The Ricoh GR IIIx HDF is an excellent compact camera for street photographers or photographers on the go, with a new Highlight Diffusion Filter and other additional features.. A newly designed 26.1mm GR lens with a 40mm standard angle of view in the 35mm format gives users a true-to-life field of view. Versatility, exceptional image quality, fast response times, and excellent portability make the Ricoh GR IIIx a uniquely impressive camera.
Features New to the Ricoh GR III HDF
Highlight Diffusion Filter
The Ricoh GR IIIx HDF is equipped with a Highlight Diffusion Filter (HDF) that enhances light and produces a softer image expression, similar to that of film photography and movies. By diffusing incoming light, the filter reduces overall image contrast and blurs whites in bright areas, giving the image a soft, fluffy appearance.
Updated Exterior
The HDF models of the GR III series feature a grey-silver shutter release button that changes colour depending on the angle of light. The Fn button is assigned to HDF ON/OFF by default.
Software Updates
Users can now register up to 3 custom white balance settings. The base white balance and your own fine-tuned white balance can be assigned in combination. Additionally, "Zone-Select AF" has been added, which allows users to select any zone within the 3x3 focusing area and automatically focus on the appropriate position within the area.
Image Quality
The large 24.24 effective megapixel APS-C-size CMOS image sensor and latest GR ENGINE 6 imaging engine optimize its image resolving power. It’s equipped with a high-speed hybrid autofocus system, built-in shake reduction, and provides a range of new and upgraded post-shooting functions to edit captured images in-body to the photographer’s preference. Its short start-up time of approximately 0.8 seconds allows for quick, responsive shooting, while the high-definition LCD monitor features touchscreen operation and intuitive control of camera functions right on the screen.
The RICOH GR IIIx is designed to further enhance the essential values of the GR-series: optimizing image quality, snapshot capabilities and portability.
Newly designed, high-resolution GR lens
The newly designed 26.1mm GR lens provides a 40mm standard angle of view in the 35mm format, delivering images with a more natural perspective and a more truthful sense of depth for a completely different type of street photography. High-refractive index low-dispersion glass lenses and aspherical high-precision molded glass lenses are optimally placed in the lens construction to suppress optical distortion and chromatic aberration to the absolute limit, delivering a high level of sharpness. It also comes equipped with an ND (Neutral Density) filter, which closes the aperture down by two stops to capture high-contrast high-resolution images with a variety of scenes and subjects and under varying shooting conditions. Its nine-blade diaphragm mechanism creates a natural bokeh (defocus) effect and a truthful sense of depth at open and larger apertures, while capturing beautiful light beams at closed-down apertures.
Hybrid AF system for high-speed, high-precision autofocus operation
The hybrid AF system combines a contrast-type AF mechanism superior in focusing precision with a phase-detection-type AF mechanism, assuring high-speed focusing operation. During autofocus shooting, this AF system detects the subject’s face or eye with precision, focuses on it, and indicates the in-focus position on the LCD display using the AF frame. When the camera detects multiple faces, it automatically distinguishes the main subject from secondary ones and indicates this on the focus frame.
Compact lightweight design
The GR IIIx is designed to be extremely compact, functional, and portable. The exterior frame is made of highly rigid magnesium alloy to improve dependability and durability while being carried or stored. It provides a host of user-friendly features — including a short start-up time of approximately 0.8 seconds, control
dials conveniently positioned next to the four-way controller, and effortless touch-screen operation — to enhance operability and allow the user to swiftly react to once-in-a-lifetime shutter opportunities.
High-definition LCD monitor with intuitive touch-screen operation
The 3.0-inch high-definition LCD monitor with touch-screen operation provides swift, intuitive control of various camera functions, such as AF frame shift, menu selection, and image advance/magnification during playback. Its air gapless construction effectively reduces the reflection and dispersion of light for improved visibility. The Outdoor View Setting allows the user to instantly adjust the monitor’s brightness to the desired level for greater visibility in difficult lighting
conditions.
Advanced image editing
The GR IIIx provides in-body RAW-data development, allowing the user to edit a captured image as desired by adjusting such parameters as recoding size, aspect ratio, white balance, Image Control setting, and exposure compensation factor, all without the need of a PC. The camera also lets the user retain the adjusted parameters after the initial RAW-data development is completed, making it possible to make minute re-adjustment of the already-developed image with greater efficiency. The image quality adjustment function for JPEG images is also upgraded: a newly added monochrome mode allows more minute adjustment of parameters in full-colour images, such as filter effect, toning, contrast, and sharpness, to create monochrome images with the desired finishing touches. The camera also provides such creative tools as a choice of aspect ratio (16:9 or 4:3) and image rotation in 0.1-degree steps to facilitate the image editing process.
Bluetooth and wireless LAN dual communication
The GR IIIx provides wireless LAN functions for easy pairing with mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. By installing the dedicated Image Sync application, the user can transfer captured images to a mobile device, display a Live-View image on the device’s monitor, change various settings remotely, release the shutter from a distance, and upload captured images to various social media with ease. Even when the camera’s power is turned off, the user can browse and download the images stored on the camera to a mobile device. The user can also send a mobile device’s location data to the camera and record the data on captured images. The Auto Resize function, which automatically reduces the image
size before transmitting an image to a mobile device, helps improve the camera’s operability.
