Few cameras can claim to have such a staunch cult following as the Ricoh GR III. And with the long-awaited Ricoh GR IV boasting the series’ biggest upgrade yet, that’s sure to continue. But as somebody who’d never handled a GR compact camera before, I’d rather ignorantly dismissed the whole series as a bit of a compact oddity. However, I quickly changed my mind when a colleague brought in a used GR III they’d acquired, and I got to handle the respected compact for the first time. The first thing I noticed was how premium it felt.
I’d always figured the GR cameras were a bit overpriced, and I guess if all you care about are technical specs, then there’s an argument to be had (more on that later). But holding this little camera in my hand for the first time, feeling the robustness of the casing and the texture of the grip, there was a – dare I say it – Leica quality to the camera. The alloy body felt reassuringly weighty, but not heavy, while the grip also had a pleasing tactile feel to it. Now, I’m not suggesting a GR camera can measure up to the premium feel of a Leica M-System camera, but the fact that the GR III is a compact really heightens the impact of the quality.
