The classic Ricoh GRII compact camera is to get a major update next year. The development of the GRIII, announced at Photokina 2018, will increase resolution to 24 megapixels, add in-body image stabilisation, and fixed touchscreen LCD display. Video quality remains unimproved however, with no 4K capability.
Unlike the current Ricoh GRII, the new GRIII will not have a pop-up flash. However the hotshoe has been updated to allow TTL compatibility with Pentax flashguns.
No pop-up flash - but hotshoe with TTL compatibility with Pentax flashguns
The lens is a fixed 18.3mm, which with its APS-C sensor, gives an angle of view equivalent to a traditional 28mm wide-angle. The camera offers a full range of metering and exposure modes, and uses a hybrid autofocus system. The camera has a built-in ND filter. The full ISO range of the camera has yet to be announced.
The Ricoh GR has an impressive heritage, dating back to the first GR1 which was launched over 20 years ago in 1996. Back then, the camera shot film – but the discrete high-quality camera with a fixed non-zoom wide-angle lens soon became a firm favourite amongst serious photographers who wanted a camera they could keep in their coat pocket for occasions they didn't want to carry a bulkier system camera.
The first digital version of the camera, the Ricoh GR Digital, was born nine years later in 2005. The GR II is, despite the name, the seventh generation of this digital compact – and will eventually replace the Ricoh II which was launched back in 2015.
Ricoh GRIII
Ricoh GRIII – specifications
Lens: 18.3mm Sensorsize: 23.5mm x 15.6mm Effectivepixels: 24.2 megapixels ISOsensitivity: To be finalised Shutterspeeds: 1/4000sec-30 secs at f/5.6; 1/2500sec-30secs at f/2.8 LCD: 3.0 in TFT coloor, approx. 1037K dots, Timersetting: 10 secs - 20 mins Video: 1920x1080, 60p/30p/24p Memory: internal memory of 2GB, plus SD memory card Exposure modes: Program , Aperture Priority , Shutter Priority , Manual Metering modes: Multi-segment, Centre-weighted, Spot, Highlight-weighted Autofocustype: Hybrid AF Focusmodes: Auto-area AF, Zone AF, Select AF, Pinpoint AF, Face detection AF, Tracking AF, Continuous AF, MF, Snap, ∞ Drivemodes: Single Frame Shooting, Continuous Shooting, Bracketing, Multi-exposure, Interval Shooting, Interval Composite, Selftimer (2 secs or 10 secs) Effects: Standard, Vivid, Monotone, Soft Monotone, Hard Monotone, Hi-Contrast B&W, Positive Film, Bleach Bypass, Retro, HDR Tone, Custom1, Custom2 Dimensions: 109.4 × 61.9 × 33.2mm (excluding protrusions) Weight: 257g (with battery and memory card)
The Ricoh GRIII is scheduled to go on sale early in 2019. The price has yet to be announced, but is expected to be under €1,000.
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Chris George has worked on Digital Camera World since its launch in 2017. He has been writing about photography, mobile phones, video making and technology for over 30 years – and has edited numerous magazines including PhotoPlus, N-Photo, Digital Camera, Video Camera, and Professional Photography.
His first serious camera was the iconic Olympus OM10, with which he won the title of Young Photographer of the Year - long before the advent of autofocus and memory cards. Today he uses a Nikon D800, a Fujifilm X-T1, a Sony A7, and his iPhone 15 Pro Max.
He has written about technology for countless publications and websites including The Sunday Times Magazine, The Daily Telegraph, Dorling Kindersley, What Cellphone, T3 and Techradar.
