My Journey With Ricoh-GRiii

My Ricoh GR III journey began in October 2019, when my trusty Sony camera failed before a Masterclass in London. As a devotee of the 28mm focal length, I immediately started searching for a replacement. It wasn't long before I came across the GR III, and I was immediately drawn to its compact size, sharp lens, and intuitive controls. Despite not having a chance to test it first or knowing a lot about it, I knew the GR III was the camera for me.

This is where my journey began with the Ricoh GR III, a little camera that proved to be a reliable partner on the streets of London and beyond. Enthusiastic about its compact size and curious about its capabilities, I set out to "work with it," as I like to say. I wanted to make friends with this new camera and learn how to coax the best images out of it—something I had never done before with any other camera. I started by taking photos on the subway, not just for fun but with the serious desire to create truly great images.

I quickly acclimated to the GR III and was eager to explore its capabilities in all weather and light conditions. As a big fan of nighttime photography in the rain, snow, and low light, I ventured out on numerous occasions to capture moments as I had with my old Sony. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the GR III performed admirably at night, even with its relatively slow f/2.8 lens.

I know you're all wondering how the GR III performs in terms of ISO and rain protection. It's not a weather-sealed camera, but the ISO performance is excellent. I'm a photographer who uses auto ISO because I like to work a lot with light compensation, and I've gotten good images at ISO 6400 without any clarity problems.

Rain protection is more challenging since I'm not the type of person to carry an umbrella. I usually keep the camera under my jacket or use a cloth to protect it from droplets, but art requires sacrifices, as they say. I've had a few situations where the camera got so wet that it stopped working, and I had to dry it out. That's entirely my fault, though, because I sometimes use the camera a bit harshly. My goal is to be able to take the photo I want, regardless of the place or conditions.

The Ricoh GR III has become my main camera over the past four years, accompanying me on all my trips around Europe, to all the workshops I teach, and in all the photos I've taken since 2019. I'm not the type of photographer who talks about technical details and super functions, but I can tell you from my own experience that any street photographer can handle a camera like this without having to carry a backpack full of gear.

I wish you good light and lots of inspiration. With respect, Selaru Ovidiu