Ricoh GR III Sample Images

The Ricoh GR III is a high-end compact in Ricoh’s GR range. It shipped in 2019 and was discontinued in August 2025, when the GR IV took its place, so it’s now mostly a used-market camera — and a cheaper way into the GR line. For good reason, the Ricoh GR series has long had a cult following going back to its film versions.

Overall, the GR III is a bigger upgrade over the GR II than the GR II was over the GR.

It’s slightly smaller, has better image quality and expanded capabilities, and has simplified controls with the addition of a touch screen. But it still stays true to most of the things about the GR range that have made it such a popular choice for street photographers and as incognito cameras for travel photographers.

I’ve been shooting with it since it was released, and I’ve been very impressed in most respects. In one important aspect, however, it has fallen short — focusing in low light.

Ricoh issued a firmware update (V1.10) to address that, and it worked better for me. The GR III kept getting firmware for years afterward — the most recent version, 2.10, came out in October 2025. So if you’re still on an early firmware, it’s worth updating (you can find the downloads here).

About these sample images

I’m posting these photos here in case they’re useful to anyone wanting to get a look at some high-resolution photos that have been taken with the GR III under real-world shooting conditions. I’ve tried to include a range of different types of scenes, with different exposure settings, and with an emphasis on challenging lighting conditions. This is a camera I expect to be shooting with a lot, so I’ll try to add some more shots from time to time, and I’ve also reviewed the Ricoh GW-4 wide-angle conversion lens for it.

I’ve previously posted a set of sample images focusing specifically on the Ricoh GR III’s high ISO settings. And you can see some sample images from the GR II here as well as some macro photos taken with a GR III.

The GR IIIx is worth a word here, because it comes up constantly alongside the GR III. It’s the same camera apart from the lens: the GR IIIx swaps the GR III’s 18.3mm f/2.8 (about 28mm equivalent) for a 26.1mm f/2.8 (about 40mm equivalent), and its closest macro focus is 12cm rather than 6cm. Same 24MP APS-C sensor, same body, same snap focus — so what you see below about detail and high-ISO behavior carries over to the GR IIIx. Only the framing is different.

Ricoh GR III sample photos

All of these photos were originally shot in RAW and have been only lightly processed in Lightroom. I haven’t applied any of the optical corrections such as chromatic aberration, vignetting, or barrel distortion.

One thing worth knowing if you’re pixel-peeping these: the GR III’s 24MP APS-C sensor has no anti-aliasing filter, which is part of why the files look so crisp at the pixel level. The trade-off is that fine repeating patterns — fabric weaves, distant window screens, some architectural detail — can occasionally show moiré. Ricoh’s answer is an AA filter simulator in the menus, with low and high settings, that you can switch on when you know you’re shooting something likely to cause it.

You can click on each image to open a larger version for a closer look, and I’ve included the exposure information in the caption below each photo.

Price & availability of the Ricoh GR III

Ricoh discontinued the GR III in August 2025, so new stock has become hard to find by, especially as some users have chased it up when confronted with GR IV supply shortages.