Consider the three cameras that can rightly claim cult status right now. Fujifilm’s X100VI, the Leica Q3 models and Ricoh’s GRIII in its many guises. What do they have in common? Yep, fixed lenses. And, what’s more, all three hit the mark with buyers from the very moment they were released – the original X100 in 2010, the Leica Q in 2015 and the first GR in 2013, but the GR Digital series dates back to 2005 and, the 35mm film model line back to the GR1 from 1996.
Of course, when the GR1 was launched fixed-lens compacts were everywhere, but the higher-end Ricoh combined pocket-sized dimensions with big camera performance and it’s been a recipe for success ever since. You’d hardly call the Leica Q cameras compact, but they’re still pretty portable and, perhaps more notably, a more affordable option to a digital M body fitted with a similar lens along with the contemporary conveniences of an EVF and autofocusing. Ironically, it’s retro styling that’s helped make the X100 series such a hit, and they’re certainly a lot smaller and lighter than the Leica Qs (obviously the sensor size helps here), but still pack plenty of performance, especially since the fourth-generation ‘F’ model.
