Loyal Site Supporter Registered: September, 2016 Location: Central Iowa, USA Posts: 173 | Review Date: November 20, 2023 | Recommended | Price: $997.00
| Rating: 10 |
Pros: | Perfect travel camera for me | Cons: | Not suited for a high-volume shooter | | 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 to eye level. I can then shoot, power off the camera off and get it back in the pouch before others have their cameras out of their cases.
The IIIx tries really hard to make sure you always get your shot. Example: I normally shoot in aperture priority mode where the camera varies the shutter speed as necessary based on the aperture chosen and ambient light. However, the IIIx keeps the shutter speed no slower than 1/40 second, presumably to minimize blurring because of camera movement - often called the 1/focal length rule. When the shutter speed would drop below 1/40 sec, the IIIx increases the ISO instead, so you always get a clear picture without blur from a too-slow shutter speed.
Another feature of the IIIx is 'Snap Focus'. Basically, you preset a focus distance, and if you FULLY press the shutter, the camera doesn't attempt to use auto-focus, but instead instantly moves the lens to focus on the preset distance and takes the shot. Street photographers are the primary uses of this feature, but I found it handy to set an infinity distance when shooting from a moving tour vehicle.
Things some people might not like: - The battery is not large, and is rated for only 200 images per charge. However, the batteries are not expensive (and small size), so carrying multiple batteries is a good idea.
- The IIIx squeezes a lot of electronics into a very small package, so if you take a lot of shots in a short time it will get warm, particularly on a hot day.
Some things to keep in mind: - As a mirrorless camera without an eye-level finder, the rear display of the camera gets used a lot. The rear display draws a lot of power from the battery, and in bright sunlight it might be hard to see (although this has not been a problem for me). Ricoh offers an optical viewfinder that sits in the hot shoe that some people really like, but others do not. I don't have one, but it's available for those who feel the need for one.
The images created by the IIIx are top-notch. The camera is not suited for everyone, nor for every shooting situation. However for many of those other situations, I find the camera to be a great tool.
Painted Wall - Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Ricoh GR IIIx, 26.1/2.8 @f/8, 1/40 sec, ISO 100
I Must Have Set Them Down Somewhere... (Maquoketa Caves SP)
Ricoh GR IIIx, 26.1/2.8 @f5.6, 1/40 sec, ISO 3200 (Macro mode):
Lichen (Dinosaur National Monument)
Ricoh GR IIIx 26.1/2.8 @f/11, 1/40 sec, ISO 400 (Macro mode):
Zufelt (Near Dinosaur National Monument)
Ricoh GR IIIx, 26.1/2.8 @f/2.8, 1/500 sec, ISO 100 (Snap focus set to infinity, shot from moving tour bus): | |