Ricoh GR III Digital Compact Camera, 24mp, 28mm F 2.8 Lens with Touch Screen LCD : RICOH: Amazon.sg: Electronics

The photos online of this camera do not do it justice. It is small, sleek and has minimal branding. The photos suggest a cheap, plastic little point and shoot, which someone might mistake it for at a distance (Good! It doesn’t draw attention). But, it’s a magnesium alloy shell with high quality finishes. It feels solid, well made, and built to last. The photographs from this APS-C sensor are excellent in jpeg. Just as good as from a Fuji, Nikon, Canon or Sony with the same size sensor but in a far smaller body. The new 40mm lens is sharp. I like the automated cover for the lens when it is turned off/on so you don’t need to handle a separate lens cap. The menu options are just as robust -perhaps even more so when it comes to snap focus- as other the other APS-C top players. This camera has countless menu options to configure it however you wish. I was debating between this or the Fuji X100v (I owned the original X100, loved it and still love Fuji X series cameras). I looked at an X100v at a store to confirm again it is not pocketable in a front jeans pocket, which this GR IIIx is. It’s also light enough to carry in your front pocket all day. I really thought I would miss the EVF/viewfinder but the LCD achieves the same functionality albeit not close to your eye. This was my biggest concern but it actually makes it more discrete using the LCD screen rather than a viewfinder. The touch LCD can also be used to focus and trigger the shutter for greater discreteness either in Snap Focus or various standard AF/AE/Shutter modes. The app works as advertised but it’s not ideal for moving large batches of RAW files so I just use a SD card reader with my laptop. The battery is one of its biggest knocks and it should be double the size, but it’s good for a typical day of high volume shooting for most people without heavy use of offloading the photos via the app afterwards or constantly playing with menus. I just turn it off after every sequence of shots. I will still buy an additional battery and charging station for backup. In manual mode, I have it set to adjust the aperture, shutter speed, and ISO with one hand and three dials. Tip 1: the included wrist strap just needs to be knotted toward the bottom to make the opening a bit smaller for most people. Tip 2: A thumb grip is not necessary for most people and will make it less pocketable. There is a bump to rest your thumb by the playback button; just rest it at the inner joint of your thumb, not the top of your thumb, and it is a secure hold. Tip 3: definitely get glass tempered screen protectors. Ricoh, which also owns Pentax, is less well-known than the big players but is respected but its peers. This is definitely a mighty little one handed shooter. Very pleased with the GR IIIx.