Ricoh GR III Street Edition Ricoh - Review 🏆

The Ricoh GR III Street Edition is a premium compact digital camera designed for street photography. This special edition model builds upon the existing Ricoh GR III camera with some minor tweaks and a unique colorway.

The GR III Street Edition features a 24.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor, fast 28mm equivalent f/2.8 lens, 3-axis in-body image stabilization, and a range of settings tailored for street shooting. The camera has a discreet appearance with a dark gunmetal gray finish and orange accents.

Key features of the GR III Street Edition include:

• 24MP APS-C CMOS sensor
• 28mm equiv. f/2.8 lens
• In-body 3-axis image stabilization
• Hybrid autofocus with face/eye detection
• ISO 102,400 max
• 3.0" touchscreen LCD
• Bluetooth and wireless connectivity
• RICOH Snap Focus and Touch AF Shutter shooting modes
• Interval shooting and multiple exposure modes
• Dustproof and weather-resistant construction

This special edition model aims to deliver impressive image quality, fast performance, and tailored shooting modes in a compact and discreet body ideal for street photographers.

Design and Build Quality

The Ricoh GR III Street Edition has a very compact and durable magnesium alloy body. Despite its small size, it still feels sturdy and well-built. The body measures 109.4 x 61.9 x 33.2 mm and weighs just 257 grams with the battery and SD card installed. This makes the GR III easy to carry around all day without feeling weighed down.

The materials used in the construction are high-quality. The body, lens mount and grip are made of lightweight but tough magnesium alloy. The exterior panels use a durable textured rubber coating that provides a secure grip. The camera is weather-sealed at 60 points to make it dustproof and splash resistant.

Overall, the GR III Street Edition delivers excellent build quality in a highly compact form factor. The durable metal body can withstand the rigors of daily use. And the lightweight design makes it very portable for street photography on the go.

The Ricoh Theta SC2 for business is designed specifically for professional use, delivering high-quality 360-degree images and videos. Ideal for virtual tours, real estate, and other business applications, it offers user-friendly operation with dedicated business functions. Its dual 12MP sensors and advanced image processing ensure clear and immersive content, making it a practical tool for various industries.

Image Sensor and Processor

The Ricoh GR III Street Edition features an APS-C-sized CMOS image sensor with 24.2 megapixels of resolution. This provides sufficient detail for large prints or heavy cropping. The sensor's size gives the camera the ability to achieve nice background blur for portraits.

For the image processor, Ricoh uses their latest GR Engine 6 which helps enable fast operation, lower noise at high ISOs, and improved image quality overall. The camera can shoot continuously at up to 4 frames per second. The native ISO range is 100-102400, allowing the GR III Street Edition to handle both bright and very dim lighting conditions.

If you're interested in 360-degree photography, consider the Ricoh THETA SC2 WHITE. This compact and user-friendly camera allows you to capture high-resolution spherical images and videos with ease. Featuring advanced image processing and user-friendly features, it's perfect for both amateurs and professionals looking to expand their creative horizons. The THETA SC2 WHITE offers various shooting modes and easy connectivity to your smartphone for effortless sharing and editing of your 360-degree content.

Lens

The Ricoh GR III Street Edition features a fixed 18.3mm f/2.8 lens, which provides a 35mm equivalent focal length of 28mm on the APS-C image sensor. This wide-angle lens is ideal for street photography, landscapes, and architecture.

The fast f/2.8 maximum aperture allows for shallow depth of field and helps with low light shooting. It can focus as close as 6cm in macro mode. The lens incorporates three aspherical elements and one extra-low dispersion element to reduce aberrations and deliver sharp, high-quality images across the frame.

Ricoh's signature Shake Reduction system provides 3.5 stops of image stabilization, enabling handheld shooting at slower shutter speeds. This is especially useful in low light conditions where you may need to use higher ISO settings. The hybrid stabilization combines sensor shift with digital SR to counteract camera shake from all directions. Overall, the lens produces excellent edge-to-edge sharpness and minimal distortion.

Autofocus and Shooting

The Ricoh GR III offers quick and accurate autofocus thanks to its hybrid system that combines both contrast-detect and phase-detect AF. It has an array of autofocus modes including Multi AF, Spot AF, Pinpoint AF, Subject Tracking AF, and Snap Focus, giving you flexibility for different shooting scenarios.

For drive modes, you get the standard single shot, continuous shooting, self-timer, and interval shooting. Continuous shooting can go up to 4 frames per second, which is decent but not blazing fast. The electronic shutter allows a maximum shutter speed of 1/24000s while the mechanical shutter goes up to 1/4000s. Overall, the autofocus capabilities and drive modes are responsive and reliable for a wide variety of everyday shooting situations.

Video Capabilities

The Ricoh GR III Street Edition has decent video capabilities for a camera focused on still photography. It can shoot full HD 1080p video at up to 60 fps. There are some useful video features including shake reduction to minimize camera shake and reduce blurry footage. You can adjust the microphone level while recording and there is a wind noise reduction setting. The GR III also has interval recording to create time-lapse videos by taking photos at set intervals.

While the video quality is quite good, this is still primarily a stills camera. It lacks more advanced video settings and profiles you'd find on mirrorless cameras designed more for video. The monaural microphone is decent but an external mic would be better for serious video work. Overall the GR III provides good video capabilities for casual clips but may lack features for dedicated videography.

LCD and Viewfinder

The Ricoh GR III Street Edition features a 3-inch LCD touchscreen display with 1.04 million dots resolution. The screen is bright, vibrant and easy to view even in direct sunlight. It provides excellent visibility for image composition and playback. The touchscreen allows intuitive and quick menu navigation as well as touch focus and shutter release.

In terms of viewfinder, the GR III Street Edition has a built-in hybrid viewfinder that can switch between optical and electronic modes. The optical viewfinder provides a natural view without any lag, which is great for capturing fleeting moments. It also displays key shooting data within the viewfinder. The electronic viewfinder has 2.36 million dots resolution, providing a crisp and detailed view. It allows accurate framing and preview of exposure. The viewfinder modes complement each other nicely, giving flexibility for different shooting scenarios. Overall, both the LCD and viewfinder offer excellent functionality for a premium compact camera.

Connectivity and Battery

The Ricoh GR III Street Edition comes with both wired and wireless connectivity options. For wired transfer and charging, it has a USB Type-C port. For wireless connections, it has Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built-in. This allows you to transfer images to your smartphone or remotely control the camera.

In terms of battery life, the GR III uses a rechargeable DB-110 lithium-ion battery. Ricoh claims this battery can provide up to 200 shots per charge when using the LCD, or 340 shots per charge when using the optical viewfinder. However, real world battery life is often less than manufacturer claims. The GR III does have pretty impressive battery life for its size and portability. Having an extra battery is recommended for all-day shooting or travel. The camera can be charged via its USB-C port which is convenient.

Overall, the connectivity options are quite good for a compact camera. The wireless transfer and remote shooting are handy features. Battery life is solid, especially considering the size. The USB-C charging is also a nice touch.

Additional Features

The Ricoh GR III Street Edition comes packed with a wide range of additional features that make it a versatile camera for street photography and everyday shooting.

• ISO Range - The GR III has an ISO range of 100-102400, allowing you to shoot in very low light conditions. It produces clean images through ISO 3200, with some noise appearing at the higher ISO levels but still very usable.

• Flash - There is a built-in pop-up flash that provides extra illumination when needed. It's great for fill flash to balance exposure in backlit conditions. The flash can sync at shutter speeds up to 1/2000 sec.

• Timelapse - The interval shooting mode allows you to easily create timelapse videos. You can choose the number of shots, interval between shots, and exposure smoothing.

• ND Filter - A built-in ND filter cuts down the amount of light entering the lens. This allows you to use slower shutter speeds or wider apertures in bright light. The filter strength is 2 stops (cuts light by 1/4).

• Macro - Get close to your subject with the GR's macro focusing mode. It focuses down to 6cm for capturing details and textures.

• Effects - Apply effects like black & white, high contrast B&W, high key, cross process, positive film, bleach bypass, retro, and more. This allows you to get creative with your images in-camera.

Overall, the extensive features make the GR III a highly capable compact camera for street, travel, everyday and creative photography. The built-in ND filter and flash are particularly useful additions not found on most other compacts.

Pros and Cons

The Ricoh GR III Street Edition offers a lot of great features in a compact and portable body. Here's a quick summary of some of the main pros and cons:

Pros

• Excellent image quality from 24MP APS-C sensor
• Sharp, bright f/2.8 28mm equivalent prime lens
• Fast autofocus and quick shooting
• Small, lightweight, and pocketable design
• Robust metal body with textured finish for grip
• In-body image stabilization up to 4 stops
• Snap focus and macro modes
• Intuitive controls and customization options
• Built-in ND filter, 35mm crop mode, multiple effects
• Optional external viewfinder available
• Good battery life with extra battery included

Cons

• Fixed 28mm lens may be limiting for some
• No built-in viewfinder
• Video capabilities are basic
• Single SD card slot
• Lacks weather sealing
• No headphone or microphone ports
• Touchscreen isn't fully articulating
• Doesn't offer the latest tech like 4K video or phase detect AF

The Ricoh GR III Street Edition is an excellent premium compact for street photography and everyday carry. Its strengths lie in its image quality, lens, portability, and direct manual controls. The limitations are understandable given its targeted design as a pocket camera focused on stills. For the right photographer seeking a simple but powerful pocket camera, the GR III is easy to recommend.