Pete Askew
Admin
There has been quite a few previews and opinions about the latest incarnation of the Ricoh Digital GR (V if you wish) - eg, http://www.realphotographersforum.com/digital-cameras/11424-ricoh-gr-digital-v.html. I was very keen on the previous versions and own both a GR Digital II and III. Version IV seemed mostly a refresh of the the III but the new GR is something different, it is now equipped with an APS-C sensor. My favoured dealer (Commercial Cameras) pre-ordered a few following favourable reviews and hands-on experiences and the first to arrive was set aside for me. He received it on Thursday and sent it to my office to arrive Friday and I picked it up from there today.
First impressions. OK, let's get the negatives out of the way first! It is bigger than the previous GR Digital cameras and closer in size to the GR film cameras. No surprise, I knew that as it does have a bigger sensor. It has a wider collar on the lens and so will not take the old accessories; again no big surprise. It takes a different battery. No big thing if you are new to this camera and, you might think, no big thing in general. But, it is annoying as all my previous ones used the same batteries. Is the extra 0.1V and 10% extra capacity critical for this camera? I suspect not. Irritating, but no real issue. However, the lack of an external charger into which you can insert the battery, is. Big thumbs down Ricoh. All your previous cameras came with an external charger but with this one, as with the Sony RX100, you are stuck with a transformer that plugs into the camera using a USB lead. And, even worse, the transformer doesn't take a 'figure of 8' lead as did the old chargers and the Sony but it is a 'wall wart' style unit with a plug on UK adapter (and no other regional ones) and the lead is short. When you travel as much as I do, needing only one lead and being able to carry a spare battery held in a tiny charger makes a difference. An external charger and spare battery is on the shopping list!
So, what's in the box?
Here is a comparison of the GR Digital III with the larger GR.
So, tantalisingly that is where I will leave it for now as the camera is charging.
First impressions. OK, let's get the negatives out of the way first! It is bigger than the previous GR Digital cameras and closer in size to the GR film cameras. No surprise, I knew that as it does have a bigger sensor. It has a wider collar on the lens and so will not take the old accessories; again no big surprise. It takes a different battery. No big thing if you are new to this camera and, you might think, no big thing in general. But, it is annoying as all my previous ones used the same batteries. Is the extra 0.1V and 10% extra capacity critical for this camera? I suspect not. Irritating, but no real issue. However, the lack of an external charger into which you can insert the battery, is. Big thumbs down Ricoh. All your previous cameras came with an external charger but with this one, as with the Sony RX100, you are stuck with a transformer that plugs into the camera using a USB lead. And, even worse, the transformer doesn't take a 'figure of 8' lead as did the old chargers and the Sony but it is a 'wall wart' style unit with a plug on UK adapter (and no other regional ones) and the lead is short. When you travel as much as I do, needing only one lead and being able to carry a spare battery held in a tiny charger makes a difference. An external charger and spare battery is on the shopping list!
So, what's in the box?
Here is a comparison of the GR Digital III with the larger GR.
So, tantalisingly that is where I will leave it for now as the camera is charging.
