My old friend, the Ricoh GRII, has been a constant companion over the years. I’ve owned so many of these cameras that I’ve always ended up selling them, though I have no idea why.
For the past two years, I’ve been on a mission to find a mint-condition GRII at a reasonable price. It’s a tall order, as these cameras fetch around £850 in mint condition, which is crazy for a ten-year-old camera. However, it also highlights just how good the GRII really is.
A few weeks ago, I received an email from Cex informing me that something on my watchlist was in stock. To my surprise, it was a Ricoh GRII in B grade for £480. Buying a GR from Cex without seeing it wasn’t an option, but when I checked, I discovered it was in the Manchester store.
I couldn’t resist and ordered it for collection.
The following day I went to collect it and to my astonishment, the GR was in as new condition as I’d hoped, with no dirt on the sensor – a rarity. I had the bargain of a lifetime and was incredibly happy.
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been rediscovering my old friend. I love how it feels in my hand, how light it is and how perfect it is for travel. It’s great on sunny days but useless in low light, yet I still consider it the best street photography camera. Every time I use it, it puts a smile on my face.
The monochrome from the GR is unmatched, much like the Leica. I rarely need to edit the photos; the JPGs look perfect.
I can’t wait to shoot on the streets of Bangkok’s with the GR. I had so many moments on my last trip there wishing I had it. This coming January, I’ll be pairing it with the Leica SL3-S and exploring the streets of this amazing city.
The photos below are from my 3 days in Alicante with the Ricoh GRII
