Amateur Photographer – 09 August 2019

subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 3 August 2019 45

TheGRIIImanagestosqueezealotwithinthe

confinesofitsslim,pocket-friendlybody

Focal points

AAfiltersimulator

Byapplyingmicroscopicvibrations

withsub-pixelprecisiontotheimage

sensorduringexposure,theGRIII’s

AA(anti-aliasing)filtersimulator

provides the same level of moiré

reduction as an optical AA filter. This

filter simulator can only be used at

shutter speeds slower than 1/1000sec.

Highlight-weightedmetering

In additiontoMulti-segment,Center-weighted,andSpot,Highlight-

weightedis nowavailableasa meteringmethod.Highlight-weighted

helpskeeptheexposureeven,suppressinghighlightblowoutsin

subjectsilluminatedbyspotlightsandhigh-contrastsubjects.

Outdoorviewing

TheGRIII’soutdoor-view

settingfunctionenables

userstomakeaninstant

adjustmentofthemonitor

brightness, allowing it to

be set to the desired level

for greater visibility in

high-contrast conditions.

61.9mm

33.2mm

Ultrasonicdustremoval

Topreventdustandother

particlesendingupin the

image,theGRIII featuresan

ultrasonicdust-removal

systemthatvibratestheUV/IR

cutfilterin frontofthesensor.

109.4mm

CAMERA TEST Testbench

A shot taken while

testing the GR III’s

50mm crop mode

Ricoh GR III, 1/2000sec

at f/2.8, ISO 100

doesn’t have one. I lost count of
the number of times I instinctively
raised the GR III to my eye, only to
lower it and compose using the
3in, 1,037k-dot rear screen. In
recent years we’ve witnessed
some interesting EVF innovations,
including pop-up EVFs on Sony’s
RX100-series compacts, but
sadly there’s no such novelty here.
There is the option to buy the
Ricoh GV-1 (£149) or GV-2
(£199) optical viewfi nders that
clip on via the hotshoe, although
neither are as good or accurate as
today’s superb EVFs that display
100% coverage, lots of useful
information around the frame and
a clear way of reviewing images in
high-contrast conditions. Another
drawback of adding an optical
fi nder is that it makes the camera
less trouser-pocket friendly.
A fi xed screen features at the
rear, which helps keep the body
as slim and slender as possible.
Interestingly, the 1,037k-dot
resolution offers no improvement
over its predecessor’s 1,230k-dot
display, but it now supports touch
functionality and responds well
to very light touches. It can be
used to navigate the main menu,
reposition the focus point and
scroll/zoom through images in
playback mode just like you would
on a smartphone. I found myself
switching it off when working with
an optical fi nder though, as it’s
very easy to move the AF point if
your nose accidentally comes in

contact. The GR III’s body isn’t

weather-sealed, but that didn’t

stop me trying the touchscreen

after a few raindrops landed on it.

If the screen does get wet you’ll

notice it becomes less responsive

and can lead to incorrect menu

settings being selected.

Performance

The fi rst job upon arrival of our

review sample was to update it.

As soon as the latest fi rmware

had been installed (v1.11) I began

customising the GR III to my liking.

Users can set up the Fn button,

ISO button and drive button to

any one of 31 settings, with the

possibility of assigning one of 27

settings to the Movie/Wi-Fi button

at the side. Holding the latter

activates wireless connectivity or

reveals a depth-of-fi eld preview,

which again the user can set from

the GR III’s customise control

options.

Just as you’d want from a

compact and a camera that’s

going to be used to capture

spontaneous moments with, the

GR III fi res up quickly and can take

a shot within a second of the on/

off button being pressed. There is

a faint hum from the stabilisation

system, but you can’t hear this in

outdoor environments. General

operation of the camera is

sprightly. It responds instantly to

button presses and light taps of

the touchscreen. As for the

response of the autofocus

Face detection

The GR III lacks eye-detect AF, but does provide face detection. This can’t be

used when the autofocus is set to continuous (AFC), but does a good job of

identifying a face in a scene, even when shooting full-length portraits.

Custom settings

The GR III isn’t short of customisable

function buttons. As well as the dedicated

Fn button, the drive and ISO buttons can

be reassigned to as many as 32 different

options. A long press of the Wi-Fi/movie

button can be assigned to activate Wi-Fi,

or depth-of-field preview.