Ricoh GR 16.2 MP Digital Camera with 3.0-Inch LED Backlit (Black)

Lets begin by saying that contrary to what most might imagine, anyone, regardless of skill or artistic sensibility would be well served by owning this camera. After all, its fixed focal length, small pocketable size and extraordinary ability to yield B&W images make it the 21st equivalent of an uber Instamatic, albeit a very expensive one. A few decades ago, cameras of this ilk were the common man's snapshot engine and there's really no reason to think that in auto mode the GR can't perform well beyond expectations of those who simply want to record head to toe images of their friends and loved ones.Of course, in modern times snappers generally expect far more amenities such as zoom lenses, portrait and sports modes, wifi etc, none of which this camera provides. And as the consumer mantra today tends to emphasize sugar over substance, more doodads obviously make for a better product. Not so in this case. Nevertheless, for the vast majority of folks looking for a new camera, all the image quality in the world could never trump this camera's lack of 'basic' conveniences. If that's where you're coming from, hit the backspace key and get the hell out of here. This camera wasn't made for you.But for those who do high tail it out of here, it is a shame, because this camera represents a true landmark in the history of photography. Dollar for dollar, ounce for ounce, cubic inch for cubic inch, it is the most powerfully concentrated still imagining tool humans have ever created. Some here have complained its not truly pocketable. Clearly none of these people ever smoked. Its just a touch larger than a pack of cigarettes and just as addictive. Addicts dont care if their fix means their jeans bulge a little, it's actually a source of comfort to be reminded every so often that what you need is just within reach whenever you need it.In even modestly skilled hands the Ricoh's image quality is truly astonishing. And while its an incredibly effective and inspiring tool for those interested in documenting the urban landscape, it is by no means limited to that venue. I now carry it with me for every round of golf I play, an activity I never before considered as a viable opportunity for image making. Throw the GR in your push cart's cup holder and while your playing companions are mucking around over thinking their next shot, you can grab some amusing shots of extra-urban life as well. And as a bonus, its wide field of view coupled with its full HD video capability is perfect for recording every painful aspect of your playing companions swing. Might even pay for itself if you threaten to take the resultant videos viral.If it isnt plain by now, I truly love this camera. Not perhaps quite in the same way as with my XE-1, but just as vehemently. The Fuji along with the X mount family of lenses is a camera system and therefore far more flexible. But there are places the Fuji simply can't go that the Ricoh can. As the old saying goes, the best camera is the one you have with you. And these days, I always have the Ricoh with me.So why then only four stars? Well, for starters despite what you might have read about the GR interface, I find aspects of it very frustrating. The basic controls are extremely good. With the exception of occasionally bumping the EV lever, I never corrupt a shot due to an inadvertent button press. For such a small camera this is miraculous. But the underlying menu system and several options found within are not as well thought out. Items are often confusing and in some cases nearly non-nonsensical. If that was the worst of it, I'd have rated the camera five stars, but the GR has one glaring flaw which I find utterly unacceptable and frankly in all the reviews I've read has never come up. I shoot in raw mode, no jpeg. The trouble is that when reviewing images the rendering on the display in many instances is utterly useless for determining the focus accuracy of the shot. Straight lines can be jagged, noise can be prevalent enough to imply missed focus or exposure. As a result what turns out in post to be a tack sharp, nicely exposed photograph can easily be tossed in the field as unacceptable due to the lies told by the display. I've yet to use the camera in raw + jpeg which perhaps might mitigate this problem. If you do shoot raw only with the GR, I'd advise you keep everything until you've had a chance to review it off camera. Regardless of any workaround, I find this to be a very serious flaw which hopefully will be fixed in firmware sometime in the near future. One other thing to note that is that in a month or of in the pocket use, the screen has gotten some annoying scratching. I suppose I should have anticipated this, but having had iPhones that took years to show significant signs of screen wear, for a camera supposedly designed to go in your pocket, this is a problem. I'd far rather have paid the extra ounce and $50 for gorilla glass than now having to resort to film or a snap on cover. With these flaws, I simply cant give this camera a perfect rating.My final words are for those talented amateurs who take photography seriously, buy into the portability aspects of the GR, dont have a huge budget in either time or money to waste on failed experiments and have lived their entire life in the company of 24-100 mm zooms. You may be inclined to pass on this camera because despite it enticing attributes, you simply cant get past the 28mm fixed focal length. You're afraid its just too wide, too limiting, too inflexible. If that's the case, I'd urge you to summon the courage to give this little beast a try. I'm betting it will change the way you see the world for the better and forever alter how you approach capturing its beauty and ugliness. The GR is a rare class of camera that has just the right stuff to ignite a deeper more insightful passion for photography. If that sounds like something you're searching for, look no further, this is the partner you require.

As a new Ricoh user I found the GR to be a complicated and difficult machine. I have to say that it took me a few weeks to warm up to the camera.If you're like me you are going to want to explore the camera extensively. You'll soon find the camera to have a myriad of features and optimizations that could be daunting to those who are impatient. Unfortunately, I am a bit impatient and found myself struggling in operating the camera effectively. Of course, leaving the camera on Auto will eliminate the complexities of the camera.The camera is well built and balanced. The large grip is a big plus that gives the user a boost of confidence in shooting the camera without concern of slipping. The GR is a small camera; about the size of an Olympus XZ-1 or Panasonic LX-5. The fact that they were able to put an APS-C sensor in a small body is a great feat of engineering. It is one terrific reason for purchasing the camera. To be able to carry a small camera that produces DSLR like quality has been the dream of many photographers for a long time. The Ricoh GR is successful in building that type of camera.The many customization's and features the GR possesses is both a delight and a maddening experience. In that regard, the GR requires some experimentation and trial and error to get the camera to shoot the way you intend too. There is no question that the GR can be very versatile and quick to use - it has all the manual controls and customization's to satisfy your shooting habits - but getting there can be a little bit of journey. And the reason is because the Ricoh is a machine that has to be finely tuned to your habits. Some of the features and customization's the GR has are unique to Ricoh, and can therefore be somewhat troublesome to those who are new to the Ricoh system.Once you get the settings correct, however, the camera is quick and responsive. The auto-focus on the GR is fast and does well in low light. I've read some reviews from other people who have complained about the speed of the auto-focus and the poor performance of the AF in low light conditions. Honestly, I haven't any problems with those issues at all, but maybe that is because I am using the latest firmware that might have corrected those issues. The GR also has the snap-focus feature which can utilize hyper-focal and zone-focusing techniques.It's safe to say that the GR has many features and gives the user the ability to shoot how they prefer. The features the user uses the most can be assigned to any number of customized buttons or the handy customized lever. In essence, giving the user a highly customized machine.The GR has many different filters within the camera, and the reason I specifically mention them is because I find them to be very good. Filters like the high contrast B/W, positive film, or beach bypass filters I found to be very useful on many occasions. You can shoot these in JPEG or process the raw files in the camera.The pictures the GR renders are sharp. I find the JPEG's to be a little flat in color and contrast, especially if you're going to compare it to the Olympus or Fuji pictures which have a lot of "pop" to their JPEG's. In that regard I would compare the GR JPEG's to that of Pentax JPEG's. However, as I mentioned earlier, the filters on the GR are terrific.RAW files are very good and malleable in post processing. The GR also produces good tonality for B/W pictures.Pictures on the GR can get a little noisy rather quickly when raising the ISO number. Even at low ISO numbers (400-800) the GR can produce a small amount of grainy noise. This can be a negative to some but I personally don't mind the grain. The grain is not unattractive as it is in some other cameras with smaller sensors. But that is a personal preference.Ricoh is also very active in firmware updates. Releasing updates to fix certain glitches and adding even more features to an already stacked featured camera.The Ricoh GR is not the most user friendly camera. There is a reason why Ricoh is considered to be the camera maker for geeks. The vast amount of features on the camera to many, including myself, can seem to be unnecessary and over the top. However, the user can make it as simple or difficult as they want in utilizing the GR; at the end of the day the GR is a compact, powerhouse of a camera that delivers DSLR quality pictures. The initial awkwardness dissolves as the GR gets finely tuned by the user, and eventually becomes the versatile, high performance machine that it is meant to be.

Great price for a great camera. With an APS-C sensor in such a compact form factor, this a wonderful camera to carry with me for everyday. I love the ability to pre-program 3 user modes and the ability to control aperture, exposure, ISO, macro, focusing, effects and flash output with no more than two or three steps. Preparing "the shot" with the GR is almost like using my D7000 (without the weight; of course). Shooting RAW or RAW+JPG is extremely convenient, and I really like the Black and White effect. I would probably set to B&W all the time if carrying my DSLR with me. Image output is very good; my only quibble is images tend to not to play up certain colours, even with Vivid effect selected, but I guess this can always be adjusted in post. All around, high quality pictures (which is all I care about in a camera), and highly customizable and easy to reach functions for using the camera how I want to. Easy to edit puctures in camera to via RAW Development (easier than bundled software, as I am not a pixel peeper and prefer to set up and compose than do too much post production (aside from 30 secs of sharpening, exposure compensation and maybe perspective control, depending on subject)). I have not used the video (yet), but likely never will because this purchase was meant purely for snapshots during the week.

When I bought this camera my choices were between this and the Nikon Coolpix A. I would have chosen the Nikon and paid $100 more for it, even though the cameras are almost identical because I own other Nikon cameras and use their software.This camera is excellent, the software (Silkypix) produces excellent results and I do not regret choosing it over the Nikon (saving $400).

Fantastic Camera! Makes me wonder why i didn't find it sooner. Basically doles out big DSLR camera like images that are Tack-sharp. All in a delightfully small and compact "pocketable" package. Even the look is non-threatening and hence makes for a great Street shooter cam too.If i had to list out any improvement, it's probably the fact that it doesn't have a tilting screen, but really, i'm just nitpicking. Such a fantastic camera and one of the first in a very long time, where i feel no need for a eye-level viewfinder since there isn't one. You could attach it on the hotshoe, but that to me takes away the pocketability and discrete nature of the camera. The in-built crop modes of 35mm and 50mm FOV are quite handy when you want to frame in that particular view and makes up in whatever way for the fixed focal length, which i've been a fan of, and see the crop modes as a welcome addition, even though the same is achieved in post-cropping later too.So much has been the impact that i've come back from travels, and plan to get rid of my Mirrorless DSLR gear and stick to only this. How this will progress is something i might come back later to update, but this is clearly the plan for the near future!

Returned to Amazon for a refund. After taking a few pictures, the next day the battery would be dead. This happened every single time. No choice but to return it for a refund.

The best p&s on the market in my opinion. This camera is not for beginners. You need to know how to use it to get the best image quality.