Out and about with the GR IIIx
Shooting a "roll" of Ricoh magic in Mexico(mostly)
I’ve not bought a camera for “fun” for a very long time. The Ricoh GR IIIx caught my eye because it offered the opportunity to do some street photography(with its small profile) + it had a 40mm lens, which is closer to the 50mm focal length that I like to shoot at.
Note: For the uninitiated, previous Ricoh GRs have a wider focal length of 28mm.
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Street Snaps
The “typical” GR street photographer doesn’t use autofocus. They use “snap”-focus —where focus is set at a fixed distance, say 2m or 5m-infinity. That’s usually paired with deep depth of field, say at f11.
The results are lovely when the day light is in your favour.
Low Light, No Fight
I do find that the photos feel way less crisp when shooting in low-light conditions. The next two photos are examples of this.
It does feel a bit more like results coming out of an iPhone.
Can we use it for “work”?
In the last few shots, I’m ditching the snap-focus thing and using it similarly to how I’d use a DSLR on assignments. In spot-AF mode. Usually with a wider aperture.
I’d say the AF isn’t really the star element of this camera. And if they somehow get that right with the GR IV, it will be a beast.
The final shot in the field of flowers was quite amazing to me.
With the foreground elements and of course, the perfect day, the GR IIIx really produces results that look straight out of a DSLR.
I might have said this earlier, but in hot hot light, the colours look amazing on this camera.
I find that this camera will reward a photographer who knows how to work within its limitations. That also means that it might not be the right camera when you need way more versatility(ie, you’re going to shoot a lot in low light) or if you’re not too enamoured by street photography.
P.S. They don’t know me, but I’d like to thank Jad Jasada(wizard with the GR III) and Samuel Streetlife(the internet’s opinion leader on all things GR).