Ricoh no longer a street photography camera

divasdesas · Mar 25, 2019

With the slow focus, short battery life, no flash and image stabilisation Ricoh have created a small great ordinary camera. Being smaller than a smartphone is an advantage though the lack of flash is its achilles heel.

In good light the ricoh is a wonderful companion to a smartphone if one needs high resolution images as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings.

My 1996 film GR still reigns supreme in the steets though it loses out in instant gratification

Will I buy a GRlll ?..........probably in a couple of years time

ps the 1996 GR is one of the few cameras that I have bought new and on release

Tungsten Nordstein · Mar 25, 2019

divasdesas said:
With the slow focus, short battery life, no flash and image stabilisation Ricoh have created a small great ordinary camera. Being smaller than a smartphone is an advantage though the lack of flash is its achilles heel.

In good light the ricoh is a wonderful companion to a smartphone if one needs high resolution images as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings.

No slower than any other Ricoh GR/GRD, I guess.

Most people don't use a flash in 'street photography'.

A 36 shot limit on the GR1/s/v never stopped that camera becoming a legend. The new GRD 3 has 200 (more or less) shots.

'as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings'

I guess it is just as good as it ever was as a street-photo camera. But personally I think dumping the 'street camera' label onto any camera is a limiting factor in itself. Street photography is not the be-all and end-all of photography.

If anything, the term 'street photography' label is a just conceptual straight-jacket.

--
'I don't take photographs, I delete them.'
Tungsten Nordstein, 2909

thelps · Mar 25, 2019

Tungsten Nordstein said:
divasdesas said:

With the slow focus, short battery life, no flash and image stabilisation Ricoh have created a small great ordinary camera.

Click to expand...

Yet there is nothing else in its class. Nothing does 24Mp APSC in that size camera package. Its amazing.

Tungsten Nordstein said:
Tungsten Nordstein said:

Being smaller than a smartphone is an advantage though the lack of flash is its achilles heel.

Click to expand...

This is also true for Leica M2,3,4,6, MP, M8, M9, M10 users and countless other flash-less cameras. Yet they all produce excellent work. The GR III already is.

Tungsten Nordstein said:
Tungsten Nordstein said:

In good light the ricoh is a wonderful companion to a smartphone if one needs high resolution images as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings.

Click to expand...

No slower than any other Ricoh GR/GRD, I guess.

The GR III is faster in many aspects.

Tungsten Nordstein said:
Most people don't use a flash in 'street photography'.

Holds hand up

Tungsten Nordstein said:
A 36 shot limit on the GR1/s/v never stopped that camera becoming a legend. The new GRD 3 has 200 (more or less) shots.

'as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings'

I guess it is just as good as it ever was as a street-photo camera. But personally I think dumping the 'street camera' label onto any camera is a limiting factor in itself. Street photography is not the be-all and end-all of photography.

I agree 101%. I use my GR for all and anything. Long before I saw the GR1 being used for street I saw many mountain climbers use the GR1 cameras. There were many web pages now long gone that featured them.

Tungsten Nordstein said:
If anything, the term 'street photography' label is a just conceptual straight-jacket.

Jaime100 · Mar 25, 2019

divasdesas said:
With the slow focus, short battery life, no flash and image stabilisation Ricoh have created a small great ordinary camera. Being smaller than a smartphone is an advantage though the lack of flash is its achilles heel.

DA FLASH...da flash, ...da flash.... repeat, repeat, repeat rinse and repeat again... Makes no difference to many and if you are one that needs the flash, don't buy it rather than complain about it.

divasdesas said:
In good light the ricoh is a wonderful companion to a smartphone if one needs high resolution images as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings.

I haven't found anything on the GRii that I would change for street photo and doubt if I would find much wrong with the GRIII. For instance, I tried the tilt screens that some cameras had and find i can get the same angle with my GR....

divasdesas said:
My 1996 film GR still reigns supreme in the steets though it loses out in instant gratification

I love film.....love it..... but I stopped using my Leica M3 simply because the ease of actually having some images to work with in numbers is far better with digital. Being limited to 36 and on a good day? Nah....tried it, went back it...now beyond it but still love the look. I like the film look I can create with the GR so fell in love with it.

divasdesas said:
Will I buy a GRlll ?..........probably in a couple of years time

I will...after both of my GRii's die. Most likely it will be cheaper by then.

divasdesas said:
ps the 1996 GR is one of the few cameras that I have bought new and on release

Buy another...

TakiNufuji · Mar 25, 2019

divasdesas said:
With the slow focus, short battery life, no flash and image stabilisation Ricoh have created a small great ordinary camera. Being smaller than a smartphone is an advantage though the lack of flash is its achilles heel.

In good light the ricoh is a wonderful companion to a smartphone if one needs high resolution images as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings.

My 1996 film GR still reigns supreme in the steets though it loses out in instant gratification

Will I buy a GRlll ?..........probably in a couple of years time

ps the 1996 GR is one of the few cameras that I have bought new and on release

I agree and disagree. It's become camera for a new generation who don't know to take photos without the bells and whistles of stabilization, touch screens, filters, and rediculious megapixel. I still use my gr1s and gr1v for projects. For gritty digital I use a Grd1 jpeg only and old olympus pen cameras. For people who say no flash is not important have never been to Japan.

divasdesas · Mar 25, 2019

Tungsten Nordstein said:
No slower than any other Ricoh GR/GRD, I guess.

As a new camera it should be a tleast on par with its rivals and Ricoh should have seen that a faster AF would provide street photographers a better tool

Tungsten Nordstein said:
Most people don't use a flash in 'street photography'.

It is not about most people it is about street photographers and yes it is a great tool in ones arsenal

Tungsten Nordstein said:
A 36 shot limit on the GR1/s/v never stopped that camera becoming a legend. The new GRD 3 has 200 (more or less) shots.

Back then there was no choice so that is meaningless, Changing ISO was called changing film

Tungsten Nordstein said:
'as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings'

It is a lousy portrait camera and a ordinary landscape camera

Tungsten Nordstein said:
I guess it is just as good as it ever was as a street-photo camera. But personally I think dumping the 'street camera' label onto any camera is a limiting factor in itself. Street photography is not the be-all and end-all of photography.

If anything, the term 'street photography' label is a just conceptual straight-jacket.

The Street aspect is a big selling point and PR for Ricoh, Daido a street photographer brought a lot of credibility to the cameras as well fame. I use the term for that that large group of photographers that want a small discreet camera for rapid shooting in the streets.

divasdesas · Mar 25, 2019

Jaime100 said:
ps the 1996 GR is one of the few cameras that I have bought new and on release

Buy another...

That's a pretty stupid statement for a start they don't produce new ones and it has been released a long time ago

divasdesas · Mar 25, 2019

thelps said:
This is also true for Leica M2,3,4,6, MP, M8, M9, M10 users and countless other flash-less cameras. Yet they all produce excellent work.

I still shoot a Leica M2 and M4 when I need a flash which is 10% of the time in the streets I use a the Ricoh just a lot easier and gets the job done a heck of a lot s]faster

thelps · Mar 25, 2019

TakiNufuji said:
divasdesas said:

With the slow focus, short battery life, no flash and image stabilisation Ricoh have created a small great ordinary camera. Being smaller than a smartphone is an advantage though the lack of flash is its achilles heel.

In good light the ricoh is a wonderful companion to a smartphone if one needs high resolution images as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings.

My 1996 film GR still reigns supreme in the steets though it loses out in instant gratification

Will I buy a GRlll ?..........probably in a couple of years time

ps the 1996 GR is one of the few cameras that I have bought new and on release

Click to expand...

I agree and disagree. It's become camera for a new generation who don't know to take photos without the bells and whistles of stabilization, touch screens, filters, and rediculious megapixel. I still use my gr1s and gr1v for projects. For gritty digital I use a Grd1 jpeg only and old olympus pen cameras. For people who say no flash is not important have never been to Japan.

I've been to Japan twice

aetalapsa · Mar 25, 2019

divasdesas said:
With the slow focus, short battery life, no flash and image stabilisation Ricoh have created a small great ordinary camera. Being smaller than a smartphone is an advantage though the lack of flash is its achilles heel.

In good light the ricoh is a wonderful companion to a smartphone if one needs high resolution images as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings.

My 1996 film GR still reigns supreme in the steets though it loses out in instant gratification

Will I buy a GRlll ?..........probably in a couple of years time

ps the 1996 GR is one of the few cameras that I have bought new and on release

Few here realise what a game changer the GR and other small fixed lens film cameras were to dedicated street photographers come amateur journalist was. But that is the past.

The mood in dedicated street forums is somewhat different to here but then again this is a gear site and there are few dedicated street photographers here. So you must be a minority good luck trying to convince this lot that the camera is only a small step forward

aetalapsa · Mar 25, 2019

By the way a monochrome 1inch or micro four thirds sensor would be a blast

teemodk · Mar 25, 2019

divasdesas said:
Tungsten Nordstein said:

No slower than any other Ricoh GR/GRD, I guess.

Click to expand...

As a new camera it should be a tleast on par with its rivals and Ricoh should have seen that a faster AF would provide street photographers a better tool

divasdesas said:

Most people don't use a flash in 'street photography'.

Click to expand...

It is not about most people it is about street photographers and yes it is a great tool in ones arsenal

divasdesas said:

A 36 shot limit on the GR1/s/v never stopped that camera becoming a legend. The new GRD 3 has 200 (more or less) shots.

Click to expand...

Back then there was no choice so that is meaningless, Changing ISO was called changing film

divasdesas said:

'as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings'

Click to expand...

It is a lousy portrait camera and a ordinary landscape camera

divasdesas said:

I guess it is just as good as it ever was as a street-photo camera. But personally I think dumping the 'street camera' label onto any camera is a limiting factor in itself. Street photography is not the be-all and end-all of photography.

If anything, the term 'street photography' label is a just conceptual straight-jacket.

Click to expand...

The Street aspect is a big selling point and PR for Ricoh, Daido a street photographer brought a lot of credibility to the cameras as well fame. I use the term for that that large group of photographers that want a small discreet camera for rapid shooting in the streets.

We all want a small discreet rapidly shooting camera. But most of us want more than just shooting "street".

It's a misunderstanding that the GR is a street camera. It is a camera meant to be used to catch any situation as it occurs and as it is seen. In addition to this you can customize handling and output from head to toe.

To get an idea of what it is meant for, look at the official GR steam.

Raist3d · Mar 26, 2019

divasdesas said:
With the slow focus, short battery life, no flash and image stabilisation Ricoh have created a small great ordinary camera. Being smaller than a smartphone is an advantage though the lack of flash is its achilles heel.

It still has snap focus (which is what Ricoh GR is famous for as a street camera) and it's sill an APSC with a great lens in a pocket. The image stabilization if anything expands for some low light situations on the street not available before. The Iso also looks improved at least 1/2 a stop over the GR II.

So no, I don't think it can be called an ordinary camera.

divasdesas said:
In good light the ricoh is a wonderful companion to a smartphone if one needs high resolution images as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings.

My 1996 film GR still reigns supreme in the steets though it loses out in instant gratification

Will I buy a GRlll ?..........probably in a couple of years time

ps the 1996 GR is one of the few cameras that I have bought new and on release

divasdesas · Mar 26, 2019

Ok a ordinary street camera for 2019 specs. Yes I guess most here rarely dabble in frantic street stuff and want a small all round camera.

With the long time between drinks I expected Ricoh to really step up to the place so as a long time user I guess I am disappointed with the offering

Raist3d · Mar 26, 2019

divasdesas said:
Ok a ordinary street camera for 2019 specs.

Why? What other camera is around that competes in this particular niche the GRiii is doing well?

divasdesas said:
Yes I guess most here rarely dabble in frantic street stuff

Why exactly is that? Why does the GRIii can't deal with "frantic street stuff?" Zone focusing seems more than apt for this task, no? Can you state what exactly makes the GRiii not apt for this? Zone focusing, faster startup than GRII suggests the GRiii can deal, right?

divasdesas said:
and want a small all round camera.

With the long time between drinks I expected Ricoh to really step up to the place so as a long time user I guess I am disappointed with the offering

Certainly you may be disappointed, there are others that like the idea- smaller, modern sensor, still good lens, faster startup, image stabilization that opens the door to more street work at night/lower light.

What exactly is missing here?

blank_ · Mar 26, 2019

divasdesas said:
With the slow focus, short battery life, no flash and image stabilisation Ricoh have created a small great ordinary camera. Being smaller than a smartphone is an advantage though the lack of flash is its achilles heel.

In good light the ricoh is a wonderful companion to a smartphone if one needs high resolution images as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings.

My 1996 film GR still reigns supreme in the steets though it loses out in instant gratification

Will I buy a GRlll ?..........probably in a couple of years time

ps the 1996 GR is one of the few cameras that I have bought new and on release

I won't hate it so hard

The biggest problem I see are obviously smartphones. For the wideangle, big depth od field street/reportage photography focused more on content than picture quality, which would be the primary application for GR (IMO), the phones got really good.

If you look at Dmitry Markov's work done with iphone 7... it's amazing and that gap in picture quality is getting smaller with every generation of phones.

For landscape photography it would be a different story, but I don't think that is the reason most people buy the GR for.

David Mantripp · Mar 26, 2019

teemodk said:
divasdesas said:

Tungsten Nordstein said:

No slower than any other Ricoh GR/GRD, I guess.

Click to expand...

As a new camera it should be a tleast on par with its rivals and Ricoh should have seen that a faster AF would provide street photographers a better tool

teemodk said:

Most people don't use a flash in 'street photography'.

Click to expand...

It is not about most people it is about street photographers and yes it is a great tool in ones arsenal

teemodk said:

A 36 shot limit on the GR1/s/v never stopped that camera becoming a legend. The new GRD 3 has 200 (more or less) shots.

Click to expand...

Back then there was no choice so that is meaningless, Changing ISO was called changing film

teemodk said:

'as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings'

Click to expand...

It is a lousy portrait camera and a ordinary landscape camera

teemodk said:

I guess it is just as good as it ever was as a street-photo camera. But personally I think dumping the 'street camera' label onto any camera is a limiting factor in itself. Street photography is not the be-all and end-all of photography.

If anything, the term 'street photography' label is a just conceptual straight-jacket.

Click to expand...

The Street aspect is a big selling point and PR for Ricoh, Daido a street photographer brought a lot of credibility to the cameras as well fame. I use the term for that that large group of photographers that want a small discreet camera for rapid shooting in the streets.

Click to expand...

We all want a small discreet rapidly shooting camera. But most of us want more than just shooting "street".

It's a misunderstanding that the GR is a street camera. It is a camera meant to be used to catch any situation as it occurs and as it is seen. In addition to this you can customize handling and output from head to toe.

To get an idea of what it is meant for, look at the official GR steam.

Well so far I’ve owned (bought new) a GR1, GR1S, GRD2, GRD4, GR and GRII. All well used, and I absolutely do not do “street”.

divasdesas · Mar 26, 2019

Raist3d said:
divasdesas said:

Ok a ordinary street camera for 2019 specs.

Click to expand...

Why? What other camera is around that competes in this particular niche the GRiii is doing well?

Since the advent of smartphones the smsll so called small discrete camera no longer sits on top of the heap...mirrorless cameras offer a better choice.

Member said:
Member said:

Yes I guess most here rarely dabble in frantic street stuff

Click to expand...

Why exactly is that? Why does the GRIii can't deal with "frantic street stuff?" Zone focusing seems more than apt for this task, no? Can you state what exactly makes the GRiii not apt for this? Zone focusing, faster startup than GRII suggests the GRiii can deal, right?

Fast Auto focusing is pretty vital, zone focusing cannot deal with the lack of f2.8 for pin point focusing

Member said:
Member said:

and want a small all round camera.

With the long time between drinks I expected Ricoh to really step up to the place so as a long time user I guess I am disappointed with the offering

Click to expand...

Certainly you may be disappointed, there are others that like the idea- smaller, modern sensor, still good lens, faster startup, image stabilization that opens the door to more street work at night/lower light.

What exactly is missing here?

Slow low light focusing and image stabilisation is only useful if nothing moves

JYPfoto · Mar 26, 2019

divasdesas said:
Raist3d said:

divasdesas said:

Ok a ordinary street camera for 2019 specs.

Click to expand...

Why? What other camera is around that competes in this particular niche the GRiii is doing well?

Click to expand...

Since the advent of smartphones the smsll so called small discrete camera no longer sits on top of the heap...mirrorless cameras offer a better choice.

divasdesas said:

divasdesas said:

Yes I guess most here rarely dabble in frantic street stuff

Click to expand...

Why exactly is that? Why does the GRIii can't deal with "frantic street stuff?" Zone focusing seems more than apt for this task, no? Can you state what exactly makes the GRiii not apt for this? Zone focusing, faster startup than GRII suggests the GRiii can deal, right?

Click to expand...

Fast Auto focusing is pretty vital, zone focusing cannot deal with the lack of f2.8 for pin point focusing

divasdesas said:

divasdesas said:

and want a small all round camera.

With the long time between drinks I expected Ricoh to really step up to the place so as a long time user I guess I am disappointed with the offering

Click to expand...

Certainly you may be disappointed, there are others that like the idea- smaller, modern sensor, still good lens, faster startup, image stabilization that opens the door to more street work at night/lower light.

What exactly is missing here?

Click to expand...

Slow low light focusing and image stabilisation is only useful if nothing moves

Then expectations of a 28mm equivalent compact to fulfill every niche is unrealistic. There are things that the GR is better at that others and a lot that it’s worse at. If I was a videographer, I wouldn’t use s GR. For taking casual videos of my kids, it does fine. If I’m shooting really low light I’ll either use manual/snap or use a different camera. Ricoh/Pentax are in a difficult situation. They clearly listen to their users feedback but with limited resources they cannot compete in R&D with the bigger players in the game. They remain competitive but realistic. If they put everything under the sun, charged more for it, people would still bypass it. Maybe a super duper ultra camera won’t suddenly make the GR the #1 selling camera on the market, and Ricoh knows this. They do enough to satisfy the GRists while still trying to remain profitable. If it loses a sale or two because their low light AF is lacking or they don’t have a flash or they don’t do 4K, I’m sure they accounted for it. Give it 3-6 months and you’ll probably see your first price drop on it.

Sal Baker · Mar 26, 2019

blank_ said:
divasdesas said:

With the slow focus, short battery life, no flash and image stabilisation Ricoh have created a small great ordinary camera. Being smaller than a smartphone is an advantage though the lack of flash is its achilles heel.

In good light the ricoh is a wonderful companion to a smartphone if one needs high resolution images as a stand alone street camera there are too many shortcomings.

My 1996 film GR still reigns supreme in the steets though it loses out in instant gratification

Will I buy a GRlll ?..........probably in a couple of years time

ps the 1996 GR is one of the few cameras that I have bought new and on release

Click to expand...

I won't hate it so hard

The biggest problem I see are obviously smartphones. For the wideangle, big depth od field street/reportage photography focused more on content than picture quality, which would be the primary application for GR (IMO), the phones got really good.

If you look at Dmitry Markov's work done with iphone 7... it's amazing and that gap in picture quality is getting smaller with every generation of phones.

For landscape photography it would be a different story, but I don't think that is the reason most people buy the GR for.

I did...fantastic prime, Bayer CFA, easy to transport and excellent IQ for large prints. Now with 24mp and IBIS it's a stellar choice IMO. I'll definitely be upgrading in the nnext month or so.

Sal

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