Amateur Photographer – 09 August 2019

42 3 August 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113

Testbench CAMERA TEST

Forandagainst

NewandimprovedAFsystem

Introducestouchscreen

operation

Effectivesensor-shift

stabilisation

Practicalandconvenient

tocarry

Lacksa customisablelensring

Nojoysticktoreposition

AFpoint

200-shotbatterylifeis poor

Noweather-sealing

ALL

PR
CES

ARE

APPROX

MATE

STREET

PR
CES

Ricoh GR III

Datafile

Sensor 24.2MP CMOS, 23.5 x 15.6mm

Output size 6000x4000 pixels

Focal length 18.3mm (equiv to 28mm)

Aperture range f/2.8-f/16

Shutter speeds 30sec-1/4000sec, bulb

Sensitivity ISO 100-102,400

Exposure modes PASM

Metering modes Multi-segment, Centre-weighted,

Spot, Highlight-weighted

Exposure comp +/-5EV in 1/3EV steps

Continuous

shooting

4fps

Screen 3in, 1,037k-dot LCD touchscreen

Viewfinder Optional optical direct-vision

Video Full HD (1920x1080) at 60/30/24p

External mic No

Memory card SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I

compatible)

Power Rechargeable DB-110

Battery life 200 shots

Dimensions 109.4x61.9x33.2mm

Weight 257g (including battery and card)

Compacts have their work cut out in today’s

smartphone era, but premium models still have

their advantages, as Michael Topham reports

R

icoh’s GR series of

compact cameras has

picked up something

of a cult following

since the arrival of the original GR1

35mm fi lm camera in 1996. The

idea of creating a slim, pocket-

friendly model with a super-sharp

lens captured the imagination of

many photographers, particularly

those after a discreet and portable

compact for shooting street or

documentary-style images where

the best camera is usually the one

you can access in an instant.

In 2005 Ricoh made its move

from fi lm to digital. The GR Digital

kept the ethos of the original GR1

and paired a wide 28mm f/2.4

equivalent lens with an 8MP

1/1.8in CCD sensor. By 2013

Ricoh had managed to squeeze an

APS-C size sensor into its GR to

challenge its Nikon and Fujifi lm

rivals. Two years later the Ricoh

GR II arrived. This was another

well-regarded member in the

GR-series, but was a minor

revamp on what we’d seen before.

Since then Ricoh has delivered on

its promise of releasing the GR III.

This latest model has it all to do

if it’s to entice photographers

into buying a fi xed-lens compact,

especially given that it costs £200

more than the GR II was in 2015.

Features

Like its predecessor, the Ricoh GR

III features a fi xed 18.3mm lens

that is equivalent to 28mm in the

35mm format. While the focal

length and f/2.8 maximum

aperture are unchanged, the lens

is slimmer and has a different

optical construction that’s claimed

to deliver the clearest, sharpest

images in GR-series history. Ricoh

puts this down to the positioning of

a high-refraction, low-dispersion

Ataglance

£799

● 24.2MP APS-C CMOS sensor

● 28mm equivalent f/2.8 lens

● ISO 100-102,400

● 3-axis sensor-shift shake reduction

● 3in, 1.04m-dot touchscreen

● USB charging (USB Type-C)

● Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity