Update December 4th 2025: I have now written my full Ricoh GRIV review.
📸 Field Notes: Ricoh GR III and Fujifilm X100VI — Twin Lakes & Street Shooting
🗓️ Date: Wednesday 18th – Thursday 19th June 2025
đź“Ť Location: Dumaguete & Twin Lakes National Park, Negros, Philippines
đź“· Gear Used: Ricoh GR III, Fujifilm X100VI
Wednesday — Ricoh GR III Focus
Prioritised shooting the Ricoh tonight. I’m enjoying the 28mm focal length and the ridiculously compact size considering it houses an APS-C sensor. The autofocus isn’t lightning fast, but it’s accurate enough in most cases. The lens is sharp from wide open, and I find myself consistently using a Leica picture recipe for its warm, vivid tones.
The ability to save five custom settings, with three easily accessible via the C1–C3 dial, is excellent. Honestly, for the size and stealth, the few compromises are worth it. People barely notice I’m shooting — unless they’re photographers. Several togs actually asked about the GR.
I did notice some quirks. On Sofia’s GR IIIx, the settings seemed to get a little confused — for example, I couldn’t change the aperture in Av mode until I restarted the camera. Will need to run through her setup again. Snap focus distance and infinity focus options are brilliant — Ricoh clearly thought about photographers when designing this camera.
Thursday — Rainforest Boat Ride and Family Time
We visited Twin Lakes National Park — the only remaining rainforest on Negros island. This was more about bonding with Sofia than photography, but I brought both the X100VI and GR III along.
While paddling across one of the lakes, I tested face and eye AF on both cameras. Fuji did better here; the Ricoh struggled to lock onto the boatman’s face. However, I found the 28mm equivalent on the GR III much better suited to this kind of setting. The X100VI’s 35mm field of view felt a little too tight for several shots I had in mind.
In terms of image quality, it was nearly a draw — both delivered great results. The decision came down more to focal length and context than technical performance.
Thursday Evening — Street, Sunset, and Sofia
Used both cameras again in the evening. I’m not leaning strongly toward either — it really depends on the focal length I want for a particular shot. Captured an image I’m really happy with: a fisherman casting out to sea at dusk. It was a single decisive moment and the Fuji nailed it.
More importantly, Sofia ended up taking more photos than I did — she’s become fascinated with photographing dogs. It’s been amazing seeing her passion develop. I’m just happy to be along for the ride (and carrying the dog treats).
Filed: — Field-Tested and Documented by David Fleet
The full article comparing the X100VI vs the GRIII is now published.