The other day my RICOH GR III went kaput (lens issues), and after a quick spin with it around the block this morning, some thoughts:

The 40mm focal length

The first thought:

Is 40mm a ‘better’ focal length when compared to 28mm?

It is true that 40mm is the more ‘natural’ focal length for the human eye. However … is this good for photographic creativity and creative compositions? Maybe no. Why not? My thought:

When the focal length is too natural to what your human eye sees, then the downside is that you don’t need to force yourself to innovate.

For example, 28mm is waaaay wider than the natural eye. Therefore, you must be creative and innovative in terms of how you frame a scene.

Reduced macro distance?

Another big downside for me:

The RICOH GR IIIx … the macro close focusing distance is *LESS*

Which means … for macro photography, the GR III is superior to the GR IIIx.

Macro photography is great because it opens the doors to new photographic opportunities. Even when stuck indoors all day, or stuck in the boring suburbs, macro photography opens up so many new photographic opportunities — nature, leaves, textures, food, etc.

GR III is superior

Therefore the first thought is that the GR III is superior to the GR IIIx. The GR IIIx is a step *BACKWARDS* in my opinion. My GR IV wish list would be simple:

Just bring back the flash.

Even the other day I wondered:

To replace my GR III … should I just buy another old-school RICOH GR II (which has an integrated flash?)

The GR IIIx is heavier?

Another ‘downgrade’ —

The GR IIIx feels substantially heavier in the hand, when compared to the GR III.

Not super big difference, but enough for me to notice.

Which makes me also think–

When you add power or a new function … but make it heavier … it is a step BACKWARDS.

For example the new Apple iPhone Pro and MacBook Pro (14 inch) — making it heavier is worse.

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Is there any other big differences?

None which I can see.

Downsides of GR IIIx (when compared to GR III):

1. Worse macro focusing distance
2. A tiny bit heavier
3. 40mm is a more boring focal length when compared to 28mm.

More thoughts to come.