If compact cameras have had their day, why does the Ricoh GR III exist?
16.4.2019
Translation: machine translated
Compact cameras have a hard time next to the ever-improving smartphone cameras. However, they can still hold their own in niche markets. Otherwise Ricoh would certainly not have launched the new GR III model. Or would it?
Compact cameras were originally intended as a constant companion so that you never missed an opportunity to take a photo. So mainly for snapshots. But today, this function is taken over by your smartphone.
Despite this, new compact cameras are still coming onto the market in 2019. Like the Ricoh GR III, for example, which I have just tried out.
Three reasons in favour of compact cameras
This brings me to a fundamental question: Who buys a compact camera these days - and why? Especially when they are so expensive?
Compact camera reason no. 1: The zoom factor
Smartphones still can't zoom properly. Although they usually have several lenses with different image sections, this is not comparable to a real zoom lens. Even Oppo's announced periscope technology is unlikely to match the quality of a compact camera lens.
Because they can differentiate themselves from smartphones, camera manufacturers have pushed the zoom capabilities in compact cameras to the limit. Panasonic, for example, has packed a 15x zoom into a compact body.
Compact camera reason no. 2: The image quality
The sensors and lenses on smartphones are limited due to their tiny dimensions. Smartphone manufacturers have managed to mitigate these shortcomings with software tricks. The performance of the Huawei P30, to name one recent example, is impressive. However, from a purely physical point of view, there is still a disadvantage compared to devices with large sensors. What's more, these images, which are combined using multiple shots and "artificial intelligence", are not to everyone's taste. What bothers me most is that I have no control over what exactly happens. The AI sometimes produces grotesque errors.
Sony, for example, is tackling the issue of image quality with its RX100 series - very successfully to date.
Compact camera reason: No. 3: The operation
You don't have a good grip on your smartphone. You sometimes cover the lens with your fingers. You can't feel anything blindly, you always have to look at the screen. Let's be honest: making camera settings on your smartphone is a fiddly job. The more options an app provides, the worse it gets. No wonder, everyone is shooting on fully automatic mode.
Compact cameras, on the other hand, have ergonomically arranged knobs, buttons, wheels and control crosses. Common settings are immediately to hand. The manual settings are not just a theoretical possibility, but actually useful.
What niche does the Ricoh GR III fit into?
I've mentioned zoom, image quality and handling as the three main arguments in favour of compact cameras. So where does the Ricoh GR III fit in? Does the camera fulfil these requirements?
The zoom argument is quickly dealt with: The Ricoh GR III has no zoom. It has a wide-angle lens with a fixed image section - very similar to a smartphone. There is no advantage here.
Image quality: Good, but could be better
The camera has an APS-C size sensor. This is extremely large for a camera of this size. For example, the sensor is larger than that of the system cameras from Olympus and Panasonic. The restriction to a fixed wide-angle makes an APS-C sensor in this compact body possible in the first place. Ricoh has therefore sacrificed zoom capability in favour of the large sensor.
In contrast to its predecessor, the Ricoh GR III has a built-in image stabiliser. In combination with the wide-angle lens, this allows me to take 1/10th of a second freehand, and with a bit of luck even longer. As a result, I hardly ever need more than 1600 ISO. And at this ISO value, the quality is just right.
However, if it is necessary to take photos with very high ISO values, the image quality falls well short of my Nikon D7500. This also has an APS-C sensor, so the image noise should be at about the same level. But it's not, there's nothing to gloss over.
The operation: full marks
There is still the operation. The first thing that stands out: The camera is very quick to switch on and off. This is important for a camera that is designed for snapshots and street photography and is a weak point of many other compact cameras.
The dials are small, but I can manage them without looking. They make a solid impression. I never accidentally adjust anything on this camera. The mode dial is locked and cannot be turned accidentally. It only moves when I press the small release button at the same time.
More important than expected: Macro mode can be switched on and off with one click. In normal mode, you can get as close as ten centimetres, which is pretty good. In macro mode, it's six centimetres. At more than twelve centimetres, however, macro mode is unable to focus. That's why I often have to switch back and forth and I'm glad that it's so easy.
The autofocus is also easy to use and understand. I simply move the focus area with the control pad. To prevent this from happening accidentally, I first have to press the OK button. A tap on the rocker opens the quick menu from which the focus mode can be changed.
Other important things can also be accessed directly in this quick menu: Exposure metering, RAW/JPEG, screen brightness and picture styles. If you want to access other settings quickly, the quick menu can be customised to suit your needs.
Disp displays important shooting data without cluttering up the screen. In my opinion, the horizontal and vertical spirit level is a very good solution. Space-saving and clearly organised.
There are separate buttons for ISO, white balance and operating mode. The rocker is used for exposure compensation. You can save three user modes.
The deletion process is excellent. If I have photographed with RAW and JPEG, I can choose each time whether I want to delete both, just the RAW or just the JPEG. After deleting, I don't have to press the delete button again, as is the case with most other cameras, but I can continue deleting individual images until I cancel. Super!
I find it all very well thought out, sophisticated and clear. I've never shot with a Ricoh before and I got to grips with it straight away, even though the camera is quite complex.
And what else?
The camera has 2 GB of internal memory. That's enough for 140 JPEGs or 40 RAW photos. Super practical, especially for guys like me who like to jet off without a memory card. It's actually incomprehensible why not all cameras have a decent internal memory these days.
I'm less enthusiastic about the battery life. It's just barely enough for a day trip. With the supplied charger, the battery can only be charged via the camera. So even if you have two batteries, you have to charge both in advance.
The camera is capable of interval shooting and multiple exposure. Both can be combined with each other. Neither the autofocus nor the continuous shooting (4 fps) are particularly fast. But that doesn't matter, because the whole concept of the camera is not designed for sports and action. Oh yes: A movable screen would have been nice for vlogging and macro shots.
Conclusion
The image quality is perfectly fine, but not as good as other APS-C cameras. This is not an argument against a modern smartphone with a top camera. The handling, on the other hand, is. It is one of the best I have ever seen in a compact camera. Because the Ricoh GR III is also very reliable and robust, it is simply fun to take pictures with it anytime and anywhere - and that is the most important thing for good pictures.
The Ricoh therefore has a similar range of applications to a smartphone camera: mainly snapshots and street photography, with the occasional landscape shot - but all with better handling. Admittedly, this is a very specialised niche. But I like it when a manufacturer addresses specific needs instead of catering to the masses.
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
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