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The Ricoh GR III Is Coming

Devotees of the Ricoh GR series can breathe a sigh of relief; the long-awaited GR III will go on sale early next year.

Jim Fisher
 & Jim Fisher Principal Writer, Cameras

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The Ricoh GR III is coming, just not in 2018.

The sequel to the GR II, one of our all-time favorite pocketable digital cameras, is set to go on sale in early 2019. Pricing isn't yet available.

The GR III doesn't make many changes from the GR II, pictured above. It still sports an 18.3mm (28mm full-frame equivalent) lens with an f/2.8 aperture, backed by an APS-C sensor. But the lens is a new design, presumably improved to meet the resolution requirements of the 24MP APS-C image sensor—which is more demanding than the 16MP chip used in earlier models.

The biggest potential area for improvement is one you'll never see, unless you decide to take your GR apart. The sensor now boasts physical image stabilization, a first for the GR. It's a 3-axis system, so not as advanced as the 5-axis stabilization included with recent Ricoh Pentax SLRs, but should go a long way to allowing you to get sharp handheld photos in tough light. It should also be a boon for using the GR III for video—though there is no 4K here, video still tops out at 1080p resolution, at your choice of 24, 30, or 60fps.

The new GR III looks a lot like the GR II from the front—we haven't yet seen the camera from the rear to see if there are any changes to the control layout. But we don't expect there to be a lot, as the one-handed physical control interface is what draws many photographers to the GR series to begin with.

The rear LCD is a fixed design—adding a tilt screen would be tough given the GR III's slim, pocket-friendly form factor. It is 3 inches in size, sports a 1,037k-dot resolution, and supports touch input. This is another upgrade, though we're not sure how Ricoh will implement touch into the interface. At the very least we hope to be able to tap to set a focus point.

Other features, including in-camera Raw development, Snap focus, an in-lens neutral density filter, and Wi-Fi file transfer, continue in the GR III.

We'll have more information, including pricing and a clearer on-sale date, when it comes it available.

About Our Expert

Jim Fisher

Jim Fisher

Principal Writer, Cameras

My Experience

Images, and the devices that capture them, are my focus. I've covered cameras at PCMag for the past 14 years, which has given me a front row seat for the changeover from DSLRs to mirrorless cameras, the smartphone camera revolution, and the emergence of drones for aerial imaging. I have extensive experience with every major mirrorless and SLR system, and am also comfortable using point-and-shoot and action cameras. As a Part 107 Certified drone pilot, I’m licensed to fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for commercial and editorial purposes, and am knowledgeable about federal rules and regulations regarding drones.

The Technology I Use

I use all of the major camera systems on a regular basis, swapping between Canon, Fujifilm, L-Mount, Micro Four Thirds, Nikon, and Sony systems. I still find time to use Leica M rangefinders and Pentax SLRs on occasion, too. I keep an iPhone 13 in my pocket for the rare occasions I'm not carrying a camera.

I'm not a brand-specific photographer. For product review photos, I swap between a Canon EOS R5 and a Sony a7R IV. I use Flashpoint and Godox TTL lights and Peak Design tripods, and I most often reach for a Think Tank or Peak Design backpack to carry equipment.

When it comes to computers, I'm an unapologetic Mac person and have been for the past 20 years. I write in Pages and use Numbers for spreadsheets. I currently swap between an Intel i9 MacBook Pro and an Apple Silicon Mac Studio for writing and use a calibrated BenQ 32.5-inch with the Studio for photo and video editing. I rely on a LaCie 6big RAID for media storage. I also keep a PC around for gaming, but please don't tell my Macs about it; they'll get jealous.

I split time between several different software apps depending on the type of editing I'm doing. For Raw image processing, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic is my standard. I pair it with a LoupeDeck CT console to supplement my keyboard and trackpad, and I lean on RNI All Films 5 presets when I want to give an image a film look. I use Apple Final Cut Pro for video editing.

My first digital camera was the Canon PowerShot Elph S200, and my first DSLR was the Pentax *ist DL. I have a soft spot for antique film gear. I still use a 1950 vintage Rolleiflex Automat TLR and love trying mid-century Leica lenses on film and digital alike. I mainly use whatever's in front of me for review for digital snaps, but I pick up either my Leica M Typ 240 or Pentax K-3 III Monochrome when I want to step away from review work. In my downtime, I enjoy bird watching, reading, video games, and both good and bad movies, especially in the sci-fi and horror genres.

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