44 3 August 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
Low-angle shooting is tricky without
a tilt screen, but the electronic level
indicator helps keep horizons straight
Ricoh GR III, 1/2000sec at f/4, ISO 100such as the sensor-shift
stabilisation and new
touchscreen at the rear have had
a detrimental effect on battery
stamina. A battery life of just 200
shots is quite a drop from the 320
shots per charge that you get on
the Ricoh GR II, although you do
get the convenience of a USB-C
port for charging on the go in the
car or via a powerbank. Another
battery-thirsty feature is the
camera’s Wi-Fi connectivity,
which enables wireless transfer of
images to mobile devices installed
with Ricoh’s ImageSync app.
Build and handling
It would have been easy for Ricoh
to build the GR III around the
same chassis as the GR II,
but instead the body has been
redesigned and made smaller. If
you were to place it alongside GR
models of the past you’d find it’s
not too dissimilar in size to the GR
Digital IV that had a 1/1.7in type
sensor. Creating a smaller GR has
made it even more portable. Its
size lends itself to being carried in
your trouser pocket, but it happily
fits into a jacket pocket or even a
top shirt pocket. The magnesium-
alloy body plays its role in giving
the GR III a reassuringly solid feel,
while the rubberised grip, which
protrudes no further than the lens
in its retracted off position, gives
you enough to wrap your fingers
around to get good purchase in
your right hand. Very importantly
for a compact, it feels great when
it’s used single-handedly and your
index finger rests comfortably on
a pill-shaped shutter button.
Switching the camera on
sees the lens extend quickly by
approximately 12mm. Around
the perimeter of the lens there’s
a removable ring that requires a
short turn to remove it prior to
fitting the optional GA-1 adapter
and GW-4 wideangle lens. Similar
to previous GR models, the GR III
doesn’t feature a focusing ring
around the base of the lens like
we’ve seen on other premium
compacts. This is understandable
from Ricoh’s point of view, in that
it’s making a conscious effort to
keep the camera as compact as
possible; however from a practical
perspective you could argue that
a control ring like you get on the
Fujifilm XF10 would be beneficial.
A rather surprising move from
Ricoh has been the decision to
remove the pop-up flash, meaning
you’re no longer able to add a
blip of fill-in without attaching a
flashgun or trigger system via
the hotshoe. Ricoh has added
TTL compatibility with Pentax
flashguns, should users feel the
need to enhance their shot with
supplementary lighting. However
this rules out using an optical
viewfinder at the same time.
The control layout at the rear of
the GR III is very simple. Although
changes have been made, they’re
not so drastic that they’ll perplexVery little has changed up on
the GR III’s top plate. The fully
rotatable mode dial has a
lock button to prevent it being
knocked; there are U1, U2 and
U3 modes to recall saved settings;
and the green on/off lamp can be
told not to illuminate if you wish.Viewfinder and screen
If, like me, you’re used to a camera
with a viewfinder, it can feel a bit
odd returning to a camera thatexisting GR users. The AEL/
AFL/C-AF thumb switch has been
removed and is replaced by an Fn/
delete button. Rather than taking
ISO control from the rear jog dial,
its primary role is now to adjust
exposure compensation. Those
familiar with the GR II
will remember the protruding
exposure-compensation rocker
switch, which was quite easy to
knock accidentally. The playback
button replaces this, but thankfully
it’s not as easy to hit by mistake.
Lower down there’s a new
four-way controller that provides
direct access to ISO, macro mode,
burst/self-timer and white balance.
It’s set to access these out of the
box, but can be set up so the up,
down, left and right buttons shift
the AF point around the frame and
the central OK button resets the
AF point back to centre. The wheel
around the outside is great for
working through the GR III’s clear
menu or scrolling through your
shots in playback. In manual mode
the rear jog control is for shutter
speed and the front dial that’s built
into the top of the sculpted grip
controls aperture, but this can be
switched around if needed.
Depressing the jog dial enters
five user-adjustable mode settings.
These are useful for accessing
things like the 10 different picture
modes, the focus mode, snap
focus distance or file format in a
hurry without having to find them
via the main menu.