[lunarwitch]

Hello.

In the times of planned obsolescence and transience I would like to know, how long your ricoh did live before they broke or before you gave them away.
I know of course, that in the case of the gr III this question is more theoretically - now. But I think of this thread for longer.

As I heard, a lot of dslr have a lifespan of 100000 to 150000 shots (planned), but compact cameras are not so durable.

Can you tell your experiences in this case about the gr - versions?

Regards

[cport]

I do have experience with GR I, manufactured in 2014. I have stopped using it this year because of the aperture problem. The repair would be more expensive than the body ... My shutter count was approx. 50 000 shots. But I do not think that the shutter count really "counts" here.

[LensBeginner]

I do have experience with GR I, manufactured in 2014. I have stopped using it this year because of the aperture problem. The repair would be more expensive than the body ... My shutter count was approx. 50 000 shots. But I do not think that the shutter count really "counts" here.

That's the first time I hear of the aperture issue on a non-DSLR camera...
Can't you try and fix it yourself? it's not that difficult, and sure a whole lot cheaper

[lunarwitch]

5 years... 50.000 shots... Wow... Did you have the dust problem also?

[cport]

That's the first time I hear of the aperture issue on a non-DSLR camera...
Can't you try and fix it yourself? it's not that difficult, and sure a whole lot cheaper

Do you know how to fix the problem?

---------- Post added 11-13-19 at 12:38 AM ----------

5 years... 50.000 shots... Wow... Did you have the dust problem also?

I had some spots there at the end of warranty period, so I let it clean. After that I had no issues of this kind ...

[JPT]

I have two GR cameras. One is the new GR III, which obviously has no problems.

The other one is the original GR Digital, which I bought on the day of release in 2005. It was my main camera for a few years and it was in active use for much longer. Even now it works but the battery won’t hold much of a charge.

I would advise using some kind of case most of the time and avoiding stuffing it into trouser pockets, but I’ve often put them straight into jacket pockets with no dust issues. I don’t know if I’m just lucky or if other people are careless.

[aaacb]

I'd think that shutter count is less of a concern, the "shutter-heavy" situations you'd use a dslrs in are probably not the primary focus for the gr (sports, timelapse), I wouldn't worry about it. I've had my GR III since the first preorders arrived and I have about 2500 shots with it, so it's about the same as what cport got over 5 years (5k per year)

Even now it works but the battery won’t hold much of a charge.

I recently got the original GRD, and bought new wasabi batteries for it. Nice camera, I like it! The one I have came with 1700 shutter actuations, speaking of how little some cameras get used. The main issue I'd have to keep it running is finding SD cards with less than 1gb aside if the ones it came with break, as well as a mini usb cable... they're available but not everywhere.

[LensBeginner]

Do you know how to fix the problem?

---------- Post added 11-13-19 at 12:38 AM ----------



I had some spots there at the end of warranty period, so I let it clean. After that I had no issues of this kind ...

If by "the aperture problem" you mean the same issue that plagues K-30, K-50 etc. (that is, a defective solenoid) then there are countless tutorials online, even on this forum.
If the camera is a write-off anyway, I'd try opening it, see if one can use the same procedure or adapt it somehow.

Edit: I checked, and it looks like it's a different issue altogether. Apologies.

[cport]

If by "the aperture problem" you mean the same issue that plagues K-30, K-50 etc. (that is, a defective solenoid) then there are countless tutorials online, even on this forum.
If the camera is a write-off anyway, I'd try opening it, see if one can use the same procedure or adapt it somehow.

Edit: I checked, and it looks like it's a different issue altogether. Apologies.

Yes, it is a different issue as far as I know. Maybe it is possible to clean the aperture leafs somehow ...

[DeadJohn]

My GR is still working. I mostly use it for street photography.


The photo playback button is unreliable due to water damage. It wasn't just a few raindrops; the camera fell into water and was fully submerged. The playback button is actually getting better with time as using it seems to be scraping off whatever contaminant got into the button.

[gbl]

I would not worry about it. Modern electronics might work 15 years or fail tomorrow no matter what it is. Warranty or not. Use it as long as it works. That's why experienced photographers carry a backup camera for critical tasks or once-in-a-lifetime photoshoots or trips.
Personal experiences of other users are pretty much worthless. Everybody treats their gear differently, everybody has different standards on how to take care of their gear. What does it matter to me if the previous posters camera fell into the water and is still working while mine stops working in slightly high humidity?
I worked for a camera store and handled repairs and I guarantee you EVERYTHING can fail. I have seen Waterproof/Crushproof/Dustproof cameras that were broken out of the box, while others looked like they were to hell and back and were still working perfectly.

[Eyewanders]

Short answer (the one you're looking for) is I had a pre-order 2014 GR, purchased brand new. Never had a dust issue. Never had any issues. I sold it this past summer to fund the GRiii purchase. 5 Years. It was still working perfectly. No issues with any accessories (I had them all) either.

Longer answer:
GR Digital III I purchased new in 2009. Shot it for nearly a year whilst traveling around the world (literally) and the lens mechanism binded because I was an idiot and took it down on a sand beach in NZ at night and wasn't paying much attention (that style lens retractor was new to me at the time) and it got sand in the barrel which chewed up the gears. Eventually, about a year later, I had it repaired at an authorized shop in Sydney. Worked perfectly for the rest of the time I had it until I sold it (for much more than I'd have expected) in 2015. 6 years, still going.

I also had a 2nd-hand GR Digital IV for about 2 years. Never had a problem. Re-sold it last spring (also to fund the GRIII).
I also shot with a 2nd-hand GR1s film body for 5 years. The top LCD wouldn't illuminate on the far left side but that was the only issue. Sold it for more than I bought it for.
Still have the GRiii obviously. Problem free.

Aside from the sand incident which was my own negligence. I've never had a dust issue or any other sort of issue with any of my GRs.

(Edit: If one of them SHOULD have failed it would have been the "sanded" GRDiii because I beat the hell out of that thing in my travels and beyond, but it just kept going.)

(Edit: Edit: "Planned obsolescence" is certainly a thing these days, but in my opinion it doesn't apply to the GR series. They're built with shooting in mind, and they update the line VERY infrequently. Not only that, earlier models continue to receive *very useful* firmware updates for a much longer period of time than any manufacturer I've dealt with products from previously.)