The Ricoh GR2 is probably one of the most famous point and shoot digital cameras for street photography of all time. I found one online used for HKD$4280 in Hong Hong and thought I’d give it a try even though I didn’t really need it. This was the Ricoh GR2 Urban leather Set Edition, of which only 2000 were made. Basically it just comes with a leather case, the black lens ring and a green lens ring, and a charging cable to charge the battery in camera.
By a long way, the best thing about the Ricoh GR2 is the ergonomics. You can take photos and change settings with one hand and it’s the most comfortable camera I’ve ever shot with. It just fits perfectly in your hand and for out and about sea shots, it’s a real joy to use, quite literally. The problem is though, for me, I like to use a viewfinder and the Ricoh GR2 doesn’t have one, just an ok LCD screen. If you’re a street photographer or treasure cameras that don’t weigh much, this is the camera for you.
Technically it’s pocketable, I’ve fit it in shorts pockets, but really, anything more than a wallet in your pants looks and feels ridiculous. It weighs almost nothing, and you can easily carry this around in your hand ready for the right shot without getting tired. I had the Ricoh GR2 for about 6 months, enjoyed it but didn’t love it, because the images put of camera were not even close to the Fuji X Series cameras I have (The X-Pro 2 and original X100).
It doesn’t matter how fancy and how comfortable a camera is to me, if the images aren’t pleasing to you why keep it? There’s a high contrast Black and White mode I used a lot, you get images aka Eric Kim, and I shot RAW + JPG, but I wasn’t happy with either the RAW or JPG’s, the later of which are flat and dull compared to Fuji’s JPG’s. Dickheads like FroKnowsPhoto who say you can only shoot raw will scoff and say I should edit the Raw files, but I don’t have time for that and my philosophy is if I can get great JPG’s 99% of the time, why shoot Raw and spend time messing around with those files.
So, I sold it, bought the Fuji X100F and am way happier with this camera. It’s bigger, heavier and nowhere near as portable or pocketable, but the images just blow the Ricoh GR2’s away, at least in my opinion. For most of you out there who aren’t professionals but just love to shoot, I think you’ll find the same. Sure, I’m far from even a half decent photographer, but I care about what the images look like to me and don’t take photos to get likes and thumbs up. If you’re just taking photos to share on Instagram or viewing them mainly on mobile, the Ricoh GR2 is probably fine, but I like to view mine on a 4K monitor and print, and there is a difference.
For those of you must know the specs, the Ricoh GR2 has 16.2 Megapixel’s with a 23.7 x 15.7mm size CMOS sensor, the lens is a 28mm 2.8 with 7 elements in 5 groups (2 aspherical lens elements) and the camera weighs just 251g (with battery and SD memory card) (Approx. 8.9oz). It’s got built in Wifi and NFC, neither of which I eve used but could be useful to you depending on your shooting style. If you want to find out more about the specs, check out the Ricoh GR2 Micro Sim here.
I’ve had quite a few point and shoot digital and film camera’s because I like to keep things simple and light as much as possible, but I just don’t like shooting with them, they feel like toys and the images are never as good as the X-Pro 2. Of course, you can get good images on pretty much any camera but for me, the best images I’ve taken, or rather the ones I’ve liked the most, are all from the Fuji X Series camera’s.
Of course it’s not just about the gear, but I like taking photos on cameras I like the look of and feel of, as well as the final image quality (which is of course most important). I’ve only had the Fuji X100 F for a few weeks but already like it way more than any other compact camera I’ve used and when I look back at photos from the original X100, I still like those despite the fact when it first came out, the autofocus was painfully slow and it had a number of other quirks that didn’t exactly make it the best shooting experience. Anyway, this is just my personal opinion and the way you shoot and what’s important to you will always dictate what you should buy rather than some review from a guy who’s used the camera for an afternoon.
If money wasn’t an issue, I might have kept the Ricoh GR2, but I also believe if you’re going to buy, you might as well use it and not stow it away for it never to see the light of day. I’d rather sell it and let some else use it and enjoy it. I thought I might regret selling the Ricoh GR2, but I know I can always get another one from Japan easily for not much money, and since getting the X100F, I have absolutely no regrets at all.
Actually using the Ricoh GR2 is easy and fun and quick. Set it to Auto or P mode and just let the camera do it’s thing. It’s also got Aperture and Shutter priority modes and a bunch of filters, none of which I particularly liked. The menu system is pretty easy to use, similar to Fuji’s X Series in terms of ease. You can really customise it to the way you like and either let the camera do everything or set it to manual for more control and creative use.
The Ricoh GR2 is so close to being the perfect point and shoot, take everywhere, holiday camera. It was perfect when you’ve been carrying around a bigger camera all day, then are heading out for a dinner or something on holiday and just want to be prepared or take a few shots while out without having a larger camera weigh you down. Ana again, I say almost perfect because the image quality is just not that great in my mind. It’s perfectly acceptable for general use but for the way I view and use images, it unfortunately falls short.
Battery life is ok, if this is your only camera, then you’re going to need at least one extra, but if you use it like I did as above, then you’ll be fine. People always say smaller cameras are much more stealth but I still don’t buy that. Yes, the Ricoh GR2 is tiny and much less noticeable then anything bigger, but when you hold anything up near your eye people are going to notice you. Yes, you can shoot from the hip and not get noticed, but if you don’t feel pervy doing that there’s something wrong with you!
Any questions on the Ricoh GR2 send me an email here or ask us on Twitter. Here’s a few images taken with the Ricoh GR2 below:
