The Ricoh GR Digital II is a 10 megapixel premium point and shooter. It features a 4x digital zoom, an improved GR II image processor, improved battery life and adds a continuous shooting mode, among other improvements. The GR II comes in at a relatively pricey $600 street.
Reviews
The GR Digital II is a cute compact camera that might appeal to street photographers looking to step away from a rangefinder and into digital, but doesn’t deliver the features, performance, or image quality it should given its steep price tag.
Image quality from the 10-megapixel GRD2 is outstanding. The exposure and saturation are excellent, and the color is very vivid.
The Ricoh GR DIGITAL II is a specialist camera – it’s not for everyone, but for everyday for those who fall for its unique charms. Once you get into the ‘old’ style way of working, the conversion lenses and the like, it’s an inspiring way of working that delivers great results.
Photo quality was generally good, though you’ll get the best results out of the GRD by shooting in RAW. The camera generally took well-exposed photos, with pleasing, vivid color. Ricoh has taken a conservative approach to in-camera sharpening, so images are on the soft side here.
Shots taken with the test camera were richly detailed with natural-looking colours and atypically restrained saturation for a digicam. Skin tones were particularly well rendered.
Where to Buy
First off, consider going to your local camera store (and I don’t necessarily mean Wolf Camera at the mall). By going to your local camera store, you’re supporting your community and you just might build a lasting relationship with people you can rely on when you need some help or answers. If you’re buying online, I recommend sticking with Amazon, B&H Photo or Adorama. These three vendors are reliable, trustworthy and generally have the best (legitimate) prices.