[lunarwitch]

Thanks. In the video, there is nothing about dust, or did I miss something?!

[lunarwitch]

Hello.

In some german forums, I noticed some posts about the appearance of dust in the GR III in the last months. In all the cases, the "dust removal" didn't the job to shake if off the sensor.
The GR III had to be returned to ricoh for cleaning.

Did anyone here with a GR III does or did have the same problems till now?

Regards

[AgentL]

Hey, I've had my GR III since the US launch, and I did have to send it in for cleaning once - or rather, I sent it before my warranty expired in order to get rid of some dust specks. The III can still get some stubborn spots that don't seem to be removed by using the dust reduction system, no matter how many times you activate it. It seems to attract fewer of these stubborn spots than the GR II did, however, but I think a lot comes down to individual sample variation at times, or just pure luck.

[gbl]

Hello.

In some german forums, I noticed some posts about the appearance of dust in the GR III in the last months. In all the cases, the "dust removal" didn't the job to shake if off the sensor.
The GR III had to be returned to ricoh for cleaning.

Did anyone here with a GR III does or did have the same problems till now?

Regards

It almost seems some people want it to happen. They ask and ask until they find somebody it happened to. That's why I don't really see the point of those questions. If you have dust on your camera's sensor - no matter which one - you have to deal with it. Either ignore it, fix the images in post, send it in or clean it yourself. What does it matter if others had or have dust on the sensor? You have to deal with YOURs.

If you base a buying decision on reports of others regarding dust on a sensor, I guarantee you that you base your decision on the wrong criteria.
Every camera can get dust on the sensor. I had dust in a Sony RX0 which is supposed to be water and dustproof. The particle was so big, I had to send it in. It was bad luck, that's all.

I think of dust on a sensor like I have a flat on a car. If it happens I will deal with it.

[AgentL]

It almost seems some people want it to happen. They ask and ask until they find somebody it happened to. That's why I don't really see the point of those questions. If you have dust on your camera's sensor - no matter which one - you have to deal with it. Either ignore it, fix the images in post, send it in or clean it yourself. What does it matter if others had or have dust on the sensor? You have to deal with YOURs.

If you base a buying decision on reports of others regarding dust on a sensor, I guarantee you that you base your decision on the wrong criteria.
Every camera can get dust on the sensor. I had dust in a Sony RX0 which is supposed to be water and dustproof. The particle was so big, I had to send it in. It was bad luck, that's all.

I think of dust on a sensor like I have a flat on a car. If it happens I will deal with it.

Here's the problem: GR cameras often develop a dust problem even if you handle and store them carefully. It's not a non-issue. You might get lucky, or you might not. Probably expect to get a sensor cleaning at some point, if not more than one. I've driven cars continually and in the last few years I've had dusty GR sensors and no flat tires.

[Eyewanders]

As with my GRDIII and GRDIV, with my GR and GRIII, both of which I had since their respective launches, I've been "lucky". Still using the GRIII (the only of those that I still own) and no dust issues to report. It's not a non-issue, quite obviously, that's true. But this iteration certainly seems far less prone based on number of reports alone. The fact of the matter is that virtually all retractable lens design compact cameras are susceptible. Careful handling and storage will not remove the risk, but it certainly (quite understandably) will lessen the chances.

[BigMackCam]

Here's the problem: GR cameras often develop a dust problem even if you handle and store them carefully. It's not a non-issue. You might get lucky, or you might not. Probably expect to get a sensor cleaning at some point, if not more than one. I've driven cars continually and in the last few years I've had dusty GR sensors and no flat tires.

With respect, though, you can't conclude anything based on such a small sample size - i.e. your own personal experiences, or even those of a handful of others. I don't own a GRIII, but I've several fixed lens digital cameras and none of them has suffered from dust on the sensor (even those where others have experienced the problem), despite frequent use. Conversely, I've had two car tyre punctures in the last 30,000 miles of careful driving. That's just my experience... I can't conclude as a result that fixed lens cameras don't suffer from sensor dust (they occasionally do), or that my premium brand of tyre is especially prone to puncturing (it's not).

Nothing's perfect. Fixed lens cameras will get dust on the sensor from time-to-time. Tyres will get punctured. Some folks won't be affected by either, some will be affected by one or the other, and a few will be affected by both - perhaps multiple times. It's tempting to draw conclusions and cry "design weakness" when it happens to us because we try to make sense of things (that's human nature)... but by now - with the level of design that goes into these products - it's mostly just luck of the draw.

If, a couple of years from now, we have swathes of posts here from folks plagued by dust on the GRIII's sensor - and I'm talking about a similar number of posts to those reporting aperture block failure on the K-30 and K-50 (a very real problem) - then I'll concede there's an issue. Otherwise, it's just bad luck

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Last edited by BigMackCam; 11-06-2020 at 05:30 PM.

[AgentL]

With respect, though, you can't conclude anything based on such a small sample size - i.e. your own personal experience,s, or even those of a handful of others. I don't own a GRIII, but I've several fixed lens digital cameras and none of them has suffered from dust on the sensor (even those where others have experienced the problem), despite frequent use. Conversely, I've had two car tyre punctures in the last 30,000 miles of careful driving. That's just my experience... I can't conclude as a result that fixed lens cameras don't suffer from sensor dust (they occasionally do), or that my premium brand of tyre is especially prone to puncturing (it's not).

Nothing's perfect. Fixed lens cameras will get dust on the sensor from time-to-time. Tyres will get punctured. Some folks won't be affected by either, some will be affected by one or the other, and a few will be affected by both - perhaps multiple times. It's tempting to draw conclusions and cry "design weakness" when it happens to us because we try to make sense of things (that's human nature)... but by now - with the level of design that goes into these products - it's mostly just luck of the draw.

If, a couple of years from now, we have swathes of posts here from folks plagued by dust on the GRIII's sensor - and I'm talking about a similar number of posts to those reporting aperture block failure on the K-30 and K-50 (a very real problem) - then I'll concede there's an issue. Otherwise, it's just bad luck

Look, there's no bigger advocate for the GR III than me, but it's obvious GR III models get dust, just like GRI/II did. All I'm saying is I know it happens - and you can easily find other anecdotes of it happening as well. It's something to be wary of, but certainly not a reason not to enjoy the fantastic GR III.

[BigMackCam]

Look, there's no bigger advocate for the GR III than me, but it's obvious GR III models get dust, just like GRI/II did. All I'm saying is I know it happens - and you can easily find other anecdotes of it happening as well. It's something to be wary of, but certainly not a reason not to enjoy the fantastic GR III.

The reason I replied previously is, some folks would suggest the GRIII and previous GR models are especially prone to dust on the sensor, but thus far the evidence doesn't support this. Like any other fixed lens camera - Sony's RX series, for example - we see that dust on the sensor can be a problem, but as yet it doesn't appear to be a widespread issue.

Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable buying any expensive fixed lens digital camera for precisely this reason. That's just me. Anyone who does must accept that it's a potential issue at some point during ownership... not necessarily a likely one, but a possibility nonetheless,,,

[AgentL]

I think it's a little more likely than with many other fixed lens cameras. I also don't think that's a controversial statement.

[BigMackCam]

I think it's a little more likely than with many other fixed lens cameras. I also don't think that's a controversial statement.

You're of course at liberty to think that, and you may in fact be correct - but without any evidence beyond anecdotal reports in the single or low double digits, we really don't know. If someone could point us to hundreds (or even one hundred) reports of the issue with one specific model (i.e. not totalled across every GR model ever produced), we might reasonably extrapolate that and consider there may be a significant issue. As it stands, we get far more posts here from folks concerned they may experience dust on the sensor than those who have actually experienced it...

[thegeaba]

I've put this screen protector on my GRIII ,so far so good,I don't know how it will behave in the long run....