I’ve always thought of the Ricoh GR camera lineup as appealing to a rather select crowd of photographers. Namely those prepared to pay a premium for an advanced, yet portable fixed-lens compact, who at the same time value image quality way above a trendy design.
It never struck me as something that would find favor with the masses.
Yet now, with compact cameras all the rage, the latest GR camera variants are making multiple appearances in Japan’s top ten camera sales placings. Plus, to reference recent Nikkei Industry Map data from Japan, Ricoh is currently overtaking OM System sales overall. In fact, Ricoh has tripled its volume of camera sales to give it a 2.1% share of the digital camera market.
While despite the sturdy magnesium alloy body I wasn’t initially a fan of Ricoh compacts’ rather sensible, frill-free design, I’ve come round to its less-is-more appearance. Especially when we’re otherwise constantly over-stimulated by the increasingly digital aspects of daily life – much more so than we were when the GR Digital first appeared in 2005, successor to the late 90s GR1 film camera.
The most recently announced GR IVx, due to arrive toward the end of this year, looks to be continuing a golden lineage, squeezing a 25.74-megapixel APS-C sensor into its chassis and pairing it with another high-quality fixed lens; this time a 40mm f/2.8. Protecting against possible camera shake is five-axis image stabilisation, an improvement on paper over its GR IIIx predecessor’s three-axis IS.
Just prior to this model hitting the shelves, we have the tease of the limited edition (of 6,000 units) Ricoh GR IV 30th anniversary kit, boasting the same sensor with a wideangle 28mm f/2.8 lens, plus a pin badge, finger strap, and metal hotshoe cover to satiate the collectors.
With its cameras not only being steady sellers but also witnessing markedly increased sales, it begs the question as to why rival manufacturers haven’t wanted a slice of Ricoh’s big sensor / small camera market segment?
My guess is that, like me, until now they’ve considered the audience for Ricoh GR cameras to be too niche and too specialised to come up with their own competitive offerings.
Alternatives can be found in Fujifilm’s chunky fixed-lens, APS-C sensor X100VI of course, but it’s not quite the same thing. Ditto the luxury likes of Leica’s Q compact series, which similarly offers street and travel photography possibilities. However, it likewise doesn’t feel like a direct competitor to me.
It’s clear that when it comes to Ricoh’s GR series, it continues to plough its own singular furrow.
And for rivals looking on, it is very much the case that if you can’t beat ‘em, don’t bother joining ‘em.
