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We clicked with:
Auto leveller
Fully manual
Discreet use
28mm single focus prime lens provides optimum image quality
User controlled flash pop-up
Shots in the dark:
Unstable software causes crashes
Noisy at high ISO
Expensive!
28 mm single focus prime lens may be limiting for many users
Add on lens converters physically interrupt the flash due to physical size
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The Ricoh GR DIGITAL II is one of those gems unlikely to receive the attention it deserves. There's no good reason for this - even in the film days the Ricoh GR film cameras were desirable, yet under-represented. Building from that orignal GR concept, the GR DIGITAL II is aimed at high-end enthusiasts or pros looking to always carry a compact with them.
The Camera:
This is no ordinary compact camera. It's a simple but fully manual 10megapixel compact. You don't even get an optical zoom lens - it's a top of the line 28mm f2.4 single focus prime lens instead, which for many may be reason enough to step away from the GR DIGITAL II philosophy of working.
Such a lens spells wonderfully crisp reproduction, with very little barrel distortion for such a wide focal length. At present, there are two optional lens accessories (both sold separately) - the 21mm wide and 40mm tele conversion lenses set the stage for the GR DIGITAL II approach. There are also optical viewfinders to fit in the hot shoe, which itself gives the chance for more powerful flash than the pop-up supplied.
A big flash rather defeats the object of the camera, though. The onus here is for discreet use - rather than poking a stonking great DSLR in someone's face the GR DIGITAL II offers a viable, small and transportable alternative... but at a price. Expect to pay out £400 for the pleasure of owning one, and yet some more cash for any additional accessories.
Unlike many current compacts, there's not a littering of scene modes here - it's largely down to user discretion and a number of clever devices for optimum picture taking. As well as Auto, full Manual, Aperture Priority (A) and Programmed Auto (P) there's the inclusion of two 'My' settings that can be programmed to suit your needs. Shooting can either be in jpeg or RAW at the single click of a button.
The GR DIGITAL II will never automatically pop up the flash, instead it must be manually released with the flick of a lever on the side of the camera. It's not entirely discreet however as there's a rather powerful green auto focus (AF) light that unduly beams out like a tractor-beam in low light. It's not just “beaming up” that's an issue as the auto focus really ought to be a bit quieter - a common complaint with Ricoh cameras.
Whereas little sister model the GX100 has a bit of an issue with inconsistent flash, the GR DIGITAL II seems to have different in-camera software issues - becoming unstable and crashing on a number of occasions. This isn't to say flash issues are solved - there's the ability to compensate for flash by a couple of stops, yet close objects have the liklihood of becoming drowned out from flash.
However, when it's good, it's very, very good! There's some wonderful features such as the auto levelling bar that displays when shooting - much like the Nikon D3 but £3,500 less. The playback orientation is equally as clever - when viewing images on camera it 'knows' which way you are facing and adjusts images to face accordingly.
A square format ratio (1:1) is available, here assisted by the auto levelling feature to keep those horizontals straight
All functions can be preset to the adjustment wheel on the back of the camera - having such user defined control allows for the camera to be set up ideally from user to user.
There's an optional multi bracketing mode that auto brackets half a stop above and below exposure also - may not seem like a lot, but to the seasoned enthusiast that could be the difference between a shot and the shot.
White balance has standard presets and can also be manually set. As far as the GR DIGITAL II is concerned, this 'manual' setting is a little misleading as it merely takes a spot reading, as opposed to offering manual adjustment (in Kelvin) or fine tuning. If you happen to carry a white sheet of paper around with you at all times, then this is ideal. If not, then best load up some white card into that back pocket.
Battery life is spectacular - hours of use and hundreds of images (a claimed 370 per charge) and there's no sign of surrender.
The images:
The GR DIGITAL II may be infinitely useable it does still have its problems - most of which are 'old Ricoh favourites'.
ISO runs from a smooth ISO80 through to a mosaic-like ISO1600. It's a lot better than the former Ricoh GR DIGITAL, but it's still shy of being as good as it ought to be.
ISO 1600 - and at 100% crop
Possibly the most astounding thing about the camera is the Macro mode. Easily activated, shooting can operate as close as 1cm away from subject to lens. It's no word of a lie - the example image (below) is of a carpet.
Wonderfully sharp too, but on occasion through the format of reshooting. This makes it all the more of a shame that image stabilisation is missing from the Ricoh GR DIGITAL II check list.
Manual focus is available, albeit very much in a compact state. Given the abundance of DSLR-type features, there's almost an expectation to grab at the lens and make the necessary adjustments. Not so here however - manual focus has to be set up through in-camera options, and adjusted via the use of buttons. There's a 100% zoom option available to ensure that the focus is spot on. And whilst this on-screen zoom is a bit fluffy around the edges, it depicts the subject successfully enough and is distinctly useful in modes such as Macro.
There's Black & White modes available, alongside some obscure scene settings such as “skew correct” and “text” mode. The former rarely functions, whilst the latter is essentially a severely posterised black and white mode for text.
Conclusion:
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.
It's not without its issues though - the higher ISO settings still need to be cleaner, the in-camera software more stable and the focusing ought to be a little quieter. That aside, if the GR DIGITAL II feature-set is precisely what you are looking for in a compact then it potentially substitutes some of the lesser DSLR on the market. That's a pretty big claim from a dinky black box, but the GR DIGITAL II does what it's designed to do well - provide some exceptional tools and manual controls to assist in taking great photographs.
It really is as discreet as Ricoh claims, infinitely useable and easily transportable, there's no reason to not to always have one in the pocket - assuming you have a spare £400 to dish out.
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Megapixels
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10
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Screen
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2.7" LCD (230,000 pixels)
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Zoom
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4x digital zoom only (fixed lens is 28mm with no optical zoom)
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Picture Modes
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Manual, Aperture Priority, Programmed Auto, Auto, My1 & My2 user-defined settings, "Text" and "Skew Correct" modes.
Movie mode.
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Stabilisation
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No
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Sensitivity
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ISO80-1600
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White balance
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Auto/Outdoors/Cloudy/Incandescent Lamp/Fluorescent Lamp/Manual Settings/Detail, White balance bracket function
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Storage
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SD
54MB Internal memory
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Battery
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Lithium ion rechargeable DB60 (to 370 shots per charge)
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Other / Key features
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Auto leveller
1 touch RAW
Auto Rotate
Three-frame View/Grid View
Magnifying (up to 16X)
In camera Resize function
Auto bracketing mode
Square format ratio (1:1) available
Hotshoe
Optional extras: Digital viewfinder, 21mm and 40mm conversion lenses, external flash
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