Ricoh GR Digital III vs. Ricoh GR III: A Tale of Two Compact Classics

When I think about Ricoh’s GR series, two cameras immediately spring to mind as pillars - the Ricoh GR Digital III launched in 2009, and its modern successor, the Ricoh GR III from 2018. Almost a decade apart, these two compacts embody very different philosophies amidst a steady lineage renowned for delivering exceptional image quality wrapped in pocketable bodies, beloved especially by street photographers and enthusiasts who crave prime lenses without the bulk.

Having owned and tested both extensively in everyday and professional scenarios, I wanted to dig deep into how each fares - not just on paper but through real-world experience. The Ricoh GR Digital III was a favorite for years among minimalists who needed a compact with a bright 28mm equivalent lens and manual shooting control. The GR III, meanwhile, arrives with a snazzy APS-C sensor, built-in stabilization, and touchscreen, chasing a more premium niche in the large sensor compact market.

So how do these two cameras measure up when stacked side-by-side? Which should you actually buy in 2024? Let’s unpack their strengths, quirks, and use case suitability to help you make an informed choice whether you’re a devoted street shooter, casual travel snapper, or a professional backup option.

Size and Handling: Is Bigger Always Better?

Starting with the basics - you can’t ignore size and feel, especially for a camera designed to live in your pocket or camera bag all day.

At first glance, the Ricoh GR Digital III is a slimmer and lighter camera, weighing just 208g and measuring 109x59x26mm. It’s the very definition of a slim, stealthy compact - perfect for discrete street photography or slipping into a coat pocket on the go. The flat, boxy chassis contrasts with the slightly chunkier and more tactile GR III, which comes in at 257g and measurably thicker at 109x62x33mm.

Don’t underestimate those few millimeters and grams - they translate to a grippier feel in hand with the GR III, especially for those of us who like to shoot one-handed or enjoy a firmer hold. The GR Digital III can sometimes feel a little too minimalist in ergonomics, making fine manual adjustments fiddly, especially without a dedicated grip or mechanical dials.

Looking at the top plate, the GR III improves the control layout with more pronounced dials and buttons spaced for thumb reach. Crucially, it incorporates a dedicated exposure compensation dial and an easy-access mode dial, while the GR Digital III leans more on a mode wheel and less tactile buttons. Both cameras stick to their signature simplicity, avoiding the deep menu labyrinth common to many compacts, but the GR III definitely embraces refinement in user interface design.

Ergonomic Winner: For street photographers and outdoor shooters who value pocketability and ultra-lighterness, the GR Digital III still shines. But if you want better grip and easier control, the GR III nudges ahead.

Sensor and Image Quality: The Big Divide

If there’s a single critical upgrade between these two models, it’s the transition from a small 1/1.7-inch CCD sensor to a much larger APS-C CMOS sensor. Let’s get technical, because this sensor story really drives most other outcomes in image quality and performance.

The GR Digital III packs a 10-megapixel CCD sensor measuring 7.44 x 5.58 mm - a tiny 41.52 mm² area. By 2009 standards, it was solid, delivering pleasing color rendition and excellent sharpness for a compact, thanks to its fast F1.9 28mm equivalent lens. But in 2024 terms, this sensor size imposes relatively high noise beyond ISO 400, limited dynamic range, and no flexibility in high ISO shooting.

The GR III leaps ahead with a 24-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor (23.5 x 15.6 mm, 366.6 mm² area), a nearly ninefold increase in sensor area. This larger sensor allows significantly better low light performance, wider dynamic range, and increased megapixel count supporting large prints or cropping freedom. It also lacks an anti-aliasing filter, giving it striking sharpness and fine detail capture - impressive for such a small body.

This sensor shift mirrors the general industry trend from compact sensor cameras towards larger sensors packed into compact bodies, favored by enthusiasts demanding superior image quality.

In actual shooting conditions, the GR Digital III yields smooth, contrasty images at base ISO 64 or 100, but at ISO 400 and above, noise creeps in rapidly, and dynamic range compresses. The GR III handles high ISO shooting up to 12,800 with surprisingly manageable noise and retains details in shadows and highlights better. The wide ISO range (100 to 102,400 max native ISO) makes it versatile across lighting scenarios that would cripple the older model.

Lens and Optics: The Heart of The GR Experience

Both models adhere to the GR’s philosophy of pairing a premium lens with a compact fixed-body camera. However, specs differ in some surprising ways.

Both models sport a 28mm equivalent focal length - perfect for street and documentary-style photography, wide but not overly so.

• The GR Digital III boasts a fast F1.9 maximum aperture lens, unmatched in this pair for low light shallow depth-of-field effects and punchy subject isolation.
• The GR III offers an F2.8 maximum aperture, which may sound like a step backward at first, but benefits from overall optical refinements and sensor performance that compensate well.

The macro focusing distances differ interestingly - 1cm for the GR Digital III versus a more modest 6cm with the GR III. I know some macro fans lament the GR III’s longer minimum focusing distance, but the in-body stabilization somewhat compensates by helping focus precision handheld.

The lens construction on the GR III benefits from eight elements in six groups, specially optimized for digital sensors. The lack of an anti-aliasing filter on the sensor synergizes with this lens to produce ultra-sharp images.

To summarize lens-wise: the GR Digital III’s faster aperture is great for dreamy bokeh and low-light portraits, while the GR III offers excellent sharpness and modern aberration correction, favoring overall image quality and nuances in fine detail.

Autofocus and Manual Focus Systems: Old School vs. Modern Precision

Here’s where the GR III’s age really shines: it comes equipped with a hybrid autofocus system combining on-sensor phase detection and contrast detection, boasting face detection and continuous AF tracking capabilities.

Meanwhile, the GR Digital III has only contrast-detection autofocus - slower, less accurate, and no face or eye detection for portraits. Not that it’s unusable, but speed and accuracy limitations stand out under fast-paced street or wildlife shooting.

Manual focus is supported on both, but the GR III’s focus ring and touchscreen magnifier make precision focusing easier, especially when shooting macros or video.

LCD Screen and Interface: Touchscreen for the Win

The GR III sports a more detailed 3.0-inch touchscreen LCD (1037k dot resolution), making reviewing images and menu navigation intuitive. The touchscreen supports touch-focusing, bringing the kind of convenience smartphone shooters expect.

Conversely, the GR Digital III has a 3.0-inch fixed LCD with 920k dots but no touchscreen capability. Menus rely on physical buttons and dials, which can feel clunky by today’s standards.

That said, sometimes physical buttons mean muscle memory and tactile confidence without smudges or accidental taps. I’ve found that purists who favor straightforward controls may actually prefer the older, more mechanical interface.

Burst, Video, and Shutter Capabilities: A Study in Limits

Breaking it down:

• The GR Digital III offers a maximum shutter speed of 1/2000s and no continuous shooting mode eligible to count (marked “n/a”), which constrains its use in action or sports photography.
• The GR III flexes up to 1/4000s shutter speed, with fast electronic shutter and mechanical shutter combinations, ideal for freezing fast movement or shooting in bright daylight with wide apertures.

Burst rates remain modest on both - no high frame-rate continuous shooting or buffer for sports. These are compact cameras focused on image quality, not speed.

Video-wise, the GR Digital III is limited to VGA resolution at 30fps, barely useful in the current landscape. The GR III jumps to full HD (1920x1080) at 60p, supporting MOV and H.264 codecs, but lacks microphone or headphone ports for serious videography. So casual video clips only, though stabilization helps smooth handheld shots.

Battery Life and Storage: Modern Needs Met

Both cameras accept SD/SDHC cards, but the GR III supports UHS-I, enabling faster writing speeds - a bonus for image and video workflow efficiency.

Battery life details remain sparse, but my experience shows the GR III’s modern rechargeable battery outlasts the older model comfortably; the GR Digital III’s proprietary battery feels limited by comparison for all-day fieldwork, especially in cold conditions.

Connectivity and Extras: Wired, Wireless, and Flash

Here the GR III impresses with built-in wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi) for image transfer and remote control. In contrast, the GR Digital III has none of these modern goodies - no GPS, no Bluetooth, no Wi-Fi.

Flash-wise:

• The GR Digital III includes a built-in flash with a small 3m effective range; handy for fill light but far from overpowering.
• The GR III drops the internal flash entirely, relying on external flash units for proper illumination.

Both accept hot-shoe-compatible flashes, catering to hands-on photographers who prefer separate lighting gear.

Build Quality and Weather Resistance: Not Rugged, But Solid

Neither camera is weather-sealed, waterproof, or shockproof. Both rely on solid metal chassis and quality build but require care in challenging environments.

If you’re anticipating heavy weather or harsh conditions, neither is ideal without protective housing.

Image Samples and Real-World Use: The Proof Is in the Pixels

Of course, specs only tell part of the story. I put both cameras through their paces in multiple disciplines.

Ricoh GR Digital III front Ricoh GR Digital III screen back Ricoh GR III front Ricoh GR III screen back

• Portraits: The GR Digital III’s brighter F1.9 lens delivers creamy bokeh and softly rendered skin tones, while the GR III’s sharper images reward detail lovers but produce flatter backgrounds due to the narrower aperture.
• Street Photography: Portability and silence put the GR Digital III in favor, but the GR III’s improved AF tracking, face detection, and low light performance help grab fleeting moments with confidence.
• Landscape: The GR III’s higher resolution and dynamic range make it unbeatable for landscapes, capturing subtle highlight and shadow details missing on the older CCD sensor.
• Macro: The GR Digital III can focus as close as 1 cm, handy for extreme macro, whereas the GR III requires a bit more working distance but benefits from image stabilization.
• Night & Astro: The GR III’s high ISO tolerance and longer exposure options gain the upper hand, though neither is a specialized astro camera.
• Video: The GR III wins hands down with Full-HD and 60p smoothness; the GR Digital III is a forgettable VGA relic here.

Performance Scores and Genre-Specific Strengths: Objective Ratings

No single camera excels universally, so here’s a breakdown from my compiled performance ratings - based on technical benchmarks, image analysis, and hands-on testing scores.

And the granular genre-specific performance:

• Portrait: Digital III better for dreamy bokeh; GR III for razor sharpness.
• Landscape: GR III dominates due to sensor size and dynamic range.
• Wildlife: Neither ideal - low burst rate limits use.
• Sports: GR III better for AF speed, but both limited.
• Street: Close call; Digital III lighter and stealthier, GR III more capable AF and IQ.
• Macro: Digital III’s minimum focusing distance advantage.
• Night/Astro: GR III superior ISO handling.
• Video: Only GR III viable.
• Travel: GR Digital III is truly pocketable; GR III still compact but heavier.
• Professional Workflow: GR III’s RAW files, resolution, and dynamic range preferred.

Who Should Buy Which Camera?

Choose the Ricoh GR Digital III if:

• You want a lightweight, pocket-friendly street camera with a bright F1.9 lens.
• You primarily shoot JPG and enjoy simple controls.
• You’re on a tighter budget or curious about a vintage compact experience.
• You appreciate a pure minimalist approach without distractions like touchscreens or wireless.

Choose the Ricoh GR III if:

• Image quality and detail are your highest priority.
• You require reliable autofocus with face detection in a compact.
• Video capability and touchscreen convenience matter.
• You shoot a variety of genres: landscapes, low light, portraits.
• You prefer the flexibility of RAW shooting with a large APS-C sensor.
• You’re willing to invest more for modern features and technology.

Final Thoughts: Bridging Eras of Compact Excellence

The Ricoh GR Digital III stands as a charming relic of a bygone era - where tiny sensors and fast lenses combined to serve a niche of street photographers wanting a no-compromise pocket camera. Its lightweight, quick manual controls, and surprisingly capable optics still offer an enjoyable experience, especially for casual or nostalgic shooters.

But the Ricoh GR III tells a new story, one where sensor size and contemporary tech take precedence, delivering outstanding image quality, autofocus, and low light performance - while sacrificing a little in portability and ultrafast handling. It appeals more to enthusiasts and professionals who want a premium ultra-compact digital with cutting-edge features for diverse shooting scenarios.

In my book, the GR III is the more versatile and future-proof choice - although the GR Digital III remains a delightful camera for those who want simplicity and portability above all.

So, what’s your pick? Is it the lean, mean, mid-decade GR Digital III or the feature-set packed, bigger sensor GR III? Either way, you’re getting a piece of Ricoh’s compact camera legacy - a testament to thoughtful design and a love for photography made portable.

Thanks for reading! I hope this in-depth comparison helps you find the right Ricoh GR to accompany your photographic adventures.