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Pentax Camera Reviews » Ricoh Digital Cameras » Ricoh Compact Digital Cameras

Ricoh GR IIIx

Reviews	Views	Date of last review
1	2,808	Mon November 20, 2023

Recommended By	Average Price	Average User Rating
100% of reviewers	$997.00	10.00

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Description:

Launched in 2021, the GR IIIx is a variant of the original Ricoh GR III from 2019. The new GR IIIx features a 26.1mm lens instead of the 18.1mm lens found on the GR III. The 26.1mm lens delivers an angle of view closer to what the human eye would see and thus lends itself well to a diverse range of photography.

This model will remain available together with the GR III so that customers can choose the focal length best suited to their shooting style. Apart from the lens, the GR III and GR IIIx share the same hardware. The GR IIIx includes new post-processing effects which are available on the GR III via a firmware update.

An optional GT-2 adapter lens can provide a 1.5x increase to the focal length for telephoto shooting.

In April 2022 a limited edition of the GR IIIx was released, called the Ricoh GR IIIx Urban Edition Special Limited. At first it was be available in a kit with a matching strap and hot shoe cover (third photo above); later the body became available separately without the strap and hot shoe cover (but still with the blue ring, 2nd photo above).

This new edition introduced some new features that should become available later for the original GR IIIx through a firmware update:

1)	Snap Distance Priority mode, a new exposure setting: Once the preferred distance for snapshots and the desired depth of field (DOF) are set in advance, the camera lets the user quickly and easily recall these settings. This setting is programmed to select the aperture, providing the depth of field used in pan-focus photography, making it particularly handy for quick snapshot photography.
2)	Auto Area AF (Center) focus mode: Instead of covering the entire image field, this mode operates only in nine focus zones around the center of the image field, preventing the camera from focusing on unintended elements, such as a grassy field in the foreground of an image.
3)	Enable AF mode shutter-release capability: When the shutter-release button is pressed halfway down, the user can lock the AF system only, without locking the AE system.
4)	Snapshot mode: A distance setting of 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) has been added to the Snapshot mode; and a long press on the monitor during playback allows the user to instantly recall the playback function selection menu.

- Camera Manual

Camera name	Ricoh GR IIIx
Sensor	24.24 MP APS-C CMOS (23.5 x 15.6 mm) without low-pass (AA) filter
Aspect ratio	3:2 (6000 x 4000), 1:1 (4000 x 4000)
Image stabilization	Yes, sensor-shift shake reduction (SR), three axis
Horizon correction	Up to 1 degree with SR on, up to 1.5 degrees with SR off
Moire reduction	AA filter simulator using SR unit with two settings. Can be turned off.
	Software based moiré reduction available in editing mode during playback
Dust removal	Ultrasonic vibrations of the sensor "DR II"
Pixel mapping	Yes
ISO range	100 - 102400
Exposure modes	P, Av, Tv, Manual, 3 user modes
Light meter	Multi-segment, center weighted, spot, highlight weighted
Exposure compensation	+/- 5 EV (+/- 2 EV in movie mode)
ND filter (2 EV)	On, auto, off
Noise reduction	High-ISO and long shutter speed noise reduction
White balance	Auto, multi-segment auto, various manual settings (can be finely adjusted)
Image control	Several settings
Dynamic range correction	Highlight and shadow correction
Film simulation	Yes
Digital filters	Several
Shutter	Mechanical and electronic
Shutter speeds	30 s - 1/4000 s, bulb, time 10 s to 20 min
	Fastest speed limited to 1/2500 s at F2.8
Self timer	10 sec. and 2 sec. delay
Shooting modes	Single, continuous, exposure bracketing, interval, interval composite
Lens	26.1 mm (40 mm eqv.), F2.8 - F16
Crop modes	50 mm and 71 mm eqv.
Optics	7 elements in 5 groups (2 aspherical lens elements)
Auto focus	Hybrid Phase/Contrast detect AF
	Working range 0.1 m to infinity
	Macro mode 0.06m - 0.12 m
	Auto-area, zone, select, pinpoint, subject tracking, continuous
	Face detection: on, auto-AF area only, off
	AF assist light
Manual focus	Yes, plus infinity and snap
Closest focus distance	20 cm, 12 cm in macro mode
Viewfinder	No built-in viewfinder
Live View	Yes
Monitor	3 inch, aspect ratio 3:2, 1037K dots, wide viewing angle, air-gapless
	Touch-screen
	Adjustments: Outdoor view setting +/- 2 steps, brightness, color balance
In-camera editing	Raw development, crop, resize, white balance, levels, moiré reduction, movie cut and divide
Flash	Hot shoe for external flash, Pentax P-TTL protocol
	Modes: On, On + red eye, slow-speed sync, slow-speed sync+red eye
	Flash compensation +/-2 EV
Movie	Full HD (1920 x 1080) (60p, 30p, 24p), up to 25 minutes or 4 GB file size
Sound	Stereo
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB-C, HDMI (via optional USB-C to HDMI conversion cable)
Storage media	SD, SDHC and SDXC (UHS-I compatible), 2 GB built-in memory
File format	JPG and RAW (DNG), RAW+JPG, MOV (MPEG4 AVC/H.264)
Battery	Dedicated rechargeable battery DB-110, battery life 200 images
Size	109.4 x 61.9 x 35.2 mm
Weight	262 g loaded, 232 g body only
Notes	14 bit color depth in RAW, 8 bit in JPG.
	Body constructed of magnesium alloy

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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):