I recently wrote about how crap cameras are being snapped up in droves by a younger audience. This appeared to confirm image quality was no longer the be-all-and-end-all when seeking a dedicated capture device, as opposed to a smartphone.
While its toughened snapshot cameras have found fans in families with children and action shooters wanting a waterproof option, Ricoh cameras have typically been more closely associated with photography specialists than generalists.
Its GR1 camera from 1996, to choose one pertinent example, was a portably lightweight 35mm film compact. Its portable size, no-nonsense design and robust magnesium alloy build, complete with 28mm f/2.8 lens, made it a favourite of street and travel photographers wanting an alternative to a bulkier SLR set up.
Image quality was the aspect that most impressed. It delivered high contrast, detail-rich results for almost a decade before its GR Digital successor arrived in 2005. That it took almost ten years to be replaced highlights just how highly photographers rated it. Ricoh only stopped servicing the GR1 in 2014.
So, it’s no surprise that the digital GR series was well received in its wake and continues to be so. Successive iterations, including even more specialised black and white capture-only spin-offs, are currently bagging multiple placings in top ten camera sales listings, edging aside the likes of Canon and Nikon.
While we’re constantly told by industry watcher CIPA that the fixed lens compact is the only camera category still growing, I can’t imagine the same youthful Gen Z audience that is snapping up cheap and cheerful point-and-shoots is routinely adding a prosumer-grade GR camera from Ricoh to their online basket.
Instead, I’m encouraged and believe there’s still a large enough number of true photography enthusiasts wanting something portably compact, which doesn’t compromise on image quality, to propel Ricoh GR cameras to the top of the best seller lists.
What was once considered niche or specialist, has, in a shrinking market, risen to the top. Or something near it. Japan’s financial institution Nikkei recently reported Ricoh had boosted its camera market share from 0.8% to 2.1%, with its 210,000-unit sales triple that of the previous year.
The GR series’ unassumingly boxy design and serious all-black finish may not be as flashy as the Fujifilm X100IV, but for street photography, it’s the more sensible option.
I’m looking forward to seeing more of Ricoh’s recently teased 40mm f/2.8 GR IVx compact, promising a 25.74MP APS-C sized sensor, when it arrives at the back end of this year. Such spec will tempt photographers looking for something with a viewpoint sufficiently close to human vision for street photography. As well as highlighting that not all digital compacts need to be plastic-y, low-res toys to find favour in challenging times.
Ricoh also gives credence to the belief that sometimes by specialising, rather than attempting to be all things to all men, you can generate just as much, if not more, success.
