Field Notes: Dumaguete – June 2025 (X100VI vs GR III)
Dates: Monday 16th to Wednesday 18th June
Location: Dumaguete, Philippines
Conditions: Harsh sun, golden hour, low light, pre-dawn
Cameras: Fujifilm X100VI and Ricoh GR III
Use Cases: Street photography, travel shooting, daily carry evaluation
🗓 Monday 16th June – First Impressions
Shooting started casually at the port in Dumaguete, with late-day light and a few frames in harsh midday sun. Later, I walked the boulevard in low light conditions.
- The Ricoh GR III feels significantly smaller — not just technically, but in actual use. It’s the one I instinctively grabbed when stepping out of the car while waiting for the ferry.
- It’s a genuine everyday carry. The X100VI is also light, but feels more like a deliberate photography tool.
- The GR III’s lack of viewfinder makes it harder to compose in harsh sun. The screen isn’t bright enough.
- In poor light, I preferred the Fuji’s colour rendering. Skin tones and ambient tones felt richer.
- Fuji’s autofocus was noticeably faster, and moving the focus point was quicker too.
- I didn’t really connect with the boulevard this evening, but my daughter enjoyed photographing the dogs — which was honestly the highlight.
Plan for tomorrow: Stick to one camera at a time to avoid distraction.
🗓 Tuesday 17th June – Autofocus & Handling Tests
- The GR III feels slightly slower to power on due to its lens extension, but both are relatively fast.
- Fuji’s autofocus is clearly faster. I still need to test face detection more extensively.
- In low light, neither camera nailed candid moments — I switched to:
- Manual Focus on the Fuji
- Snap Focus on the Ricoh
- Snap Focus is quicker than MF on the Fuji but takes practice. GR III really struggles with movement, but Snap Focus helps if you learn it.
- Colour rendering differs:
- Ricoh skews green
- Fuji skews magenta
- Image quality is comparable overall, but Fuji performs better in low light from what I’ve seen so far.
- The viewfinder on the Fuji is a big help for composition — personal preference, but noticeable.
- I’m more comfortable with Fuji’s menus, but Ricoh’s are logical and don’t slow me down.
- 28mm vs 35mm: In a few cases, 35mm felt slightly tight. Both focal lengths work for street.
🗓 Wednesday 18th June – Ergonomics, Battery & ISO
- Mainly shot with the Fuji this morning.
- X100VI’s LCD fogged up briefly from condensation (room air-con). Cleared quickly, but worth noting.
- The GR III badly needs a tilt screen. Compositional flexibility is limited, especially in harsh light.
- Battery life comparison:
- GR III: Dead after ~2 hours
- X100VI: Still had 3/4 battery under same use
- With the Fuji, I can make
finer compositional decisions — I think the viewfinder helps me lock in. - Saw minor lens flare on the Fuji when shooting into the sun — likely due to the UV filter (needed for weather sealing).
- Changing settings is faster on the Fuji. Dials, Q menu, and overall layout make a difference.
- I can handhold the Fuji at much slower shutter speeds:
- Fuji: 1/2 sec
- Ricoh: 1/15 sec
- High ISO performance is better on the Fuji — ISO 3200+ is visibly cleaner.
📝 What I Still Need to Test
- ND filters on both cameras in bright conditions
- Face and eye detect tracking on the X100VI
- More structured low light comparison — same subject, same moment
- Side-by-side JPEG and RAW comparison
📸 Selected Images from the Field
