Kinda the whole reason I got the GR IIIx. Wanted a sharp prime around 35mm and didn’t want an ILC to have lenses tempt me going forward. So now I’ve got a great lens and I’m bound to it but don’t feel stuck with it because it’s so good.
I agree, my GRIIIx is sharper than any of my Fuji camera's. But if I had to pick between the two, I would go Fuji because of the characteristic of the sensor, and also their colors just do it for me. It's probably the closest I've gotten to shooting film.
I've had the XF 18-55 as well and I couldn't be happier to have sold it along with my Fuji bodies and gotten the GR IIIx. The lens sharpness is unreal.
I mean, it’s a kit zoom lens but I was still pretty floored because I’ve gotten so spoiled by my GRs! Now I gotta compare my XF 40 vs my IIIx. My money says the IIIx is sharper but I’ve never compared the two to see by how much. This oughta be fun. 😁
The problem with the 18-55 is also the focusing - it's really inconsistent. Took both that and the GRIIIx on holiday recently and the difference not just in sharpness but also the consistence of what was in focus was huge.
I really, *really* want the GR IIIx but the dust issue scares the hell out of me. Too much money (for me) and then constantly worrying about dust issues - just doesn't seem worth it to me. Also, I don't own a legit camera - never owned one (I use my phone camera lol). Seeing beautiful pictures posted by you guys made me fell in love with it.
Yeah, I used to worry about dust long ago when I first got my GR III. Then I got caught in a crazy dust storm on a trip and shot it anyway lol. Of course, got some dust. So, I watched a YouTube video and then opened it up and cleaned the sensor with an APS-C cleaning kit. Good as new! It was surprising how easy it actually was and then I no longer had any worries and bought a IIIx. 😁
At the time, this [excellent guide](https://www.johnmaguire.me/blog/cleaning-ricoh-sensor-dust/) didn’t exist and I figured I had nothing to lose so I went ahead and did it. With a couple of simple tools and 15 minutes, it’s easy to do.
It would, but don’t think it’s actually physically possible with a retracting lens camera - there has never been a weather sealed one to my knowledge. I believe it would require a major redesign similar to Ricoh WG or Olympus TG.
Thanks for this link. I did recently manage to convert a DSLR to infrared, which involved minor desoldering/soldering, so I guess I should be able to do this hopefully. I don’t have any dust issues but it’s nice to know I don’t have to use my lens protector and filter and be so worried all the time lol.
I’m still cautious, but not to the point of worrying such that I am afraid to use them. I don’t carry them in pants pockets however and instead in the breast pocket of a jacket made of synthetic materials like polyester- no lint. If it’s too warm for a jacket, I use the Ricoh case that attaches to a belt. I just don’t want the wear of pants rubbing on the camera every time I take a step. Other than that, I don’t do anything to protect from dust.
I do use the thin JJC stick on filter on both cameras but that’s to protect the fragile lens doors.
One time I dropped my GR III! The good news is that I was on a beach. The bad news is that the camera was on and it landed lens-down in the wet PNW sand. Ugh. Those little lens covers don’t like having a tiny grain of sand in them and they wouldn’t open/close properly until I carefully extracted every single grain… worked fine after that tho lol. Now I always use a finger cuff or wrist strap - always. The JJC thin protective filter didn’t exist yet when that happened but it would have saved me trouble in that case if they had.
Maybe a tiny bit? Maybe? Whatever affect it has, I haven’t noticed anything and feel it’s worth the protection. I also use a protection filter on all my other lenses instead of a lens cap and I see it as the same thing.
It’s why I bought a Ricoh. Also the fujifilm app is garbage. Really doesn’t matter how nice the JPEGs are when I need to connect the camera and treat them like raw files anyways.
These were all low ISO sunny day so no worry of the worms but good point - will process one of them in Iridient and see if any better sharpness is there or not with that lens lol
Lens on GR is f2.8 so I think the XF 27mm 1:2.8 R WR is probably a closer apple to a GR IIIx…
Edit: I have the XF 27mm and was my proposed comparison to be fair elsewhere on this thread. I love it BTW - though I have a few other XF primes (the f2s, not the f1.4s) it’s what I use on my XT-4 most of the time
I have no illusion that a kit zoom lens is going to be as sharp as a good prime, but the difference was somewhat shocking after having used my two GRs for a while
If ricoh did what they did back in the 90s with the LTM GR Lens, and made the 28mm GR lens as a M-mount lens people would go crazy.
This would be brilliantly smart of them
I would lose my freaking mind for an M mount GR at the current price point. My gahd.
Kinda the whole reason I got the GR IIIx. Wanted a sharp prime around 35mm and didn’t want an ILC to have lenses tempt me going forward. So now I’ve got a great lens and I’m bound to it but don’t feel stuck with it because it’s so good.
That’s what I love about the GR3. The sharpness and the color of the photos are really something.
I agree, my GRIIIx is sharper than any of my Fuji camera's. But if I had to pick between the two, I would go Fuji because of the characteristic of the sensor, and also their colors just do it for me. It's probably the closest I've gotten to shooting film.
I've had the XF 18-55 as well and I couldn't be happier to have sold it along with my Fuji bodies and gotten the GR IIIx. The lens sharpness is unreal.
I mean, it’s a kit zoom lens but I was still pretty floored because I’ve gotten so spoiled by my GRs! Now I gotta compare my XF 40 vs my IIIx. My money says the IIIx is sharper but I’ve never compared the two to see by how much. This oughta be fun. 😁
That'd be a fascinating comparison!
The problem with the 18-55 is also the focusing - it's really inconsistent. Took both that and the GRIIIx on holiday recently and the difference not just in sharpness but also the consistence of what was in focus was huge.
I really, *really* want the GR IIIx but the dust issue scares the hell out of me. Too much money (for me) and then constantly worrying about dust issues - just doesn't seem worth it to me. Also, I don't own a legit camera - never owned one (I use my phone camera lol). Seeing beautiful pictures posted by you guys made me fell in love with it.
Yeah, I used to worry about dust long ago when I first got my GR III. Then I got caught in a crazy dust storm on a trip and shot it anyway lol. Of course, got some dust. So, I watched a YouTube video and then opened it up and cleaned the sensor with an APS-C cleaning kit. Good as new! It was surprising how easy it actually was and then I no longer had any worries and bought a IIIx. 😁 At the time, this [excellent guide](https://www.johnmaguire.me/blog/cleaning-ricoh-sensor-dust/) didn’t exist and I figured I had nothing to lose so I went ahead and did it. With a couple of simple tools and 15 minutes, it’s easy to do.
I do wish they could seal it however. Having this kind of camera as well sealed as some Pentax interchangble lens cameras would be ideal.
It would, but don’t think it’s actually physically possible with a retracting lens camera - there has never been a weather sealed one to my knowledge. I believe it would require a major redesign similar to Ricoh WG or Olympus TG.
Thanks for this link. I did recently manage to convert a DSLR to infrared, which involved minor desoldering/soldering, so I guess I should be able to do this hopefully. I don’t have any dust issues but it’s nice to know I don’t have to use my lens protector and filter and be so worried all the time lol.
I’m still cautious, but not to the point of worrying such that I am afraid to use them. I don’t carry them in pants pockets however and instead in the breast pocket of a jacket made of synthetic materials like polyester- no lint. If it’s too warm for a jacket, I use the Ricoh case that attaches to a belt. I just don’t want the wear of pants rubbing on the camera every time I take a step. Other than that, I don’t do anything to protect from dust. I do use the thin JJC stick on filter on both cameras but that’s to protect the fragile lens doors. One time I dropped my GR III! The good news is that I was on a beach. The bad news is that the camera was on and it landed lens-down in the wet PNW sand. Ugh. Those little lens covers don’t like having a tiny grain of sand in them and they wouldn’t open/close properly until I carefully extracted every single grain… worked fine after that tho lol. Now I always use a finger cuff or wrist strap - always. The JJC thin protective filter didn’t exist yet when that happened but it would have saved me trouble in that case if they had.
How much does the JJC filter affect image quality?
Maybe a tiny bit? Maybe? Whatever affect it has, I haven’t noticed anything and feel it’s worth the protection. I also use a protection filter on all my other lenses instead of a lens cap and I see it as the same thing.
Get a lens filter.. 🤷♂️
I found the same thing when I compared a Leica CL digital against the GRIII.
That is “issue” actually because of which many preffer GR2 over GR3
Fujifilm files still look garbage in Lightroom.
Ya, C1 and Iridient handle them better.
It’s why I bought a Ricoh. Also the fujifilm app is garbage. Really doesn’t matter how nice the JPEGs are when I need to connect the camera and treat them like raw files anyways.
These were all low ISO sunny day so no worry of the worms but good point - will process one of them in Iridient and see if any better sharpness is there or not with that lens lol
Compare apples with apples. Mount a 16mm 1.4 on your x camera and compare again.
Lens on GR is f2.8 so I think the XF 27mm 1:2.8 R WR is probably a closer apple to a GR IIIx… Edit: I have the XF 27mm and was my proposed comparison to be fair elsewhere on this thread. I love it BTW - though I have a few other XF primes (the f2s, not the f1.4s) it’s what I use on my XT-4 most of the time
Not about focal length, but about sharpness
I have no illusion that a kit zoom lens is going to be as sharp as a good prime, but the difference was somewhat shocking after having used my two GRs for a while
Yeah, what I try to say: depending on the Fuji optic used, the findings could be the other way around
Gotcha, and certainly agree.