Ricoh GR IIIx HDF Compact Camera

Ricoh GR IIIx HDF Compact Camera Summary

The Ricoh GR IIIx HDF Compact Camera adds the ability to capture mellow images with diffused highlight areas and create a blurred effect along the image’s edges. 

This one-button filter effect joins a minor design update, as the colour of the shutter-release button has been changed to greyish silver, symbolising the easy shift of visual expression. Additionally, users gain the ability to pre-program up to three white balance settings, and customise the Fn button – which is set to activate the Highlight Diffusion Filter.

This compact Ricoh camera also sees the addition of Zone Select AF, and aside from these updates and the availability of ND filters, the Ricoh GR III HDF is identical to the popular Ricoh GR IIIx Compact Camera. It features a 24 megapixel APS-C format sensor, powerful image processor and bright 40mm equivalent wide angle lens, while remaining compact and portable for everyday shooting with ease.

Highlights include the face/eye AF detection, 14-bit RAW image recording, a built-in ND filter as well as the removal of the AA filter, for even sharper results.

Key Ricoh GR IIIx HDF Features

• Highlight Diffusion Filter *New
• New greyish silver shutter release button *New
• Ability to customise Fn button *New
• Save three custom white balance settings *New
• Zone Select AF *New
• 24.24 effective megapixel APS-C format CMOS sensor
• Built-in ND (Neutral Density) filter with 2 stops
• GR ENGINE 6 imaging engine
• 14-bit RAW image recording
• Hybrid AF system with Face/Eye detection
• 3.0-inch Touch-screen rear LCD
• RICOH-original SR - 3-axis, 4-step shake reduction (4-stops)
• AA filter removed (anti-aliasing), with AA filter simulator to remove moiré
• Rigid magnesium alloy body
• Full HD movie recording

Ricoh GR IIIx HDF Compact Camera in More Detail

Effortlessly switch to the built-in HDF for soft, mellow images, by using the Fn button. The Highlight Diffusion Filter (HDF) enhances highlights and achieves a gentle, softened effect in your images. Utilising Ricoh's advanced printing technology, this filter diffuses highlights and adds a blurred edge effect, reminiscent of nostalgic film or cinematic imagery.

With the HDF's single-action toggle, users can seamlessly switch between two distinct visual styles – the trademark sharpness of the Ricoh GR series, and the soft, mellow tones achieved with the new HDF. This flexibility enhances your creative expression, and pushes the boundaries of everyday snapshot photography. You can also select the Ricoh GR III HDF, which includes an equivalent 28mm wide angle lens, rather than the standard 40mm equivalent in the GR IIIx.

Other HDF camera features

The shutter-release button now sports a greyish silver hue, reflecting the seamless transition between visual expressions. Additionally, the Fn button defaults to toggling the HDF on/off, but users can opt for another function as well.

Users can preset up to three white-balance settings as the base white balance and fine-tune them with the White-balance Fine Adjustment function. Additionally, the camera introduces Zone Select AF, aligning focus with the desired zone after shifting the 3x3 focus area. This area matches the size of Auto-area AF (Centre) mode.

High-resolution GR lens

The heart of this premium compact camera lies in the newly developed 26.1mm f/2.8 GR lens, which provides a more natural field of view at 40mm equivalent in full frame format. This captures high definition scenes without the distortion associated with wide-angle lenses and enables you to shoot as close as 12cm to your subject for macro-shooting.

The optical design incorporates two aspherical optical elements to reduce distortion and keep chromatic aberration to a minimum, while effectively minimising flare and ghosting when shooting backlight subjects.

A built-in ND (Neutral Density) filter closes the aperture down by 2-stops to capture high-contrast, high-resolution images with a variety of scenes and subjects and under varying shooting conditions. The inclusion of a 9-bladed aperture creates natural bokeh (defocus) effects with smooth out of focus areas and pleasing shallow depth of field.

High-resolution images

The updated camera includes a large APS-C format CMOS sensor with the anti-aliasing (AA) filter removed, and the GR ENGINE 6 imaging engine. This combination provides high resolution 24.24MP images at the best possible quality.

You can record images in 14-bit RAW for a wider dynamic range and enhanced editing options, and the accelerator unit has been designed to optimise image data providing ISO 102400 for super-high-sensitivity photography.

Hybrid AF system

For faster than ever focusing capabilities the RICOH GR IIIx includes a hybrid AF system combining a contrast-type AF mechanism superior in focusing precision with a phase-detection-type AF. Ricoh has added Face and Eye detection with excellent results that are selectable in the touch-screen LCD.

RICOH SR mechanism (shake reduction)

A 3-axis 4-stop mechanism is built-in to compensate for camera shake. This effective pitch, yaw and roll control shifts the image sensor and also helps keep horizons level using Auto Horizon Correction.

Sample: Photographer: Wolfgang Baus GR IIIx HDF // Manual // 1/1,600 sec // f5.6 // ISO 200 // BW High Contrast // HDF on

Compact, lightweight design

Despite packing in a host of new features and new lens, the GR IIIx is extremely compact and portable, weighing just 262g with battery and card and measuring 109.4 (W) x 61.9 (H) x 35.2(D)mm.

The compact size means you can take it anywhere but it still brings user-friendly features including a fast start-up time (0.8 sec.), control dials and easy to operate touchscreen. A robust exterior frame is made from highly rigid magnesium alloy for long term durability.

HD touchscreen LCD

The GR IIIx features a 3.0-inch high-definition LCD monitor with approximately 1,037,000 dots with intuitive operation to control AF frame shift, menu selection and image advance/magnification during playback. A protective cover made of reinforced glass effectively reduces reflections for improved visibility and there’s an outdoor setting to adjust monitor brightness.

Image Control function

You can take creative control directly in the camera with 11 basic Image Control modes including saturation, hue, key, contrast and graininess. These can also be assigned to a custom setting for quick workflows.

Sample: Photographer: Yukio Uchida / GR III HDF / Highlight Diffusion Filter on/off

Advanced image editing

For those who run and gun and want to share their images immediately the RICOH GR IIIx includes in-camera RAW editing. The camera also provides such creative tools as a choice of aspect ratio (16:9 or 4:3) and image rotation in 0.1-degree steps to facilitate the image editing process.

Bluetooth and wireless LAN

Wireless LAN provides easy pairing with mobile devices to transfer images, display a Live-View image and control the camera remotely using Ricoh’s Image Sync application. You’ll also get GPS data embedded from the mobile and Auto resizing for quick image transfers.

Other features

• Full HD movie recording (1920 x 1080 pixels, 60 frame rate) in H-264 format
• New DOF Priority (Deep) to prioritise a closed aperture setting
• Colour Moire Correction function to reduce the effect of moiré during playback
• Interval Composite mode, effective in capturing landscapes with traces of the moon and stars
• Electronic Level to check the camera’s inclination
• GT-2 Tele Conversion Lens (optional)** to extend the focal length to approx. 75mm telephoto in the 35mm format, usable in combination with the camera’s auto detection and crop functions
• Compatibility with accessory flash units designed for use with PENTAX digital SLR cameras***

Sample 01: Photographer: Yukio Uchida / GR III HDF / Highlight Diffusion Filter on/off

Sample 02: Photographer: Wolfgang Baus GR IIIx HDF // Manual // 1/1,600 sec // f5.6 // ISO 200 // BW High Contrast // HDF on

What’s in the box

• Ricoh GR IIIx HDF Compact Camera