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Ricoh GR Digital II Digital Camera

Ricoh GR Digital IIDigital Camera Resource Page

(3 out of 5)


An expensive, but well made camera with a fast 28mm lens, snappy performance, and interesting accessories.

Review date: Feb 19, 2008

The Ricoh GR Digital II is a unique, but pricey digital camera. Ricoh is marketing the GRD as sort a "boutique camera", much like what Leica has done for so many years. The GRD is a lot different than what I typically review around here, with its fixed 28mm lens and gimmick-free feature set. It takes good quality photos (though no better than cheaper cameras), is well put together, expandable, and chock full of manual controls. If you've got $700 to blow on a fixed focal length camera, then I can recommend the GR Digital II. For the more budget conscious people out there, you can get a camera that's at least as capable for 50% less.

ProsCons
  • Very good photo quality
  • Fast, 28 mm wide-angle lens
  • Slim, very well constructed body
  • 2.7" LCD display with good viewing angle and sharpness
  • Tons of manual controls
  • Support for RAW (DNG) image format
  • Customizable buttons and spots on the mode dial
  • Handy "leveling" feature
  • Very little barrel distortion for a wide lens
  • Redeye not a problem
  • Very expandable: supports lenses, flashes, and even optical viewfinders
  • Above average battery life
  • Can use AAA batteries in "emergencies"
  • Very expensive
  • Images on the soft side
  • A bit too much noise reduction applied, especially at ISO 400 and above
  • Focusing is sluggish at times, especially in dim light
  • LCD nearly impossible to see in low light
  • Poorly placed flash is easy to close accidentally
  • Optical viewfinder a $200 extra
  • Can't swap memory cards while camera is on a tripod

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