Ricoh GRD II Review

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Why a Ricoh GRD II?

For me the GRD II is a good balance of compromise. Having already owned and used to good effect a Ricoh GR1 the GRD II was a logical replacement - I really liked the focal length of the 28 mm equivalent lens and the image quality it produced.

Because I used the GR1 for several years with great results I knew that the GRD would really suit me. The only thing that put me off the original GRD was the RAW file write speed. With the GRD II that issue has been greatly improved upon and using SanDisk Extreme III SDHC cards I seldom have any issues with write times holding me up. If I do ever need a burst of exposures I change to shooting JPEGs (a process made very easy by the programmable 'MY' custom settings.

The GRD II seemed to offer every specification I need for my style of working; a 10 MP sensor, RAW output with a significantly improved wright speed over the original GRD as well as a great lens and well thought out design, small size, durable build and well designed interface with plenty of customization.

Side by side

Ricoh GR 1 and GRDII - back to back showing the smaller dimensions of the GRD II

Sitting next to each other the GRD II looks rather smaller than the GR1 than I'd expected, yet remains comfortably proportioned for my hands.

You can find any amount of of this camera online and even download the from Ricoh's website so rather than cover that ground again this article concentrates on user experience.

The GR1's aperture control and exposure compensation was very user friendly and thankfully the GRD II offers the same direct control over these functions without having to go through a host of menu options. Aperture is controlled through the front control wheel which Ricoh call the 'up-down dial' and I have EV compensation assigned to the rear rocker switch (note: this function is customizable - by default it's set to control digital zoom).

My old faithful, (sadly non-functioning) GR1 compact 35 mm camera (left) and the new GRD II (right)

Zoom or Prime

The GRD II is equipped with a fixed 5.9 mm lens (equivalent to the focal length of the 28mm lens on the original GR1). When zoom lenses are so common nowadays and given the number of similar compact cameras featuring zooms (including Ricoh's own GX100) is a fixed focal length sensible?

For me that question was easy; from using the GR1 I knew giving up the flexibility of a zoom lens for the speed and image quality of a fixed prime was a compromise I was willing to make. And because the IQ is so good the RAW files offer plenty of potential for selective cropping if necessary.

As to whether a fixed focal length suits everyone - that depends on what you're aiming to use the camera for. If you're looking for one camera that will be the perfect choice for any situation, keep looking (I suggest you'll be looking for a long time). Every photographic equipment choice involves compromise. I'm comfortable that I can use this camera in the vast majority of situations I want to photograph and produce high quality images.

GRD II Customization and Settings

One of the most appealing aspects of the GRD II is the freedom to customize the controls to suit your way of working. The camera has a lot of dedicated button controls, rather than menu driven options which makes for a more responsive interface; many of the controls can be customized to allow you to control the camera the way you want to.

As well as the customizable controls the camera allows you to save two 'banks' of settings that are selectable from the mode dial these are the MY1 and MY2 options on the mode dial (see below).

During normal use I always have the level indicator on, with the camera in aperture priority, shooting RAW in 3:2 ratio with the function button set to lock exposure (note the GRDII uses the press on press off method of exposure lock, not press and hold). On the 'adjust' lever I've configured ISO, exposure method (multi, spot or centre) and flash compensation - the adjust lever acts as a shortcut to these settings, rather than having to go through the shooting menu. I've also configured the rear rocker button to EV compensation rather than digital zoom.

Shooting Menu Options

MY1 and MY2 Settings:

These banks of settings are great for quickly accessing pre-determined shooting set-ups for different situations. This is how I have these set:

MY1 - Aim: to maximize speed of operation in a wide range of conditions with minimal loss of image quality.

Pic Quality: RAW, Focus: Snap, Exposure Metering: Multi, White Balance: Auto, ISO: 200, Aperture: f/4.5

Mode dial showing the MY1 and MY2 settings

MY2 - Aim: to maximize speed of operation and allow continuous shooting

Pic Quality: JPEG Fine, Focus: Snap, Exposure Metering: Multi, White Balance: Auto, ISO: 200, Continuous Mode: Continuous, Aperture: f/2.8

The customization and control interface is one of the big selling points of the GRD II that make for a slick user experience.

Ricoh GRD II - Good Points

In no particular order - here are my favourite features of the GRD II:

◆ Excellent lens, sharp, wide angle, fast f/2.4 aperture delivering good image quality throughout the aperture range.

◆ RAW file support in DNG format.

◆ Compact size - easily fits in a pocket.

◆ Plenty of dedicated controls rather than menus to navigate, customizable buttons and custom 'banks' of settings using the MY1 and MY2 modes.

◆ Close focus distance of 1.5 cm and great macro mode (as well as a great macro focusing feature, allowing precise position of the focusing selector).

◆ Built in flash that's easy to deactivate (though it would be great to have the option to turn the pop up flash upwards to allow it to be bounced).

◆ Live histogram to evaluate exposure and an electronic leveling aid similar to that on the Nikon D3.

◆ A large range of including optical finders and adapter lenses.

◆ Small enough to operate unobtrusively without attracting a lot of attention.

◆ AAA batteries can be used to provide emergency power.

Rear view of my GR1 (left) and GRD II (right), sporting a host of control buttons and dials that make accessing the main features highly intuitive

Ricoh GRD II - Bad Points

It's not all perfect - here's my list of complaints:

◆ Shutter lag - my greatest concern and dislike (though this can be alleviated by using 'snap' focus mode or pre-focussing).

◆ Slow start up time, usually around 2 seconds to power up, although my model occasionally takes as long as 4 seconds to initiate.

◆ 4:3 image dimension ratio ! The first thing I did on receiving my GRD II was to switch it to 3:2 image format, in doing so I'm reducing the camera to 9 megapixels.

◆ Noise - despite Ricoh's efforts to minimize noise there's no disputing that the small sensor can generate a lot of noise under certain conditions, especially at high ISO (see ISO examples).

◆ And the other sort of noise - the GRD II focus acquisition makes a louder noise than I'd like, however actually making an exposure is less obtrusive, the focus noise can detract from what would be an otherwise very surreptitious camera to use. Ricoh claim to have redesigned the camera to reduce focussing noise but it's still noisy to acquires focus in my opinion, this can be alleviated if 'snap' of 'infinity' focus modes are selected however.

◆ Dust - with no interchangeable lenses you'd be forgiven for thinking that the GRD II should be free of dust issues. Far from it ! I've found dust getting into a lot of my images - fortunately the effects have been visible on the LCD and with a healthy blow of air in through the battery compartment the problem's been eradicated - so far but this is a significant reoccurring issue with potential to seriously blight the quality of images from this camera.

What else?

◆ Pocketability - not a criticism but the small size of the GRD II makes it ideal for slipping into a pocket - too much so in fact. Without discipline it's possible to slip the camera into a pocket, content that you've always got it with you. I've found to my cost that this can lead to a false sense of security. As with any camera, fleeting picture opportunities can only be captured if you have the camera out and ready to use, not trapped in a pocket or bag. I've learned to keep my eyes open and the GRD II in my hand ready to take the picture (and as usual I've learned the hard way).

◆ No zoom ? When zoom lenses are so prolific Ricoh's decision to continue the 28mm equivalent focal length of the GR1 is highly commendable. For some this would be a drawback but on balance I'd rather have the image quality of a prime lens rather then sacrificing quality for the sake of a zoom.

◆ Design - the GRD II is packed full of great design features like the well proportioned grip, the locking button to prevent accidentally turning the exposure mode dial, and a host of customizable functions and buttons.

◆ The wobbly pop-up flash doesn't inspire a great deal of confidence, having said that it works well and hasn't broken on me yet.