Why is Ricoh GRDIII so Expensive?

Hallo,

I like a lot the ricoh grdIII (snap shot and fixed focal length) and really I wonder to buy one in the next few month but I find it too much expensive for what it offers.

The new Fuji X100 is really a pro camera and it is not so far from the GRDIII price.
Do you agree with me or not?
Hallo from MIlano.

Marco Italy said:

Hallo,

I like a lot the ricoh grdIII (snap shot and fixed focal length) and really I wonder to buy one in the next few month but I find it too much expensive for what it offers.

The new Fuji X100 is really a pro camera and it is not so far from the GRDIII price.
Do you agree with me or not?
Hallo from MIlano.

Click to expand...

Sorry Marco

The GRDIII is a high quality camera and if it had a Leica badge on front you would pay twice the price for it and call it a bargain.

There is more to any product than just a specification.

--
Tom Caldwell
I am always trying ...

I know what you say and for this reason I'm interested to the GRD III but I think that it's a little overpriced. Perhaps the gxr with the new A12 28mm module is a better choice.
Bye.

I am sure the Fuji will be an interesting camera, fully manual, fixed 35mm lens, double or more the size of the GRDlll. If I had to choose, and this is not fair as I have the GRD it would be the Ricoh as you know what you are getting. The fuji is new and unknown. If the fuji had interchangeable lenses it would change my view. The large sensor is nice but it is not all that matters.

Marco Italy said:

I know what you say and for this reason I'm interested to the GRD III but I think that it's a little overpriced. Perhaps the gxr with the new A12 28mm module is a better choice.
Bye.

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Only if APS-c sensor is important to you. I have a GXR as well and have not decided yet on the 28. If size is not a concern get the GXR with 28mm, it gives you room to grow.

Even w/ the recent issue I had of a new GRD III having a lens extension issue, I consider it a fluke - not a QC issue @ all. I am still getting it replaced by Amazon because I think the GRD III is simply the best small sensor camera on the market.

The RAW shooting, grain-like feel of the noise, and most of all UI are awesome IMHO . I had a GRD I for a couple of years, and loved it. Regarding the GRD III, the responsiveness (SNAP, RAW-writing speed, and virtually no shutter lag), build quality, and ability to make the camera truly an extension of yourself (MY1, 2, 3...) makes it unique and a true photographer's tool.

You won't be dissapointed if you get one.
--
Mark Turney
Ocala, FL

And it is now 'quite reasonable' in Japan, less that ¥38,000, which makes it cheaper than the Canon G12 or Nikon P7000 by almost ¥5,000.
The trouble is, prices vary from market to market.
--
Rube
http://www.flickr.com/photos/71881102@N00/

Quality costs.

One of the most difficult things to explain to people who've not used a GRD (1, 2 or 3) is just how well they 'work'.

Who cares if other 'small' cams have bigger sensors, the GRD fits in your shirt pocket, is a dream to use, and works incredibly quickly, and can allow you to take pictures like this virtually instantly. Print sizes up to A3 are possible too. What more do you need?

Marco Italy said:

Hallo,

I like a lot the ricoh grdIII (snap shot and fixed focal length) and really I wonder to buy one in the next few month but I find it too much expensive for what it offers.

The new Fuji X100 is really a pro camera and it is not so far from the GRDIII price.
Do you agree with me or not?
Hallo from MIlano.

Click to expand...

In the Uk, the list price for the GRD3 is around £500. The Fuji is £1000. That's double the price – and then the GRD3 can be as little as £400.

When I bought my first GRD (the GRD2) I thought it was too expensive. Since then it (and now the GRD3) have been my best value in photography. I get more use and pleasure out of it than any other camera. I love it. It's worth every penny.

"Why is Ricoh GRDIII so Expensive?"

because it's the best POCKET camera...
;-)
--
http://ricoh-28mm.blogspot.com/

AGREED !!

pppp said:

"Why is Ricoh GRDIII so Expensive?"

because it's the best POCKET camera...
;-)
--
http://ricoh-28mm.blogspot.com/

Click to expand...

--
Mark Turney
Ocala, FL

The GRDIIIs are beautiful cameras. At least in print they are. I held a Leica D Lux or Digilux. It was so unimpressive, I can't recall which camera it was anymore. The images produced by the GR cameras seems impressive.

That being said, The GXR feels great. I love mine. The APS sensor seems to be important to you judging by your post. I owned a Fuji medium format rangefinder. The camera was by all standards clunky as can be. It was also a whole lot of fun to use, the lens was excellent. That X100, it looks like they put a whole lot of time into it. You have time to decide, I suspect it will be pretty darn good.

The GRD is a fixed lens. What is wrong with the Fuji?

A big part of these cameras is that they claim to match the sensor to the lens and utilize microlenses, which truth be told, I haven't spent anytime researching what they are. Isn't a good chunk of the GR's appeal it's style and that come from it being a fixed lens camera? The focal length choice has something to do with it to. As a street or travel camera, it encourages you to get in there.... wherever there is for you.

Seems to me, the Fuji could easily share a lot of those attributes that make the GR special. The fixed lens, "this camera is complete as is" attitude is bold. People respect that in the GR...... For some reason, people don't respect that in the APS-C cameras Why is that? I paid 1300 for my Fuji 6x9. When I bought it, I didn't see it as a bargain or too pricey, simply bought the camera because it would work.

• We still have leaves on the trees here. Are they long gone in New England? This has been a slow Fall. -Robert

anodyne2 said:

The GRDIIIs are beautiful cameras. At least in print they are. I held a Leica D Lux or Digilux. It was so unimpressive, I can't recall which camera it was anymore. The images produced by the GR cameras seems impressive.

That being said, The GXR feels great. I love mine. The APS sensor seems to be important to you judging by your post. I owned a Fuji medium format rangefinder. The camera was by all standards clunky as can be. It was also a whole lot of fun to use, the lens was excellent. That X100, it looks like they put a whole lot of time into it. You have time to decide, I suspect it will be pretty darn good.

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Both are great to hold. I was not impressed with the panasonic/leica joystick. I know the pics are very nice but so are the GRD's.

Marco Italy said:

I know what you say and for this reason I'm interested to the GRD III but I think that it's a little overpriced. Perhaps the gxr with the new A12 28mm module is a better choice.
Bye.

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I guess they are of a muchness - younget a faster lens and smaller body with the GRDIII and a smaller sensor.

The end choice is portability and the ultimte image quality. The GRDIII does very well with its images for what is basically a small snesor camera.

But the 28mm has to have an advantage in sheer sensor size. Depends on what might be your greatest requirement and if wearing a camera on your belt is a prime objective then the GRDIII is away ahead of its class. But if size does not matter then at the cutting edge the A12 has to win.

My own experience was as an owner of a Panasonic LX1 now some years ago - I loved it but was entranced by the original GRD in a showcase. I had to read up about it and noted that it had won awards. So what could be so special about a hideously expensive fixed wide unstabilised camera with a small sensor?

Anyway I tried it and had a shootout in the shop with my LX1. The GRD won hands down. My much loved LX1 fell into disuse and was passed on to a son who continues to love it. But I have not gone back to Panasonic but have bought other Ricoh cameras. They make cameras for a more enthusiastic turn of mind.

Japanese-Italian flair perhaps (smile)

--
Tom Caldwell
I am always trying ...

Robert, the reason I say that is because at the price I would want it to do more than one lens size ($1,000)...it does offer a lot, VF, manual controls that look very easy, but I think that if that was an interchangeable system it would give the GXR a run for the money... But for me comparing it to the GRD it is mostly about size.

So, it's the $1,000 bucks. I understand that is reasonable. That is all so relative to what your own personal expectations. I come from the wacky world of roll and sheet film. The Fuji I had was $1300. That is a lot of money. It was a complete camera. A Hasselblad system would have been thousands more. THe Mamiya 6 and seven were out of my range price wise. That being said, I thought they were and certainly today are a great value.

I suppose, coming from having had that 6x9 I just don't see the cost of the GXR as an issue at all. It is a non factor. What matters is, do i have the money to spend? I sold some older gear to buy my GXR.

All the talk about speculation leaves me at a loss. I bout the A-12 because it works for me now. The market is so volatile and competitive. Who knows what some other manufacturer will come out with in a weeks time? It could completely change one's perceptions and expectations. Every camera I've bought was an easy decision. I have no regrets. I do suggest someone buy based on where a given system is on the day they need it, roadmaps get folded, tucked away and forgotten.

anodyne2 said:

So, it's the $1,000 bucks. I understand that is reasonable. That is all so relative to what your own personal expectations. I come from the wacky world of roll and sheet film. The Fuji I had was $1300. That is a lot of money. It was a complete camera. A Hasselblad system would have been thousands more. THe Mamiya 6 and seven were out of my range price wise. That being said, I thought they were and certainly today are a great value.

I suppose, coming from having had that 6x9 I just don't see the cost of the GXR as an issue at all. It is a non factor. What matters is, do i have the money to spend? I sold some older gear to buy my GXR.

All the talk about speculation leaves me at a loss. I bout the A-12 because it works for me now. The market is so volatile and competitive. Who knows what some other manufacturer will come out with in a weeks time? It could completely change one's perceptions and expectations. Every camera I've bought was an easy decision. I have no regrets. I do suggest someone buy based on where a given system is on the day they need it, roadmaps get folded, tucked away and forgotten.

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I actually thought, well maybe the fuji for the 35, the GRD for the 28, etc, ,so don't think it did not cross my mind...but even though 50mm is not my favorite FL the A12 is such a good lens that I can't help but use it and I love the feel of the GXR.

anodyne2 said:

All the talk about speculation leaves me at a loss. I bout the A-12 because it works for me now.

Click to expand...

anodyne2 said:

I do suggest someone buy based on where a given system is on the day they need it, roadmaps get folded, tucked away and forgotten.

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I couldn't agree more. Much of the discussion and debate on this forum over the last year (and there has been much of it!) has been about the way the Sensor is built in with the lens.

For me it's a complete non-issue. The A12 produces wonderful results now, and will do so for-ever until it breaks or I lose it.

Also, as a glass collector for my Canon DSLR, I do understand that those who want to collect glass that they can move with them from body to body as technology progresses. But the GXR is not that camera. It is not intended to be that camera and it's a shame some people refuse to see it for the camera it is and instead choose to bemoan it for the camera it is not. At least it keeps the forum busy (well, in Ricoh forum terms at least!)

-Najinsky