Another Post About The Ricoh GRIIIx; What Is It About That Camera That Is Attractive To Me?

Ricoh GRIIIx; cropped to 65X24 ratio. (click to enlarge)

I’ve written two other posts about this camera and if you want to know all of my opinions of it—both the positives and negatives—you can read those here and here. I’m not going to repeat all of that here. In those earlier posts I talked about what I think the GRIIIx does well and where I think it falls short. Now that I’ve used it for almost a year, there is something else about using it I want to mention.  An update of sorts.

To me, the best thing about this camera still is its size. It is genuinely pocketable. That makes it an easy camera to grab on the way out the door and, truthfully, it’s usually the one I do grab if I’m not going out specifically to photograph. I guess you could call it my ‘everyday carry’ camera (EDC). I still rather take a ‘real’ camera than rely on my mobile phone.  But that is not what this post is about.

Over time I realized something about this camera I hadn’t expected.  What surprised me is that I’ve come to like this camera much more than I thought I would. In fact, when I first bought it, I didn’t care for it all that much.  It just didn’t seem to ‘click’ with me (pun intended!).  It was okay but I found it difficult to use. Interestingly enough, one of those reasons I found it difficult to use was its small size.

Eventually I figured out why I’ve come to enjoy using the GRIIIx. The camera challenges me every time I use it.  Some people, like me, appreciate a challenge, others don’t.  That may sound contradictory to what I’ve repeatedly written about liking simple and easy, but fundamentally, they are two different concepts.  Simple and easy means less choice, less stress, less friction and being unencumbered.  A challenge is a competitive thing.  Will I beat the challenge or will the challenge beat me?  Can I beat this camera’s shortcomings or will it cause me to give up and not use it?

The GRIIIx occupies an odd place in my mind. To me, it’s not quite a toy camera and not quite a professional camera—even though it’s fully capable of producing technically excellent photographs. Is it a serious tool? Is it a casual curiosity? I’m never quite sure, and that uncertainty affects the way I use it. I find myself approaching it with a more relaxed mindset than I do with my larger cameras—my serious cameras, so to speak. I should take using the camera more seriously, but I’m having a hard time doing so because of its limitations.

At the same time, even though it does everything a good camera is designed to do, I don’t necessarily find it fun to use.

I love the size, but the size comes at a cost. The controls are small. The buttons feel cramped. For me, they’re a little finicky and awkward. But that’s the trade-off. You can’t fit full-sized ergonomics onto a tiny camera.  Choose your poison.

Then there’s no viewfinder, which goes against my personal preference. I’ve adapted, but given the choice I’d still rather have one. And the limitations keep coming.

No interchangeable lenses. Tiny battery. No easy way to attach a filter or hood unless you add a fairly bulky adapter—which defeats the whole point of carrying a pocket camera.  Add a filter or hood and it is no longer pocketable. No tilting screen which is really necessary in a camera that has no viewfinder.  But strangely, all of that is exactly what attracts me to it.

The Norfolk, Virginia waterfront taken from Portsmouth, Virginia.  (click to enlarge)

Center crop of the above photo showing just how nicely this lens renders detail.
This is a 4.5mp crop from the 24mp file.  (click to enlarge)

This camera doesn’t make photography easier for me. My other cameras are much easier to use and objectively better tools in many ways.  For example, my Fujifilm X100VI is a much better camera in most ways.  It has an excellent EVF.  It has a tilting screen.  It has a way to attach filters without dramatically increasing the camera’s size.  It has a 40.2mp sensor.  It is easier to hold.  Its buttons and dials are much more ergonomically structured.  Yet, I pick up the Ricoh when I go out.  It fits in my pocket.  The Fujifilm does not.  Trade-offs.  Compromises.  Acceptance of shortcomings for the challenge and the convenience.

The GRIIIx asks more of me. It makes me work a little harder. It asks me to adapt. To simplify. To pay attention. To overcome its shortcomings and still come home with photographs of which I’m proud. That challenge is what keeps me reaching for it.  When I overcome the challenges, I get a lot more satisfaction.

This camera’s contradictions of challenge and satisfaction reminds me of the person who loves his or her high paying job but hates the long commute to work.  Yet, they make the commute everyday. Or, buying a new large SUV but the fuel mileage is dreadful.  Yet, they keep pumping in the expensive gasoline.  How about those who love watching television yet hate paying that cable bill each month.  But they continue, nonetheless.  Choice.  Balance.  Deciding if you can adapt or not.  Is it worth the inconvenience, compromises and challenges?

Every time I carry the little Ricoh, there’s this quiet little contest in my head: Is the camera going to win, or am I? So far, I believe I’m winning.  I’m keep producing some very nice work with it.  It reminds me of the old saying, “Nothing easy is worthwhile.”  

You’ll have to decide if you want easy or challenging if you’re thinking about buying this camera.

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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