera was its build. It has a magnesium alloy body that makes it feel tough yet light. It feels completely different from most other compacts. You can tell that careful consideration was put into the layout of this camera. It allows a deep amount of customizing and it has plenty of buttons for you to map things your way. Admittedly, if you have large hands like I do, it will take a little adjusting. Manual Focus is doable but still always kind of awkward for me. That part is a bummer since I use MF quite a bit.
Feature Set: (7)This camera comes with a healthy amount of options but heavily lacks in some important areas. Thus, I could not give it more than a 7 here. It can configured in a number of ways, it has many types of focus and makes zone focusing really easy (a big plus for street photographers). It has a built in ND filter (its minor but it helps), it has in camera crop modes, a good amount of effects/filters, and more. Heck, you can decide whether you want the green LED light on the Power Button to be illuminated or not. It takes a bit of a hit in this score due to the lack of an in camera Viewfinder, and the fact that it is a fixed focal length camera. If you're after video, then don't both with this camera. That's by far, its weakest point. This for the stills photographer, more or so less.
Image Quality: (10) This is easily the strongest area of this camera. The photos this camera takes are SHARP. Even at f/2.8. I typically keep my Aperture at f/4.0 to f/5.6 if I can for best results. DxoMark gives this camera's sensor an 80. That's a good score and a great one for a compact. The APS-C sensor makes a difference. It also helps its case in low light situations. I have shot many concerts and night time city adventures with this camera. It handles low light quite well. ISO up to 3200 is pretty good. I never take it past there though. Color rendition and contrast is good as well. Overall, this camera's image quality is perhaps the main reason, you might want it. It's not the only APS-C sensor compact but it's definitely the cheapest.
Autofocus: (8) Overall, Auto Focus is really snappy. As long as it has decent light, it very responsive. It doesn't handle low light that well. It's inconsistent and tends to hunt a lot of the time. This is a little disappointing since it has a relatively bright, max aperture. But in 80% of cases, it does well. But I use Snap and Manual Focus a lot anyway.
Value: (9): Make no mistake, its a niche compact. It doesn't have a lot of direct competition. Most people would probably prefer a zoom lens with a 1 inch sensor and that will suit them just fine. But for those who are after a truly pocket size camera and image quality is a top priority, you'll get your money's worth.
Overall Score: (9): It's a cult favorite of street photographers and is known to be a bit niche. This isn't for everyone. But for those who this is for, I think it's a superb camera. It has some annoying and obvious quirks like a dated sensor, poor video abilities, and fixed focal length. But it's not trying to be a Sony Rx100 or the like. It's really focusing on just a few specific aspects. But it kills it in those regards. Do your research first before buying it. If you still think you would benefit from this camera, I highly recommend it. This camera is with me every single day.
| |
