Why I prefer the Ricoh GR III to the Fujifilm x100VI
Introduction :
Fujifilm just released the newest version of their legendary x100 line, the x100VI. According to preliminary sales data, they’ve been flying off the shelves faster than anything Sony or Lumix has produced this year. When you look at the specs sheet, its not hard to see why. Fujifilm managed to take the beloved x100V and make it even better.
If you want a review of the x100VI, you’ll find 1,000 of them on other websites. In this post, I want to tell you why I, as a photographer, still prefer the Ricoh GR III to the x100VI.
The Strengths of the Fujifilm x100VI:
Just so you know I’m not a Ricoh fanboy, let me begin by telling you all the things the x100VI does better than the Ricoh GR III, and there are a lot of them.
The x100VI has a viewfinder, a feature I dearly miss on my Ricoh. Not only does it have an electronic viewfinder but also an optical viewfinder, a feature you’ll find in very few modern cameras. When I’m trying to take photos with my GR III and the sun is bearing down and washing out the screen, I find myself dreaming of a viewfinder.
The sensor of the x100VI has higher resolution. I don’t often find myself wishing for more megapixels on my Ricoh, but if they were offered to me, I would take them. Megapixels come in handy, especially on fixed lens cameras, because they give you more room to crop and they make in-camera crop modes more usable.
The x100VI has a tilting screen. Almost every GR III owner I know is hoping a tilt screen will be implemented on the Ricoh GR IV. A tilt screen is infinitely useful and practical. The x100VI has one and the Ricoh doesn’t.
The x100VI has better IBIS than the Ricoh. I’m super thankful Ricoh managed to give users a 3-axis image stabilization in the GR system. Once you photograph with IBIS, its hard to go back to shooting without it. The new IBIS unit in the x100VI is 5-axis and will undoubtedly outperform the Ricoh system.
The x100VI is a good video camera. If you are solely a photographer, this point won’t apply to you, but if you occasionally like to take short video clips with your camera, the x100VI is the better option. There is no other way to say it, the Ricoh GR III is terrible for video. It can’t autofocus and the video quality (even at 1080p) looks like 720p from 15 years ago. The IBIS unit in the x100VI finally makes it a good camera for handheld video. Am I jealous? More than a little bit!
I’m sure there are additional things I could add to the Fujifilm x100VI’s list of accomplishments, but I want to shift gears and tell you why I’ll still be carrying around my Ricoh GR III and not an x100V.
The Biggest Strength of the Ricoh GR III:
In my opinion, the biggest strength of the Ricoh GR III, and the reason I won’t be replacing mine with an x100VI, is the fact that it is a legitimately pocketable camera.
I’ve read several reviews calling the x100 cameras “pocketable”… this is a lie. Unless you regularly wear heavy winter jackets, even in the hot months, the x100VI is not a year-round pocketable camera.
Those of you who wear cargo shorts can fight me in the comments, but for the rest of us, I propose to you that the Ricoh GR III is the only high end, APSC, pocketable camera on the market. When I say “pocketable” I mean that the camera reasonably fits into the front pocket of any modern pair of pants.
I’ve carried my Ricoh into the grocery store, to church, to the park, on daily walks, and on airplanes. I’ve used it to capture pictures I never would have taken with a larger camera. I’ve carried it into places where cameras weren’t allowed. It can be stored discretely, and it will completely disappear if you want it to. It does this while providing the owner with a great user experience and beautiful picture.
This puts the Ricoh in a class of its own. In some ways, I hesitate to compare it to the x100VI because they really are two very different cameras. The Ricoh GR III is the pinnacle of minimalism and portability. The x100VI is a well-rounded, feature-rich, aesthetically pleasing device designed to appeal to a larger audience.
The x100VI is a fantastic camera, but it won’t fit in my pocket, so it won’t replace my Ricoh GR III… full stop.
Conclusion:
The greatest strength of the Ricoh GR III, even in 2024, is its size. Nothing compares to it in terms of portability. Until the big camera companies return their attention to the compact market, I doubt anything will compare to the Ricoh’s pocketability and quality.
A lot has been written about the x100VI and a lot more will be written throughout the camera’s lifetime. Fujifilm gave consumer’s exactly what they wanted (take note OM System, where is my Pen-F mark ii?). I wish Fujifilm all the success in the world with the x100VI, but it won’t be my go-to everyday camera, at least until it fits in my pant pocket.
