[alan_smithee_photos]

Way better overviews than Kai's:

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

I use my GR III more than any other camera these days. Super want one of these!

[Sandy Hancock]

I had just about decided to buy the DA* 16-50mm PLM, and then this news drops. The decision was partly formed because the 24-70 + K1 is probably too heavy for me.

Don't get your hopes up. The crop body is certainly lighter, but I now have both lenses, and the DA* 16-50 PLM is actually bigger than its full frame equivalent - about the same girth and slightly longer, both retracted and extended. It's also only 75g lighter than the DFA 24-70; I can't imagine that will make a great difference in practice.

But size is only part of the story. Although I would have liked a distance scale, the new lens is optically fantastic - to the point where I can not justify keeping the 24-70.

The GR IIIx as a completely different use case, and a compelling one at that.

[thibs]

The GR IIIx as a completely different use case, and a compelling one at that.

Yep, from when I got my GR (I), I almost completely stopped using my K5 although the GR has its limitations (WA is nice but when you need normal, you feel the crop).
Since I bought a K1 I use it more often.
The question though is when will a get the money for a GRIIIx.

Those GR are just WOW.
Even got very nice pics from a concert of The Kills. With a GR. Not exactly the intended use case but it just worked.

[Smolk]

The crop body is certainly lighter, but I now have both lenses, and the DA* 16-50 PLM is actually bigger than its full frame equivalent - about the same girth and slightly longer, both retracted and extended. It's also only 75g lighter than the DFA 24-70; I can't imagine that will make a great difference in practice

Yes, you're right, body + lens only differ about 260 g, less than I had imagined. In the past I wouldn't have blinked an eye, these days it's somewhat different.
But it also depends on how a combo feels. My Rolleiflex 6008i + 80mm lens is well over 2 kg. Yet it feels great. It hasn't got IBIS of course, and no high ISO that can be used, so a tripod tends to be necessary.
I can't afford to buy the lens and have a GR unless I sell my Rolleiflex 6008 + 4 lenses and 4 backs and I just can't bring myself to do that. Not yet.

[Sandy Hancock]

Even got very nice pics from a concert of The Kills.

I saw The Kills live in 2011. I'd love to see the shots!

[JPT]

This article is not yet up in English, but it contains a few images, including in the 16:9 and 4:3 ratios.

???GR?? ?????? | GR official | ??????????????

Looking at the comments on various forums (international and Japanese), there are a lot of people saying they'll buy the GR IIIx. If even a quarter of them are serious, I think Ricoh will have hit on their hands.

[house]

This article is not yet up in English, but it contains a few images, including in the 16:9 and 4:3 ratios.

???GR?? ?????? | GR official | ??????????????

Looking at the comments on various forums (international and Japanese), there are a lot of people saying they'll buy the GR IIIx. If even a quarter of them are serious, I think Ricoh will have hit on their hands.

Yes I've never seen so many I'm buying comments before either. Not that Ive kept the number but subjectively thats the case.

The GR German Samuel showed some images and articulated what I saw, and see in the images in the above link, an incredible clarity to the rendering.

[AgentL]

This camera is long over due. Unfortunately it comes with all the foibles of the GRIII. The wheel has got to go. It is rendering my GRIII near useless as it is skipping jumping not precious. The GRIII has all kinds of problems not yet fixed like the GA-1 adapter malfunctioning when power save modes are on causing the camera to drain the battery in minutes while heating up the camera at the same time. Same slow UHS-I bus and poor battery life.

I don't mind Ricoh using the same old sensor from the GRIII but keeping all things equal sans the focal length the GRIIIx inherits all the same failings

My wheel is acting up as well. Tell me, does yours skip around if you only scroll with your finger in the top portion of the wheel? When I scroll from about 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock, not moving my finger past these points, it doesn't skip. If I slide my finger around to 3-6 o'clock, it skips around. Something about the pressure on the wheel in that portion of the 4-way controller, I am thinking. Wondering if this is just a foible of my particular camera.

[reh321]

This article is not yet up in English, but it contains a few images, including in the 16:9 and 4:3 ratios.

???GR?? ?????? | GR official | ??????????????

Looking at the comments on various forums (international and Japanese), there are a lot of people saying they'll buy the GR IIIx. If even a quarter of them are serious, I think Ricoh will have hit on their hands.

Two hits in a row would be very good for Ricoh, and allow them to release the next Pentax at an early date, if their production allows it.

[Rico]

My wheel is acting up as well. Tell me, does yours skip around if you only scroll with your finger in the top portion of the wheel? When I scroll from about 10 o'clock to 2 o'clock, not moving my finger past these points, it doesn't skip. If I slide my finger around to 3-6 o'clock, it skips around. Something about the pressure on the wheel in that portion of the 4-way controller, I am thinking. Wondering if this is just a foible of my particular camera.

It doesn't matter were I turn the wheel on my GRIII it skips forward and back adjusting ISO, Manual focus etc. The wheel was always a little touchy but now it is just malfunctioning. The GR needs less of these wheels, adjustment levers, and buttons not more. The GRIII is even worse than the GRII at randomly changing settings from aperture/shutter settings, manual focus to drive modes.

My vision for the 40mm focal length compact was Ricoh/Pentax have the 40mm be Pentax branded brother to GR. Same GR compact philosophy but stepped up WR even FF at 40mm instead of APS-C. These cameras need to shift to Mirco-SD to make room for bigger batteries.

The electronics/electrical systems of the GRIII is just messed up. What happens when you use the GA-1 adaptor and power off modes is near fire hazard the camera heats up so much while draining a full battery in 5 minutes.

Here is a GRIII question I have the display set to off while in use. When the GRIII powers on there is a short splash screen showing FN ISO Drive Mode Still/Movie settings. Is there any way to show other things in this start up splash screen? Like the battery level the single most important piece of information you need to know when powering on especially since the GRIII battery life is so bad. I need to activate the screen after start up to see battery life something I am trying to avoid to save battery life.

A second question when using the "new" auto-ISO function the wheel becomes set to control exposure compensation. I can not find where to turn this off when using auto-ISO. When using auto-ISO exposure compensation is randomly changing all the time as the wheel is active to control it at the slightest touch.

Why is Flash mode set permanently on with no way to turn it off? The only options is Flash on or Flash On+Red-eye so basically the hot shoe is always active.

Hopefully some of these issues will be addressed with the GRIIIx.

[reh321]

It doesn't matter were I turn the wheel on my GRIII it skips forward and back adjusting ISO, Manual focus etc. The wheel was always a little touchy but now it is just malfunctioning. The GR needs less of these wheels, adjustment levers, and buttons not more. The GRIII is even worse than the GRII at randomly changing settings from aperture/shutter settings, manual focus to drive modes.

My vision for the 40mm focal length compact was Ricoh/Pentax have the 40mm be Pentax branded brother to GR. Same GR compact philosophy but stepped up WR even FF at 40mm instead of APS-C. These cameras need to shift to Mirco-SD to make room for bigger batteries.

I have always considered their external controls - including “e-dials” - to be one of Ricoh’s strengths. My “Q”’s necessarily have fewer controls, but they still work essentially the same as those on my K-mount cameras. Do you have the same problems with your K-mount cameras?? The e-dials are an integral part of the system which makes Ricoh/Pentax special.

[JPT]

After using the GR II I'm always wondering why it's so sharp compared to the DSLR primes. Perhaps different design objectives, perhaps flange distance and fixed lens design. I still wish they could get that kind of performance in a smallish DSLR prime.

I don't know much about the technical aspects of designing small, sharp lenses for compact cameras, but I don't think it ask easy job at all. When you look at the lens Fuji put out when they tried to compete with the GR (in the X-70), it was larger and not as sharp as the GR of the time. Fuji is known for excellent lens design, but even they could match the GR lens. I've heard GR cameras criticized for all kinds of reasons, such as sensor size and lack of features, but the lens quality is always mentioned as a plus. That is over several generations of the camera.

There is a optical specialist called Kazuyasu Ohashi at Ricoh, who has been working on the optical design of the GR cameras since the first film version (reference). I know he worked on the GR III (the photo below is some members of the GR III design team). He worked on the GX cameras (reference) and likely the GXR modules. We'll probably find he worked on the 26mm lens in the GR IIIx as well.

I mention this because I feel he is a bit of an unsung hero. He is bottom left in this picture.

[thibs]

I saw The Kills live in 2011. I'd love to see the shots!

I'll try to browse through all of'em and post some shots

[borisII]

trying to find more photos with bokeh of new lens, but I can't

[AAlfano]

I don't know much about the technical aspects of designing small, sharp lenses for compact cameras, but I don't think it ask easy job at all. When you look at the lens Fuji put out when they tried to compete with the GR (in the X-70), it was larger and not as sharp as the GR of the time. Fuji is known for excellent lens design, but even they could match the GR lens. I've heard GR cameras criticized for all kinds of reasons, such as sensor size and lack of features, but the lens quality is always mentioned as a plus. That is over several generations of the camera.

There is a optical specialist called Kazuyasu Ohashi at Ricoh, who has been working on the optical design of the GR cameras since the first film version (reference). I know he worked on the GR III (the photo below is some members of the GR III design team). He worked on the GX cameras (reference) and likely the GXR modules. We'll probably find he worked on the 26mm lens in the GR IIIx as well.

I mention this because I feel he is a bit of an unsung hero. He is bottom left in this picture.

Thanks for this post. I am very happy to learn of Mr. Ohashi and agree he is indeed an unsung hero in the fields of photography and optics. I am glad there is at least one optical engineer who is designing practical lenses instead of these half-kilogram plus monstrosities every other camera and lens company is pushing out!