Five months after its development announcement, the Ricoh GR III will be shipping this March for $ 899. Unlike the GR II, which was a very minor upgrade to the original, the major components on the GR III are all-new.
The controls have received a major shake-up as the GR III becomes the first in the series to use a touchscreen. The screen is a 3.0″, 1.04M-dot LCD, with all of the usual features like AF point selection, menu navigation and image review onboard.
It also gains image stabilization, with a 3-axis sensor-shift system offering shake reduction rated at up to four stops. This ‘SR’ system can also be used to simulate an AA filter for when moiré reduction is desired. And there’s now an ultrasonic dust reduction system for the sensor, which is perhaps a nod to the dust problems that some encountered on the GR I and II.
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The GR III’s autofocus system has been overhauled, with the addition of on-sensor phase detection. This, along with a redesigned lens, gives us hope that the GR II’s autofocus will be quicker than its predecessors. Ricoh is yet to provide any technical details but says it will be ‘faster and more responsive.’
The GR III’s 28mm equiv. F2.8 lens has six elements in four groups, with two elements being aspherical. The lens can now focus as close as 6cm (2.4″), compared to 10cm (3.9″) on the previous models. The GR III continues to offer a built-in 2-stop ND filter.
The resolution of the GR III’s APS-C sensor has been bumped from 16MP to 24MP, with a fully expanded ISO range of 100 – 102,400. The GR III can now record 1080/60p video, but no 4K. Ricoh has added a Type-C USB 3.0 port on the camera (which can be used to charge the battery,) and connectivity options now include Bluetooth in addition to Wi-Fi.
Two things that the GR III lost are its built-in flash and a fair amount of its battery life. The latter has plunged from 320 shots to 200 shots per charge – a 38% drop – despite using a higher capacity battery. More than likely, the addition of in-body IS puts the biggest hit on battery life.
As mentioned above, the GR III will be yours to purchase in March for $ 899. A new 0.75x wide-angle adapter (GW-4) will also be available for $ 249.
Press Release
Ricoh launches RICOH GR III high-end, compact digital camera
Newest model in the popular RICOH GR series delivers exceptional image quality in a smaller, lightweight body, making it ideal for street photography
WEST CALDWELL, NJ, February 21, 2019 – Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation today announced the launch of the highly anticipated RICOH GR III camera. The new camera is the latest model in the RICOH GR series, a lineup of high-end digital cameras providing exceptional image quality in a compact, lightweight body ideal for street photography, travel and capturing candid images.
The RICOH GR III features a newly designed lens, image sensor and imaging engine that further upgrade image quality, enhance functionality and improve usability. The 18.3mm F2.8 lens delivers exceptional imaging performance with a slim design, consisting of six optical elements in four groups, while retaining the 28mm angle of view. It produces the clearest, sharpest images in GR-series history while reducing distortion and chromatic aberration. It also comes equipped with a macro shooting capability with a minimum focusing distance of six centimeters.
In keeping with the GR-series concept of packaging high image quality in a compact design, the RICOH GR III camera body is smaller than its predecessor, and is equipped with a large APS-C-size CMOS image sensor with approximately 24.24 effective megapixels to produce high-resolution images. Its short start-up time of approximately 0.8 seconds allows for quick, responsive shooting. The camera’s high-definition LCD monitor features touchscreen operation, offering intuitive control of various camera functions right on the screen.
The camera also features a high-speed hybrid autofocus system, built-in shake reduction, in- camera image finishing options, USB Type-CTM, Bluetooth and wireless LAN connectivity options. An accessory wide-angle conversion lens designed exclusively for use with the RICOH GR III is also available. The GW-4 Wide Conversion Lens expands the angle of view to 21mm ultra-wide angle.
“The Ricoh GR III is the ultimate street camera,” said William Hereford, a Brooklyn-based pro photographer, who has been shooting with GR series cameras for years. “The image quality and ease of use are equally amazing. I literally don’t leave my house without this camera. The GR III fits perfectly both in my hand and my pocket, so it is always available to capture a moment.”
Hereford says that the image quality is so great, that photos taken with his GR cameras have the potential to be used in national ad campaigns and magazine articles.
Designed to be the ultimate street photography camera, the RICOH GR III is a totally new breed of GR camera that will give the user new and different creative possibilities.
| Pricing and Availability |
The RICOH GR III will be shipping in March 2019 and will be available at www.us.ricoh- imaging.com and retail outlets nationwide. Price is $ 899.95 for the camera, $ 249.95 for the GW-4 Wide Conversion Lens.
Ricoh GR III specifications
| Price |
| MSRP |
$ 899 / £799 |
| Body type |
| Body type |
Large sensor compact |
| Body material |
Magnesium alloy |
| Sensor |
| Max resolution |
6000 x 4000 |
| Image ratio w:h |
1:1, 3:2 |
| Effective pixels |
24 megapixels |
| Sensor photo detectors |
25 megapixels |
| Sensor size |
APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) |
| Sensor type |
CMOS |
| Color space |
sRGB, Adobe RGB |
| Color filter array |
Primary color filter |
| Image |
| White balance presets |
8 |
| Custom white balance |
Yes |
| Image stabilization |
Sensor-shift |
| CIPA image stabilization rating |
4 stop(s) |
| Uncompressed format |
RAW |
| File format |
- JPEG (Exif v2.3)
- Raw (14-bit DNG)
|
| Optics & Focus |
| Focal length (equiv.) |
28 mm |
| Maximum aperture |
F2.8–16 |
| Autofocus |
- Contrast Detect (sensor)
- Phase Detect
- Multi-area
- Center
- Selective single-point
- Tracking
- Single
- Continuous
- Touch
- Face Detection
- Live View
|
| Autofocus assist lamp |
Yes |
| Manual focus |
Yes |
| Normal focus range |
10 cm (3.94″) |
| Macro focus range |
6 cm (2.36″) |
| Screen / viewfinder |
| Articulated LCD |
Fixed |
| Screen size |
3″ |
| Screen dots |
1,037,000 |
| Touch screen |
Yes |
| Screen type |
TFT LCD |
| Live view |
Yes |
| Viewfinder type |
Optical (optional) |
| Photography features |
| Minimum shutter speed |
30 sec |
| Maximum shutter speed |
1/4000 sec |
| Exposure modes |
- Program
- Aperture priority
- Shutter priority
- Manual
|
| Built-in flash |
No |
| External flash |
Yes (via hot shoe) |
| Flash modes |
Auto, Flash On, Flash On+Red-eye, Slow-speed Sync, Slow Sync+Red-eye |
| Flash X sync speed |
1/4000 sec |
| Drive modes |
- Single Frame
- Continuous Shooting
- Bracketing
- Multi-exposure
- Interval Shooting
- Interval Composite
|
| Continuous drive |
4.0 fps |
| Self-timer |
Yes |
| Metering modes |
- Multi
- Center-weighted
- Highlight-weighted
- Spot
|
| Exposure compensation |
±5 (at 1/3 EV steps) |
| Videography features |
| Format |
MPEG-4, H.264 |
| Modes |
- 1920 x 1080 @ 60p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
- 1920 x 1080 @ 30p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
- 1920 x 1080 @ 24p, MOV, H.264, Linear PCM
|
| Microphone |
Stereo |
| Speaker |
Mono |
| Storage |
| Storage types |
Internal, SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I supported) |
| Storage included |
2GB |
| Connectivity |
| USB |
USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) |
| USB charging |
Yes |
| HDMI |
No |
| Microphone port |
No |
| Headphone port |
No |
| Wireless |
Built-In |
| Wireless notes |
802.11b/g/n + Bluetooth |
| Remote control |
Yes (via smartphone) |
| Physical |
| Battery |
Battery Pack |
| Battery description |
DB-110 lithium-ion battery & USB charger |
| Battery Life (CIPA) |
200 |
| Weight (inc. batteries) |
257 g (0.57 lb / 9.07 oz) |
| Dimensions |
109 x 62 x 33 mm (4.29 x 2.44 x 1.3″) |
| Other features |
| Orientation sensor |
Yes |
| Timelapse recording |
Yes |
| GPS |
None |
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
