New Gear: The Ricoh GR II Camera Brings Subtle Upgrades to a Street Photography Machine
Wireless connectivity comes to a classic form factor
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It may not have a fancy full-frame sensor like the new $3,800 Leica Q, but the Ricoh GR II has an extremely strong street photography heritage. Now, it also has Wifi and a few more slight upgrades to round out its feature set.
At its core is the same APS-C sensor that came before it, with a 16-megapixel resolution. The lens is the same, too, giving a roughly 28mm field of view with a maximum aperture of F/2.8. They’re not upgrades, sure, but those were both features we really liked about the first, so that’s not necessarily a negative.
The big upgrade here is the addition of Wifi and NFC, so it’s much more compatible when it comes to working with a mobile device. You can control the camera using the app, and transfer images directly to a mobile device. They’re standard features, but welcome additions here.
Other improvements include a maximum shutter speed of 1/2,500th sec, from 1/2,000 in the original GR, and it can now capture up to 10 frames at a rate of 4 fps, which is more than double the model that came before it.
Beyond that, the other upgrades are fairly granular, and mostly software-based. The addition of the wireless module has changed the body, but very slightly and I don’t suspect it’s enough to change the feel of the camera in any substantial way.
The GR II will hit the market with a retail price of $799, which is the same price as the original at the time of its release. If you don’t need the wifi, you might be able to find a good deal on the older model.
From our friends at American Photo—see some awesome street photos made with the help of classic compact cameras:
It may not have a fancy full-frame sensor like the new $3,800 Leica Q, but the Ricoh GR II has an extremely strong street photography heritage. Now, it also has Wifi and a few more slight upgrades to round out its feature set.
At its core is the same APS-C sensor that came before it, with a 16-megapixel resolution. The lens is the same, too, giving a roughly 28mm field of view with a maximum aperture of F/2.8. They’re not upgrades, sure, but those were both features we really liked about the first, so that’s not necessarily a negative.
The big upgrade here is the addition of Wifi and NFC, so it’s much more compatible when it comes to working with a mobile device. You can control the camera using the app, and transfer images directly to a mobile device. They’re standard features, but welcome additions here.
Other improvements include a maximum shutter speed of 1/2,500th sec, from 1/2,000 in the original GR, and it can now capture up to 10 frames at a rate of 4 fps, which is more than double the model that came before it.
Beyond that, the other upgrades are fairly granular, and mostly software-based. The addition of the wireless module has changed the body, but very slightly and I don’t suspect it’s enough to change the feel of the camera in any substantial way.
The GR II will hit the market with a retail price of $799, which is the same price as the original at the time of its release. If you don’t need the wifi, you might be able to find a good deal on the older model.
From our friends at American Photo—see some awesome street photos made with the help of classic compact cameras:
