Ricoh Korea and Japan have issued a statement regarding an issue with select Ricoh GR III cameras that caused the control dial of the camera jiggles more than it should, as seen in the above video shared by Photo Rumors. Following an investigation of the issue, Ricoh says it will fix affected devices free of charge and notes that the movement of the controls does not interfere with the functionality of the camera.
The translated statement says 'The basic specification is to set a slight rotation allowance width, but as a result of investigation, it has been found that some products with the following target serial numbers have combinations with large display inclinations.'
In more clear terms (you made a valiant effort Google Translate), Ricoh anticipated a slight bit of movement, but the affected cameras show far more movement than should be happening and as a result the affected cameras will be fixed. Below are the serial number ranges Ricoh references:
0010046 - 0022290
2010043 - 2012044
3010045 - 3010544
4010041 - 4010230
The statement says Ricoh will start processing repairs for affected devices on April 8, 2019. DPReview was informed by a Ricoh spokesperson that Ricoh USA and UK will be issuing a statement tomorrow regarding the issue and the subsequent steps needed to repair affected cameras. We will update the article with that statement when we receive it.
Speaking to a major Ricoh UK dealer today I was told Ricoh have NOT issued a recall in the UK and all the units in the country will be in the batches listed. Stock still being sold. Ricoh need to wake up and contain this. Inaction will cost them more than cleaning up the QA and PR problems. So Ricoh, if you're reading this, MY WALLET IS STAYING IN MY POCKET.
I am absolutely not surprised to see comments such as :I love it anyways despite its flaws , QC issues etc . Marketing departments are the only departments who do they jobs well these days and they succeed in their brainwashing strategies. I wish production and QC departments would do the same and whey would if they’d get the same pressure from their bosses as marketing folks do, but it’s not even necessary . It’s not uncommon in this consumption society to get less for more, defective items for a price of normal and cheaper offshored goods for a price of an original. This is because ppl will take it anyways and even say that they are happy. So why bother? Get less , pay more ,increase profits and be happy!
Because 1 degree of tilt on a non active component does not affect image quality or operation in any way. If Ricoh hadn't acknowledged this you would complain. And how do you know how much pressure do engineers or QA at Ricoh have? Have you worked with them in the past? Have you lead at senior manager or executive level any large technical department?
Quality control issues could damage a brand mostly of it is an underdog. But at least they immediatly admit it and are addressing. Does oil on sensor or maybe a chronichally saggy zoom 24-105 lens rings some bell to anyone? Also if usefull information is published even if supose bad publicity to some brand also good news should vê announced: https://www.tipa.com/en-en/awards/ricoh-gr-iii
15133 cameras in total according to those serial numbers. With an average price of $899 across sales territories and excluding adjustments for currency and taxes Ricoh would ear 13.6 in revenue if they were to sell them all. After subtracting the retailer profits a realistic estimate would be 12.2 million USD. Does anyone think that the market for a camera like the GR III is more than 15.000 units at this point in time and at that price point. Would it make sense for Ricoh to reduce more than 15k cameras in a diminishing market? Does it make sense for Ricoh to maintain. a production line if those 15k cameras are not sold or cannot be sold within a period of a couple of months?
I would think no, so it safe to assume that almost all cameras that were manufactured up to know have this issue. I would be hard pressed to believe that there are lots of cameras outside that serial range, because the natural question would be : "made for whom?"
From the wording of the announcement it sounds like that extra tolerance was not an issue until people complained. Personally, I did not bother about this until seeing the article on Pentaxrumors and contacting Ricoh Europe last Sunday. They already issued an announcement.
The most cost effective solution for them would obviously be to repair their reserve stock and restock the suppliers asap instead of fixing cameras shipped by end users and that is why there is a delay before repairs can be accepted
That assumes serial numbers are consecutive. Do you know that for a fact? For all I know, the last digit might be a checksum, which would mean ~1500 cameras affected.
This camera has nothing to do with the Pentax brand, Ricoh carries the GR-line from way before they bought Pentax from Hoya.
It is Hoya that nearly destroyed Pentax. Hoya were after all only interested in the medical branch. Owning Tokina also they completely stopped having that brand issuing their lenses in Pentax mount wereas Tamron only kept some non-interesting 'amateur grade' lenses for summer snapshooters. Both brands are exit for me now even if i switch to a brand they do carry lenses for.
I do keep what i have though and that includes 3 AT-X lenses, 2 Adaptall's and a few Hoya filters. As for second hand, i might still purchase but it will be legacy stuff from before those times.
My GR3 is in the serial number list, but I don't even bother to send back mine to fix the issue. As Ricoh said, it doesn't affect a bit in daily use of the camera.
My camera is also in the list and I agree that the issue is not so important. However, when I am using the wheel to go through the menu items or pictures, it goes to the opposite direction every once in a while, which I find annoying at times.
This is terrible, tbh :”There are a couple of notable bugbears about the GR III, though, that rather take the shine off it as a whole. Firstly, the battery life is pretty terrible - around 150 shots per charge, far short of the official CIPA rating of 200 shots. Sure, you can carry extra batteries or an external powerbank, but that rather defeats the purpose of buying such a small camera. Secondly, the new hybrid AF system promises snappier, more accurate performance on paper, but often fails to deliver in practice, especially in low-light conditions, causing missed shots on more than occasion. Thirdly, this latest version loses the handy pop-up flash that was featured on all its predecessors, the main casualty of making the camera smaller.This latest iteration of the GR series also sees a significant increase in price” https://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/ricoh_gr_iii_review/conclusion
@De Foromam I am sure it’s going to be repeated many more times in reviews on all sorts of photography blogs and review sites. Because what Ricoh did is they took a good but aging camera , stripped it down in exchange of not really necessary “upgrades” , put a miserable Olympus battery that’s intended for Olympus P&S cameras with 1/2.3 “ sensors , inflated the price and rushed it to the marked .
@FoxShutter GR2 was introduced nearly 4 years ago. The new model has hardly been rushed and even if it was, it's certainly not due to the lack of time :-) Ricoh just made some bad decisions.
@FoxShutter I have absolutely no feelings towards this camera ... or any other camera, for that matter. I wish I could say the same about your impartial reaction :-))))
@Petak How do you know they were doing something these four years ? Looks like they were doing something else , perhaps more important, and rushed this model in a few months.
@FoxShitter I agree - they were totally doing something else, like printers etc and then suddenly decided to update the GR2 in their spare time as a hobby. And the end result is pretty much consistent with that theory :-)))
Say what you will. I didn’t even notice this issue until I read about it here. I got that camera to take pictures, not to look at on a shelf. It works great and is a HUGE improvement over GR2. I’m a big fan and won’t be sending it in to have a cosmetic refresh. It’s going to get banged around anyways since this pocket camera is so good.
Hello, I have one of those GRs with the wobbly inner ring. In my opinion it influences the function and or operation Not at all. The inner ring rotates one degree. I only noticed it when I read about it. To be honest, I don't really care and I won't complain or have it repaired.
I sort of wish my Z6's 4 way pad was actually a scroll wheel, but at least they (Nikon) gave us Z-series users a focus stick, which is better than the 4-way pad (plus touch auto focus which I probably won't use much anyway).
Something I'll have to get used to, I guess. I've made i this far (5 years) without it.... Plus, I sometimes suffer from "fat finger" syndrome (not hitting the right focus point/area), so the stick is probably more accurate for me.
The d-pad on the GR III can be used as a focus stick, either after pressing Fn or in the menu you can set focus point adjustment as the primary function of the d-pad.
Not as good of a feel as the one on the GR and GR II but at least it can be set as focus point priority in the menu.
The panasonic g9 has a touch shutter functionality that turns off every time you turn the camera off. It's a real pain in the butt because you need to turn it on every time you turn the camera on, which limits its functionality greatly. Panasonic does not care to fix this basic flaw because sites like DPReview don't report on it.
But when a GRIII button moves a slight bit, which does not affect functionality, DPReview is all over it.
You’re complaining about a problem that the camera has. This article is about something that was fixed.
This isn’t dpreview complaining about a problem. I’m sure if Panasonic had a firmware release that addressed your problem, it would be reported the same way.
Ricoh is addressing the issue because of user complaints, not because of some "outcry" from DPR. If Panasonic doesn't listen to its customers, blame Panasonic, not DPR.
@revenant. Its pointless to assign blame or complain about Panasonic. That is my point; a slightly jiggly button with no effect on functionality is more important than a software issue that does affect the camera.
"a slightly jiggly button with no effect on functionality is more important than a software issue that does affect the camera."
Who said that it's more important? DPR never made a huge deal about this, they are simply reporting that Ricoh will be fixing it. Like PAntunes said, if Panasonic issued a statement that they'll fix a problem, DPR would likely report on that too. There's no selective outcry.
Somehow I get what you're saying. By saying they fixed something people just think "why was the camera released with this defect?" and don't care much about Ricoh fixing the issue. It's the same when some manufacturers are releasing firmware updates with bug fixes or improvements, we always read a lot of "they released a beta-version for the customers to test, now the camera will be as it should have been released". Even if we imagine DPR's intentions are good, talking about a bug that has been fixed is really talking about a bug, so people assume that some brands have more bugs than others.
Thanks larkhon, that is what I meant to convey. Poor Ricoh looks like its got bad quality control compared to others while it is actually good that they admit a slight error and even offer to fix it.
I wish DPReview made a camera bugs subsection to get manufacturers off their bums to fix some of the issues these cameras have.
I agree with that too, I just responded to what I read as an accusation that DPR intentionally is treating these brands differently. I don't think that's the case.
I think it would also be useful to make a distinction between unintentional defects (manufacturing faults, software bugs), and intentional design/functional decisions that may be annoying to some users.
If DPR had not reported Ricoh’s announcement the outcry would be that a relevant Ricoh notice had been unfairly ignored and that any other manufacturer would have received proper coverage.
Ricoh most likely received a lot of complaints/reports of the button's behavior and did what a good company should do. DPR would be wrong not to report on it.
I have had camera issues with many brands. It happens. Some like this button issue are a choice on sending it in for repair or ignoring it. My fairly new Fuji X-T 20 has an uncommon problem (I have tested others): when I hit the flash release I HAVE to put my finger on the flash to get it to pop up. It has done this from day one. I've yet to have a store model do this. I chose not to return it as I have a now older Leica X1 and the flash no longer stays down in the locked mode. I look at the Fuji problem as a possible good thing. My old Sony RX100 (original version) had the vibration issue which was fixed via firmware. I'm not surprised about the Ricoh because things happen. My new car (Kia) had a few problems. It is the world we live in.
neither Nikon, Canon nor Sony can get it right. D600 with oil on sensor by using a bad shutter, D800 with defektiv left focus points, A7iii with broken shutter at delivery condition or think about firmware 2.0 that bumb out SanDisk cards and canon with political crippled cameras with old sensors, no ibis, no dual slot and no eye detection. And yes, this are only few examples. The list can go on. Ricoh got some issues with production tolerance. No development team can smell this issue. This affect not the prototypes and no small test series. The first mass production is affected
I don't see the lack of IBIS in Canon cameras as "crippling", as this is a feature they've never had, and they are reportedly working on developing it. It's different if you already have the tech, but choose to only include it in some models; eg. Fuji has IBIS in X-H1, but not in the X-T3 or X-T30, and Sony has it in the a6500, but not in the a6400. Or Olympus with PDAF in the E-M1, but not in the E-M5 or E-M10.
@revenant - this was mentioned with a lot of other points 😉 This was the weakest point for a counterargument. Why don't you discuss my fault by debate manufacturing defects and political decisions in one sentence 😉
Honestly I didn't even notice on mine until the internet pointed it out. Although the battery rattle does kinda annoy me though. Only other thing I'm getting used to is holding it, it just doesn't feel as comfortable in the hand as the previous version. I think the physical size and layout of the GR / GR II was pretty much perfect.
@James Ho: FYI, it's not the battery that rattles, it's the IBIS. And that's normal behaviour BTW. Ricoh inherited the system from Pentax's SR (Shake Reduction), and all Pentax DSLRs with SR have this rattle. I've owned several and the SR system has never failed regardless of my rough treatment of the cameras.
I would think every US buyer can just return theirs still, as it just came out last week. Pentax repair is notoriously terrible. Beats waiting months to get your camera back.
The older GRii is a nice camera but also has had flaws and QC issues. I had to exchange 2 units before I got the one that has no apparent issues. Knowing the fact that Ricoh service is virtually non existent ,and because it was a much cheaper model I never intended to send it for repairs. If it would break down I’d just toss it . The good thing is that it didn’t brake.
Not sure what this claim is based on. My direct experiance with Precision Camera has been good in both quality and timely repair on the Pentax camera and lens repairs for me over the last few years.
Was that before the Ricoh takeover? I have the GRII and live in Germany, where the GR was fixed. There is a service bureau here in Berlin I dropped it off at.
Why would he invest his time in destroying Ricoh? They perfectly do it for themselves. There is a huge and tough competition that comes from other phone like camera manufacturers , who are waiting for this sort of issues
That guy doesn't care about Pentax/Ricoh. He's too busy trying to trash Sony at every chance and puff up his personal brand (Nikon) to worry about destroying Pentax/Ricoh.
if we get the info that there is a specific range of cameras affected we can assume that there was a problem in the manufacturing stage, and that this not a design defect. dont be mean
I see your point. I sent a watch to Switzerland for repair because of a loose winding rotor, and even though the factory took care of it, I would rather have it faultless in the first place, but yes, it is better to acknowledge the issue and deal with it.
neither Nikon, Canon nor Sony can get it right. D600 with oil on sensor by using a bad shutter, D800 with defektiv left focus points, A7iii with broken shutter at delivery condition or think about firmware 2.0 that bumb out SanDisk cards and canon with political crippled cameras with old sensors, no ibis, no dual slot and no eye detection. And yes, this are only few examples. The list can go on. Ricoh got some issues with production tolerance. No development team can smell this issue. This affect not the prototypes and no small test series. The first mass production is affected
@ZeBebito: have you ever bought a car right after it was released? the first series always have some issues, which usually are not repeated once the manufacturer learnt from it.
@ZeBebito - no, cars are not complexer and far less innovative. They use standard concepts since 30...40 years and get parts from supplier. Putting an aps-c with ibis, phase autofocus and face detection in a ultra-compact body is completely new concept for ricoh. Furthermore you get a completely new touchscreen interface and bluetooth. Ricoh developed a whole new lens for this camera and a whole new wide converter. And second furthermore Ricoh are developing a whole new smartphone app for it. For developing a car you use 5 years and 100 engineers and 20 supplier. You get a new colour and some new forms. There will be a new rain detector for the window wiper. But this detail will not work properly. I don't think Ricoh got 100 engineers and 5 years. They claim to used only 2 years
Ricoh has to address other critical issues of this model too. The main issue is the really horrible battery life. Another issue is the lack of any fill flash. The second issue is connected to the first . Heck ! Any cheap cellphone has a flash! Much smaller Sony RX100 has it as almost any other small P&S. Those who couldn’t build it in for some reasons ,like Panasonic LX100 , include a tiny hot shoe flash for free with their cameras .The flash isn’t there because of the lack of room or even cost. It isn’t there because of the CIPA rating of the battery. If now it’s 200 shots so with flash it would be 120-150 shots! Who would buy it? They present it as a size reduction , but what else can they say? GRII is already small and perfectly pocketable.
Basically we get a stripped down camera ,but with 24mp stabilized sensor for $450CAD more! 28mm lens rarely needs a stabilizer. The only reason it’s there is because of the dust issue that the GRII has and the stabilizer acts as a sensor cleaner. But the dust shouldn’t get there in the first place and if it gets there a remedy shouldn’t affect the cost.
A camera with a new lens that has better macro. Keep up the resolution it 24 mph. Image stabilization for better low light situations in some cases. About 1/2 to 1 stop better iso sensor in addition to the resolution. A redesigned easier to use Ui. A smaller camera that fits easier in smaller pockets that you can always have with you. Low power blue tooth support for workflows to transmit images on the go. A new metering lose to prioritize highlights not seen anywhere before (maybe the Nikon Z also new has that too)
It’s kot a stripped down camera. It’s a different yet familiar to the line camera. You may not like it but to say it’s stripped down is misleading as a conclusion.
The battery is probably the one thing that has me holding back, but with the USB-C charging port I can kind of wave that off since I always have a battery pack with me with USB-C cables (phone, laptop, and now GR III all take USB-C).
isn't the "wide angle lens doesn't need stabilization" speech a bit old by now? if it impact battery life, well, a battery can be replaced, but the low light capability cannot be added afterwards. Seriously, without IS just about everyone would destroy the camera, saying smartphones have IS, why doesn't it have IS...
Because the difficulty to implement IBIS is getting larger and larger when the sensorsize get's bigger? By the Way, IBIS is only good for shaking hands, it gives you *nothing* on the subject itself, in low light. If you can, use a tripod.
@vscd: you're right but I was referring to IS, not IBIS in particular. IBIS is not the only way, they could have put IS on the lens, and if they managed to do it, as difficult as it might be, why say no to it? I would imagine one can turn it off in case it is not useful for their use. I'm aware of the limitations of IS. And, to be honest, I have to admit that I've been surprised to get sharp shots from the GR at shutter speed lower than the 1/FL rule, so we could ask, is IBIS worth the trouble? Maybe with a denser sensor it is. In any case, if it doesn't harm IQ noticeably and the only big cost is battery life, I'm in. Regarding tripod, with a camera that fits in a pocket, it would be going backwards to bring a tripod. Getting rid of tripod in 90% of situations is, in my opinion, one of the perks of buying a new (very expensive) camera.
@lark- the ibis allows the f2.8 prime lens to expand its shooting envelope in lower light situations. This obviously won’t cover many street situations but will cover some.
@Jose There are a couple of notable bugbears about the GR III, though, that rather take the shine off it as a whole. Firstly, the battery life is pretty terrible - around 150 shots per charge, far short of the official CIPA rating of 200 shots. Sure, you can carry extra batteries or an external powerbank, but that rather defeats the purpose of buying such a small camera. Secondly, the new hybrid AF system promises snappier, more accurate performance on paper, but often fails to deliver in practice, especially in low-light conditions, causing missed shots on more than occasion. Thirdly, this latest version loses the handy pop-up flash that was featured on all its predecessors, the main casualty of making the camera smaller.
This latest iteration of the GR series also sees a significant increase in price
Spare batteries never bother me. As noted by FoxShutter I would (!) miss the light duty flash. That was my deal breaker. My II is running just fine so I can skip this new version. Every shooter will have their own priorities.
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