I wanted a camera that I could fit in the front pocket of my jeans that could literally go EVERYWHERE with me without making itself obvious to everyone around me. If you have always wanted a high-performing compact (APSC sized sensor and above) there are only just a few choices, the Leica Q series, the Fujifilm X100 series, and the Ricoh GR series. The only issue for me is in really bright conditions it can be hard to see, though there are custom brightness options in the camera menu to ease this. While I always shoot and archive RAW-files, it's sometimes handy to have high-quality JPG's ready for transfer to the phone for things like Instagram Stories or quick shares with friends and family.

I often crop my images heavily, especially when using prime lenses, so a camera with good resolving power is a must. When attached, the angle of view is changed to an approximate 90-degree view (21 mm equivalent focal length) for super wide-angle shots, enhanced perspectives and a wide angle of view. I can easily think of several scenarios when one might need that, but shooting street isn’t one of them. Since Ricoh also brought us the G700, an IPX8-rated camera with about the same form factor as this one, I wonder what the hurdles are to making this one weatherproof. Waterproofing would put lots of restrictions on the camera body, and I'm afraid it would result on something other than a GR.I'm not sure if the raw-files from the GR III comes with built-in digital corrections, the lack of any visible smearing in the corners of the files, make me doubt that there's anything sneaky going on behind the scenes. For comparison, the new Fujifilm X100V, which I presume is also on your radar if you're reading this, tips the scale at 478 grams, or 85% more. Although I’m a big fan of the Diary Edition colors and inclusions, I must say the GR III is not as attractive as many other Ricoh cameras. dot LCD is used for image composition, playback, and menu navigation, and its touchscreen design offers intuitive control along with Touch AF capabilities. This high-end digital compact camera has Image plane phase-matching AF delivers high-speed AF and contrast-detection AF offers superb focusing precision.

However the GRD/GR has remained interesting because it was and is an enthusiasts camera better built and has enviable firmware support. It doesn't look like much, but think of it -- it's like 80 lines/mm on film days and with a lens capable of delivering it!I quickly got accustomed to most aspects of how to use the camera, and I can easily say that that's one of the best things about it. I don’t own any macro lenses and I don’t shoot macro with any regularity, but every once in a while I see something that deserves to be captured in all its macro glory.