Why the RICOH GR III is Better than the RICOH GR II

The RICOH GR II is a perfect camera. But the good news– the RICOH GR III is even better.

The upside of being a late adopter

selfie glasses macro Ricoh gr iii

You might be curious why it took so long for me to get a RICOH GR III and to test it out. Well — I wanted to fully explore all the other options (like shooting with smartphones, iPhone, etc) before committing to something new.

And after my ‘purposeful delay’ (in praise of being late adopter), I can say:

The RICOH GR III is even better than the RICOH GR II — by a large margin.


Why the GR III is better than the GR II

  1. Wayyyy faster autofocus, responsiveness, 100x better accuracy in autofocus.
  2. The high contrast black and white monochrome mode on RICOH GR III is far superior to the RICOH GR II. With the GR II, you needed to shoot it in RAW and use ERIC KIM MONOCHROME preset for Lightroom in order to make nice looking monochrome images. But now with the GR III– you can just shoot it all in JPEG! This means far simpler usability for our photographic workflow.
  3. Smaller and lighter: This means your GR III fits in your front pocket even better (get an ERIC KIM WRIST STRAP). Also because it is lighter, it feels even more invisible around your neck (ERIC KIM NECK STRAP MARK II).
  4. Improved macro close-up: You can shoot even closer now!
  5. Improved video: The 1080p video (you can shoot in 24fps, 30fps, or 60fps) is actually really good. I plan on shooting more artsy videos with the GR 3. The GR 3 (with 21mm adapter) is actually a very good vlogging setup as well!

As a consequence of these improvements, the RICOH GR III is probably 10x more fun to shoot with than the previous RICOH GR II (which was far slower, clunkier, and less accurate with autofocus).

Why have more fun in photography?

The more fun photography is, the more we will shoot. The more we shoot, the happier we are. And the happier we are, the more optimistic, empowered, and creatively productive we become!

Upgrade

I can confidently say that the RICOH GR III is worth the upgrade (if you already have a RICOH GR II). Don’t even think about it– just buy it.

If you’re more on a budget, I encourage you to get the RICOH GR II (even better– find a second-hand one, you can probably buy for a lot less money).

If you’ve never owned a Ricoh GR before, and you’re curious– just skip the RICOH GR II and get the Ricoh GR III.

If you like shooting with flash, get the RICOH GR II.

I don’t miss the flash

RICOH GR3 x Eric Kim NECK STRAP MARK II
RICOH GR3, 21mm adapter, x Eric Kim NECK STRAP

Flash is awesome, and I think every photographer should try it out.

Perhaps at this point I don’t miss the flash because I feel I’ve already mastered shooting with a flash, and I know that I have the capability of making great flash photographs.

In praise of 21mm

At this point, I can explore new territory with the RICOH GR III, and using the new 21mm adapter (21mm is new photographic territory for me, which is quite exciting). I’ve mastered 35mm, 28mm, and got a good taste of 24mm — and I feel that 21mm is the next frontier. A new fun, creative, and challenging photographic pursuit.

If you’ve never shot 21mm and you like 28mm, I encourage you to get a RICOH GR3 with the 21mm adapter and try it out! If you don’t like it, you can always return it.


RICOH MAFIA FOR LIFE

The RICOH GR III is the only interesting camera on the market right now. I highly encourage you to invest in one.

ERIC KIM NECK STRAP MARK II x Ricoh GR II x RICOH MAFIA Artwear
ERIC KIM NECK STRAP MARK II x RICOH MAFIA Artwear

Experiment shooting with the JPEG settings, and just carry it around with you all day. Shoot a lot with it, and have fun!

Go on more photographic adventures, and don’t forget to have fun :)

ERIC

GR III photos

Learn more about RICOH GR III and the 21mm adapter.