10 Days With The Ricoh GRIIIx

[@billgreen5482]

Hi Thomas, I just finished watching your video first impression of the Ricoh GRIIIx - well done! I was impressed, and now I've subscribed as well. I've been shooting street for over ten years now, and much of my work has been with Ricoh and Fujifilm. Over time, I've started leaning toward Ricoh for most of my work - mainly because I have no excuse - it's always with me. I work in a camera store, and often people are wanting to compare the X100V with the Ricoh GRIIIx or the Ricoh GRIII. In some respects, comparing makes sense; and in others not. You pointed out the muted colors coming out of the Ricoh, comparing to the Fujifilm colors. I tend to agree with you here. The colors are great on the Fujifilm when you look at the film simulations for jpeg. If you're doing jpegs straight out of camera, the Fujifilm should be your choice. Street photographers shooting with Ricoh GR often like the punchier color of 'positive film' if they're going to jpeg. And I think the black & white choices rival those of Fujifilm. If you're taking your raw file to post-processing I think it's a moot point; you can accomplish any look you want there. Well, why buy the Fujifilm camera? You've already pointed out the strengths - weather-sealing, tilt-screen, and color science. And it looks cool. This is what people are buying. So what advantages would Ricoh offer, and are they worth it? I shoot with the Ricoh GRIII [the 28mm equivalent]. I've been shooting with it for over three years, and I love it. Again, you've already pointed out the strengths, and I'm going to reiterate one that is important to me. I love shooting very high contrast shots in harsh light, sometimes shooting into the Sun, stretching the limits of the camera. I shoot zone focus, using snap focus, usually at about 2 meters. My dial is set to manual, and depending on what the light is outside, I set my aperture and shutter before walking out the door. My ISO is on automatic - the only thing I'm careful of is bottoming out my ISO on a very bright day - so I keep an eye on it. Using this feature, I know it will protect the highlights - I just frame and shoot. With the X100V you'd have to constantly look at the LCD to adjust exposure comp. Many small pocketable cameras have in-body stabilization. But they don't have a sensor the size of the Ricoh GRIII [or GRIIIx]. Fuji doesn't put it in the X100V or the XE4. And there's a reason for that. It's very difficult to do. To this day, I'm amazed that Ricoh have accomplished this - it's quite an engineering feat! Shooting at night, I can hand hold a 1/4 second shot. And the highlight weighted metering prevents blowout from street lights etc. The stabilization gives me much better night shooting ability and I usually don't have to take a tripod. Here's a shot taken at 1/15 sec.:instagram.com/p/Ch8ttXmL6Nz/ Compare them if you want. They're both great cameras. You might need both. [and I also shoot Fuji]. Cheers Bill

[@praveensamuel8375]

Hi, Bill. Loved your comparison between Ricoh and Fuji. I’ve been mulling getting one of the two. The pocketability of the Ricoh will make me shoot more because it will always be with me. But I’m concerned about the lack of weather sealing. I live in rainy Vancouver. Would the Ricoh survive?

[@billgreen5482]

@@praveensamuel8375 Hi Praveen Well I'm based in Victoria and have occasionally shot in Vancouver. My GRlll is now about 3 years old, and has over 65,000 shots on it. I do take care to keep it out of the rain. The cool thing about this camera is that all of the control is with your right hand. Set up your camera once, use zone focus and shoot with an umbrella. No bagging required. I live with rain too - shooting today with my umbrella - no problem. And believe it or not you are less noticed when you have your camera under an umbrella.

[@praveensamuel8375]

@@billgreen5482 Thank you for responding, Bill. That mollified my concerns about the GR. I will buy one next year. I hear the GR1V is coming out.

[@martingreenberg870]

It is acknowledged that the autofocus on the GR isn’t very good. The work around is the snap focus. Pick a focal distance between one and five meters. Press the shutter and the camera automatically goes to your predetermined focus point. This is really zone focusing. This is a feature GR users use and love. Dust. This is a known problem. The camera isn’t weather sealed. Some YT reviewers have stated the lens going in and out attracts dust. None of the reviewers, except you, have actually experienced this problem. Tiny body = tiny battery. Solution is carry an extra battery. Good news. These batteries are very small and light. It may be an inconvenience but is certainly an easy work around. I also use small body Panasonic cameras. These bodies have the same problem and solution. It shouldn’t be a deal breaker. A major problem, for me, with the GR is the lack of EVF. I use the EVF to frame my shots. Of course on a bright the EVF is a major benefit. GR has never had an EVF. The small rangefinder Panasonic body cameras have been able to pack a screen into their bodies. Never heard any complaints, except from you, about the lens. The consensus seems to be that the Ricoh lenses are very sharp. Maybe sharper than the X100V. The video on the GR has a reputation of being meh. Of course the GR is a photography centric camera. Good video would be a plus but the GR fans are alright about this. No camera is perfect. One of the features GR users love is it’s small size. That causes the body to have a tiny battery and no EVF. Auto focus not great. You have snap focus. 28mm to wide? Now we have the X. The flash from the GRii was removed and IBIS was added. I shoot during the day so for me this was a good swop. The GR is cheaper than the 100V. Both the iii and iiiX are available which is more than can be said about the 100V. Mask On Nurse Marty (Ret)

[@pepperclouddreamlabs]

GRiii in 35mm crop mode still produces a high enough resolution for most uses, I prefer that extra versatility to the GRiiix, worth considering.

[@berndschimpf89]

Hi Thomas, both cameras are amazing. Autofokus is a problem in bad light, but try snapfocus - this works great. There are a lot of options for the ricoh, like Nisi filter set, lenshoods and dust protection filters, but that you loose the small form factor. The X100 on the other hand brings a flash, flip screen, weather sealing and the ovf/evf. I think the lonly island camera is the Fuji, and the every day cam is the Ricoh .

[@martin701]

You can ease the issue with dust by fitting a NiSi ring cap and lens adaptor with a 49mm filter on the front. It isn't perfect but its a good work around and gives you quite a good barrier to dust.

[@roy5515]

I got a filter adapter too, and it never left my camera. It makes it bigger, but still very small for my daily backpack.

[@mawavoy]

The Ricoh jpeg look can be adjusted by creating different picture profiles. Not as fast to select as the Fuji presets, but once the set up just as convenient. Rather than buy two or three batteries get a power block then you can charge both your phone and camera. With long term use you will develop mussel memory for changing the aperture. You will be able to do it one handed. Try that with a Fuji with an aperture.

[@troubadour_valley9928]

I love my GRIII. I was concerned about the 28mm equivalent but it does have crop modes that take it down to 35mm and 50mm if I want it a little tighter.

[@thomas.kovacik]

it's rad! love 28, having those crop modes is helpful im sure!

[@Randuski]

we’re all hoping the GRiv has weather sealing. it would be the perfect camera for trips and backpacking, but yea. dust is always a concern haha

[@thomas.kovacik]

would be sick! Yeah I guess we'll see how it plays out

[@kanbaroonie]

This has IBIS too, crazy the amount of tech they crammed into this thing. The one thing I would love like you said is a flip screen for the waist level compositions

[@jonmnelson]

I’m still shooting my GRii and love it to death. I carry it every in a small pouch/case and have never had an issue with dust or anything else. Good as new. If and when it dies, I will buy the iii or iiix. It’s my desert island camera.

[@ZenoWatson]

100% Agree

[@zach.sorensen]

Great video as always Thomas! Loved the 3rd party interview on the cameras differences and your outlook from that. Considered the Ricoh but the Fuji is just so fun and the files are perfect.

[@thomas.kovacik]

thanks Zach! Yeah I thought it could be fun to have an "outsider's" perspective hah Yeah the Fuji is def the choice for photogs / enthusiasts. I love the ricoh for the size but man the fuji just is so fun to use

[@abchappell01]

That was a really nice video. The photos were absolutely wonderful. 😊

[@wearetrackclub]

Nice breakdown, Thomas! Also loving your music choices, the playlist is 🔥

[@itsmarcocanlas]

Melissa calls the shots, keep the x100v 😅 Amazing video bro!

[@ptoze]

Great video mate. It's funny you've mentioned the strange colors on the dng files because that's what I felt when I've tried the 100v. I've the GR II the GR III and the GR IIIx 😂. About the GR II it's true that's difficult to snap consistent colours if you've different camera systems (that I've), I work as well with nikon D750. But due the GR III I almost don't use the nikon anymore. I'm curious to know how did you edit the pictures you've post on the video, great colours by the way. My next purchase will he the 75mm adapter for the GR IIIx. About the colours from the jpg I still prefer the colours redender from the ricoh, you must try and do a few tweaks wuth the positive and negative film. You've a lot of content and group about that. You've an app with ricoh recipe's that are a good starting point as well. All the best from Portugal

[@bizpixvegas7651]

Excellent review Thomas. You hit the nail on the head with pros and cons of this camera. I had it for a few hours too and pretty much experienced the same issues. As far as a camera for the beach or nature, I don't think this is the camera for it. I would use this for street photography in urban areas. I think that is the target market for this camera. I shoot Sony now but shot Fuji for a few years. I think both of them have compact enough interchangeable lens cameras that would be more suitable for travel work.

[@unboxed8548]

best video on the ricoh GRIIIx l thanks for helping make my decision easier, i also have an fx3 and olympus mju ii. question, did you do anything color in post to the ricoh examples? or is this straight out of the camera? Thanks Thomas!

[@thomas.kovacik]

Thanks! Yeah all of those ricoh files are edited DNGs! I made a bunch of presets for them I haven't been a fan of SOOC jpgs, I just love the editing process too much haha

[@roughlives]

Okay sweet! Thanks for sharing. Cool to see the flexibility with the dmg’s. Know of any good recipes (or luts) for the jpgs you’d reccomend? Currently waiting for my griiix to arrive :)

[@EdProsser]

Beautiful images - am still thinking of picking one of these up

[@thomas.kovacik]

Thank ya! It’s been wonderful- especially on trips where I want to film

[@raytbrown2]

Neat sponsor! Didn't know them. Thanks for sharing. Honestly.

[@Jerome.Du.Quartier]

This was a great review man, spot on! I made up my mind, I dont need another camera. XT30 and the 27mm will do just fine.

[@thomas.kovacik]

appreciate it! heck yeah, no reason to spend $$ if you don't need it!

[@mattlau]

Went into the store today to see them side by side, the GRiii and the GRiii X and I got to say I am liking the 40mm quite a bit. Definitely need to reframe your composition a bit more since it's tighter, but it's still a great EDC

[@Project_2501]

Don't understand why your X100V's surface is so busted already. I never got why people treat their cameras like this or how they even manage to beat them up this much. My oldest and probably most used camera is an old Nikon D700 which I bought back in 2010 and I didn't treat it like a baby, but it still looks mint, despite heavy professional use. Now, I bought a lot used cameras over the years which were beat up so much that the rubber bits come off, bent hot shoes, scatches, deep chipping in the coating... just how?! People must chain their cameras to their cars and drag them behind them full speed, I guess.

[@thomas.kovacik]

I use my gear haha, I take it hiking, backpacking, camping, to the beach, up into the mountains- everywhere I treat my stuff well but I’m not afraid of cosmetics

[@alisyafiq2431]

beautiful shots! earned a subscribe

[@thomas.kovacik]

thank ya!

[@DimitriGalle_N25]

i got the III for on the bike rides, looove love looooove the images and got the IIIx as well. 28mm is more my FOV though but images do not disappoint

[@jordanadudek]

I've always been interested in the Ricoh P&S, but I'm mainly here for the vibes. Making me want to go back to Kauai!

[@thomas.kovacik]

it's such a fun lil camera! haha appreciate it, Kauai is so epic!

[@jordanadudek]

@@thomas.kovacik let’s find a client out there and make it a work trip 👀

[@jay_petrol]

Thanks Thomas for your excellent review. I have spent the last days pondering around keeping the X100V or the GR IIIX having just recently purchased both. Love the images from the Ricoh, but the so so autofocus and lack of weather sealing has me finally decide for keeping the Fujifilm X100V. If I had the money I´d love to keep both but that´s not an option. Anyways - once again, my compliments to your impressive content.

[@thomas.kovacik]

thank you! The ricoh is so fun bc of the size yeah I agree, I'd love to have both! the weather sealing on the x100v is really nice to have appreciate the kind words

[@gvnrchmnd]

Sounds like the Fuji x70 would have been your ideal travel companion. Same size as Ricoh but flip screen and aperture ring.

[@treharris1677]

Black and whites are great! But that muddy, brown tint is a no-go! Maybe a factory reset or white balance check is in order for rentals?

[@thomas.kovacik]

Thanks! Yeah that’s a great shout honestly- bc I haven’t noticed it on the model I bought

[@ttown1376]

I have the x100v and have used it for the past couple years...but when I go on trips to NYC and walk around all day from 10am to 7pm I do sometimes wish It was smaller and I could put it in my pocket..... still deciding on whether I want to get the Ricoh as well or if I should sell the x100v

[@Revi200x]

The Ricoh RG iii has a crop mode and you cane customise it to one of the buttons you cane do 35 or 50 mm

[@thomas.kovacik]

yep! Pretty solid option, I like the natural compression of a tighter lens though

[@james_t]

I have the x100F so lack of a tilt screen on GR wouldn’t bother me, although have used one and appreciated how handy it was but I do find it to be a bit less pocketable - still easy to throw in a sling/bag though. The lack of a view finder certainly helps reduce size/weight as does a smaller battery and I think if the GRIIIx (started with a m4/3 + 20mm lens) & useful tips/tricks videos were around when I got my F I very well may have chosen it over Fuji but I do really like having the viewfinder, the ‘on’ camera controls & colours.

[@omegachen]

i had the opposite experience regarding image muddiness. shot with the x100f for years, but at 100% the image rendering was just nasty, though not an issue at normal viewing size. imo the iiix has way cleaner files with much better cropping power.

[@rudomlich6871]

Nice review :) Kovacik is Slovak name. Do you have ancestors in Slovakia?

[@rudomlich6871]

Kovacik - Kovačik ( small Smith :) )

[@jonashuckphoto]

I've also been thinking about getting one. Mainly because I'd love to bring a camera on my runs and it needs to be super compact. Also sometimes I just am to lazy to carry my Q2 and still want a camera on me for those instances when I think damn if only I had a camera with me now. I really don't enjoy using my iPhone for that.

[@roadtotherun]

Did you end up getting one? I’m in the exact same situation, but I’m worried that carrying it in a bag or running vest close to the body will create moisture that can damage it?

[@jonashuckphoto]

@@roadtotherun yes I got a GRIII. It's great for taking it with me whenever I wouldn't want to bring a bigger camera. Yet I haven't taken it with me on runs yet. Doesn't feel right to have the IBIS bounce around thousands of times even tho I think it would be fine. The moisture thing is also a good point, still I think it would be fine.

[@roadtotherun]

@@jonashuckphoto did some research this morning, and using a running belt could help a bit with the bouncing… but compound the sweat/moist issue 😅

[@crayons987]

I use it on the run, carry it in my run vest, in a Ziploc. Works fine!

[@fbaraky660]

how can you expect it to "blow the fuji out ofthe water" if the fuji is 2x the price?

[@thomas.kovacik]

Brand new the x100v is 1400, the Ricoh is 1100 I believe Used market hype brought the x100v up a ton but they’re still pretty comparable I’d say I sold my x100v for the Ricoh a couple months ago and couldn’t be happier

[@fbaraky660]

@@thomas.kovacik i agree it's best value for money, just thought it was interesting to expect the cheaper camera to blow the more expensive out of the water hehe, peace

[@thomas.kovacik]

@fbaraky660 haha I get that! Sometimes workflows can do more for ya than specs and price which is nice

[@fbaraky660]

yea man, i really have been thinking about the work flow on the rico, the built in filters etc. i am really between the rico and the much cheaper rx100 iii (and also griii or griiix) and although rx100 has more features and is cheaper, the advantages on the rico is making me pull the trigger on it getting some really good sooc pictures, least amount of complication, its looking like the camera for me@@thomas.kovacik

[@nabsterslab]

both Ricoh GR III and Ricoh GR IIIx have one of the sharpest lenses to be ever put on APSC bodies, so I'm not quite understanding the "duller" photo perception. Are you sure you didn't have one of the amazing built in filters enabled, 'Negative Film'?

[@thomas.kovacik]

Their lenses are sharp! I’m mostly referencing the colors, they felt flat / dull in some scenarios I believe I was under exposing the files, but others have shared the same thoughts about the files feeling dull Nope! I was in standard the whole time, shooting DNG

[@ElCid_86]

I just sold my x100v but still have an XT3. I borrowed a GR from a friend and do like the small form factor. I’d love to try a GRii, iii or iiix. Where did you rent it from?

[@thomas.kovacik]

Nice! I rented from lensrentals, I normally do that or borrow lenses Sharegrid works too

[@frankartale1026]

I have both. I got the X 1st. The 40 is tighter but it forces u to shoot vertical 4:3 aspect is kinda a work around ish 😮 idk. I like 35 also. I dont really like 28 but its needed sometimes

[@donalone]

Thanks for the sharing

[@jackpatmoreinc]

Is there a reason you chose the GRIIIx over the GRIII? I cannot decide which focal length to get.

[@thomas.kovacik]

Yep! I prefer tighter focal lengths if I had to be locked into one

[@Furry7272]

With the GR111… you can incamera crop to 35 or 50… so the GR111 actually will give you your focal length. Unlike 111x

[@thomas.kovacik]

I get that! I personally don't like relying on crops bc you dont get the compression of different focal lengths

[@athmaid]

@@thomas.kovacik why would the compression be different if you're standing in the same spot and cropping in

[@rudigerwolf9626]

What's the point of having a small portable camera if you have to worry about weather sealing, dirt and dust sealing? Those are the characteristics of the environments where I want to take a small portable camera. For me, I'm happy to take an extra 1/2 lbs of camera if I can be confident it will work in dirty, wet conditions and has twice the battery life. Based on your images, the GR is certainly capable of taking wonderful images. Also looks like it held up ok... but that nagging feeling it might not hold up would dampen my enthusiasm for anything close to water, sand or dirt.

[@jc.baptiste]

Yes and especially for the price they ask. Overpriced.

[@Kids11111]

@@jc.baptiste It produces as good an image as the x100 series for 60% of the price. You call that overpriced?

[@jc.baptiste]

@@Kids11111 Yes, because it's almost the price of a professional range camera (DSLR or mirrorless), but with the following caveats: not robust, no dust/weather proof (and cannot be cleaned), fixed lens. It's like a toy. Image quality from the sensor and the lens is not everything. For that price, it's unbelievable to have such a fragile, throwable item, giving no pleasure in hand due to its cheap plastic finish. It's certainly a good camera but definitely overpriced in this current package.

[@Kids11111]

@@jc.baptiste It's compact in design, unlike bulky DSLRs. Compacting a camera with the features this has costs money. This is for people who want to enjoy their vacations and snap great pictures without lugging around a DSLR around their necks. This isn't for people who want to play pretend at being pro photographers.

[@jc.baptiste]

@@Kids11111 You are comparing different technologies, it does not make sense. And so what? The Nikon Z9 is big and expensive for no reason ? Some people like such ergonomics and it’s rock solid, weather sealed. The Ricoh should be sold at 500-600$, it’s that expensive just because of the hype. But in terms of quality, it’s cheap. Probably fun and convenient, but fragile and overpriced. And going to obsolete quickly. I would rather buy an older Olympus or Fuji, with the same form factor, interchangeable lenses and better resistance against rain and dust, for a fraction of this price. And my photos would be as good for the purpose of street photography.

[@seansavery1186]

Why are all of your images from the gr3x in a 4:3 aspect ratio, this camera shoots natively in a 3:2 or you set it to crop to 1:1 when shooting in camera. Are you cropping them in post? If so why?

[@thomas.kovacik]

They’re all 5:4 / 4:5 I just like that crop- I shoot 3:2 in camera for a non destructive workflow

[@MortenRasmussen]

how come your aspect ration on all your photos are 4/3 when the native AR on the Ricoh is 3/2? I know that I much prefer 4/3 though... but it kind of gives a false impression.

[@thomas.kovacik]

They’re 5:4 / 4:5! I just really enjoy that aspect ratio

[@MortenRasmussen]

@thomas.kovacik Ah ok ... yeah even better 😊 I totally agree.

[@rossbird7085]

@@MortenRasmussencan aspect ratio be set in-camera? Or cropped in processing?

[@SteveHartmanVideos]

Where did you rent it from?

[@thomas.kovacik]

Lens rentals / borrow lenses!

[@fraincs]

Would you say that the difference in colour mostly a "design" decision from both companies. The color signature?

[@Kids11111]

The GR colours are the closest to Leica colours of any brand out there. Fuji colours are very distinctive and a matter of preference. Personally I always preferred Kodak to Fuji back in the day and feel no different now.

[@victorthai250]

the 35 on your x100v is on a crop sensor so its nots really a 35

[@thomas.kovacik]

The x100v has a 23mm lens!

[@RobOK_BTC]

Great video.... Very real world usage which is appreciated! I have an older Fuji X100F and the size difference and now a Ricoh GR and the size difference cannot be over-stated....I was never able to "pocket" the Fuji. The Fuji is more camera-feeling and does draw you to shoot (although later in the video you said similar about GR!). Not sure if you still have the GR? If so, try not only the basic Snap but Snap Distance Priority which is a new shooting mode (available with firmware). We are blessed to have these choices!

[@alanalain4884]

I agree with the color feel between Fuji and Ricoh, having a GR II and X70 (dwarf X00), I found Ricoh is harder to work with in post to bring the right color tone vs Fuji. A lot of film simulations available for the GR though, and some bringing very good, Fuji like colors.

[@alanalain4884]

Hi, thank you for the video... I was wondering, the filmed images at 8.20, was that captured with the GR ? Thank you for your insight.

[@thomas.kovacik]

Thanks! All footage was from the FX3, and some from iPhone I tried the video once on the GRiiix and never went back hah

[@DariusKuzmickas]

Melissa's thoughts were so deep... like the Pacific Ocean. And Thomas, you can't reach the depths of M... a little too shallow.

[@thomas.kovacik]

Huh haha

[@jaiethylene]

He said : Ev of fuji x100 is not good 😮

[@thomas.kovacik]

Haha yeah I never really enjoyed it. Plus the new Fuji xT5’s EVF is so much nicer, so that kind of ruined it too haha

[@talkingthaim]

nice video but why dont you just buy it if you dont like it return it?

[@thomas.kovacik]

Thanks! Limited stock makes that difficult hah

[@walkingmanvideo9455]

4mins in and not one photo.

[@thomas.kovacik]

Go to the end.

[@bsalvis]

One caveat here, the Fuji is still a unicorn even after 2+ years. I can get a GR in about a week or so.

[@thomas.kovacik]

it's wild... used prices are still so high on the x100 series. Been loving the move into the griiix

[@danielclark8135]

fuji xs10 :)

[@swaspc7618]

The battery is awful, I usually carry three.

[@raihanarifin7207]

The video is way to long, don't get to the point and barely show the picture from the camera

[@thomas.kovacik]

what are you on about haha -If it's too long- don't watch or skip through the chapters -what do you mean I didn't get to the point? Look at the chapters - there's a 6min section at the end that's dedicated to photos- look at the chapters

[@HBV1322]

👍👍