[cali92rs]

So i am vacationing in Tokyo and they have AWESOME camera stores. They even have full lines of Pentax products on display to view and play with

Anyway, i have always been interested in the Ricoh GR line. But in America there is no where to actually handle one.

I spent an entire 5 minutes playing around with the GR III, so take this with a grain of salt :P

I can see why this thing has such a passionate fan base. It feels very sturdy and it is very compact.
I was disappointed in how easy it is to remove the ring outside of the lens. I can see that it would be easy to lose.

For being a wide angle, it really has gorgeous bokeh, if you get close to your subject. And man, it really does focus close.
The lens is shaaaarp from edge to edge wide open.

The touch screen is very responsive.

As for autofocus, when it locks on, it is very quick and it stays stuck. However, if it misses, and hunts, it really slows things. It just racks back and forth. And it does it slowly.
The troubling part is that the store was very well lit and not dark. Perhaps it being fluorescent lights made a difference?
I do wish it had a tilting screen. I think it would still be plenty pocketable with the few millimeters required to add one.

Having said all of that, i am seriously considering getting one. It is just so discreet and the b&w pics from the new flickr GRIII group look so luscious.

[aaacb]

I enjoy my GR III a lot overall, and agree about the excellent feel and lens performance. I've seen it hunt at close focusing distances, under one meter. Sometimes it's because I have macro mode enabled and the subject is too far, so it's my mistake, but other times it just has trouble focusing on close subjects that are not in the center of the frame.

[monochrome]

Hi Kenneth - nice to hear from you! Good first impression on the GRlll. I have a second-hand GR and I like it very much. I’m considering clearing out a few cameras and lenses and upgrading to the GRlll later this year. Hands-on posts like this are extremely valuable since it is so hard to handle Pentax and Ricoh cameras here in the USA.

Thanks for the post.

RPC

So i am vacationing in Tokyo and they have AWESOME camera stores. They even have full lines of Pentax products on display to view and play with

Anyway, i have always been interested in the Ricoh GR line. But in America there is no where to actually handle one.

I spent an entire 5 minutes playing around with the GR III, so take this with a grain of salt :P

I can see why this thing has such a passionate fan base. It feels very sturdy and it is very compact.
I was disappointed in how easy it is to remove the ring outside of the lens. I can see that it would be easy to lose.

For being a wide angle, it really has gorgeous bokeh, if you get close to your subject. And man, it really does focus close.
The lens is shaaaarp from edge to edge wide open.

The touch screen is very responsive.

As for autofocus, when it locks on, it is very quick and it stays stuck. However, if it misses, and hunts, it really slows things. It just racks back and forth. And it does it slowly.
The troubling part is that the store was very well lit and not dark. Perhaps it being fluorescent lights made a difference?
I do wish it had a tilting screen. I think it would still be plenty pocketable with the few millimeters required to add one.

Having said all of that, i am seriously considering getting one. It is just so discreet and the b&w pics from the new flickr GRIII group look so luscious.

[cali92rs]

Hi Kenneth - nice to hear from you! Good first impression on the GRlll. I have a second-hand GR and I like it very much. I’m considering clearing out a few cameras and lenses and upgrading to the GRlll later this year. Hands-on posts like this are extremely valuable since it is so hard to handle Pentax and Ricoh cameras here in the USA.

Thanks for the post.

RPC

Hi Paul!

If you are a fan of Pentax, and like the 28mm focal length, then the GR III is an absolute no brainer. It is pretty much the least pretentious camera out there. And if you are a fan of Pentax, then you wont mind the AF. That is not a slight in anyway, it is just understanding the tool's limitations and using the it's strengths.

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Last edited by cali92rs; 04-19-2019 at 09:57 PM.

[Paul the Sunman]

Is an add-on viewfinder available? Is it the same as for the GRII?

I agree with the OP about a tilt screen. It would seem to be a no-brainer for a camera intended for street photography.

[clackers]

Is an add-on viewfinder available? Is it the same as for the GRII?

I agree with the OP about a tilt screen. It would seem to be a no-brainer for a camera intended for street photography.

The 28mm FoV means you just point in the general direction, Paul. The Fuji XF100 doesn't have one either.

Important if you're trying to make a big DSLR less obtrusive, not so I've found with something the size of a phone.

The size of the body and the retractable lens means my GR II just goes in my jeans pocket.

[ru2far2c]

Yes, they offer the same viewfinder as the GR II.

I have so far been very happy with my GR III so far. This is my first GR camera. Never play in the arena of sub compacts if you will. Color coming out of it has been great. Still trying to get a grip on the B&W. Not a big fan of heavy contrast as some street shooters are today. FOV is touch wide for my taste that will come in time though. As will "snap focus" remembering to use it.

[clackers]

Yes, they offer the same viewfinder as the GR II.

I have so far been very happy with my GR III so far. This is my first GR camera. Never play in the arena of sub compacts if you will. Color coming out of it has been great. Still trying to get a grip on the B&W. Not a big fan of heavy contrast as some street shooters are today. FOV is touch wide for my taste that will come in time though. As will "snap focus" remembering to use it.

Yep, so this is Snap Focus, held at waist level, not looking at a viewfinder, I'm even looking away from the subject as I snapped, this is street, not DSLR photography …