- Stealth or style?
Incredibly compact
or a long history of incredible color science?
These are two of the most popular
digital point-and-shoot cameras
for folks who don't wanna break the bank.
you have the RICOH GR IIIx for $1,100
and you have FUJIFILM's X100VI for $1,600.
But which one of these systems reign supreme?
I'm Becca, this is "Full Frame."
Welcome back, bud.
(gentle upbeat music)
Hold on one second.
I just wanna state maybe the obvious
that is the RICOH GR IIIx came out in September 2021,
and it is also $500 cheaper than the FUJIFILM X100VI
that came out last month.
And here at The Verge,
we always review what we have in front of us now,
and this is what we have.
But in a lot of ways, it's last gen versus latest gen.
So just keep that in mind.
All right, onward.
(gentle upbeat music)
I don't know any other camera systems
that have as loyal of fan bases as these two.
You have the Fuji fanatics
that are posting aesthetically colored
and composed photos on Threads endlessly.
And then you have the Ricoh fans
that have been privately sliding into my DMs
for the last three years
with photos of their family and friends
and attempt to get me to review one of these cameras.
And those differences
actually describe these systems quite well.
But before I get to the differences,
I want you to look at this.
One of these photos is from the Fuji
and ones from the Ricoh.
Same here,
and here.
(gentle upbeat music)
The point is Ricoh has been on the left
and Fuji's been on the right.
And with the smallest color adjustments,
I'm talking just small changes to white balance or contrast,
you can get nearly identical images
from either one of these systems.
They both have similar fixed focal lengths
that's 35-millimeter full frame equivalent on the Fuji
and a 40-millimeter full frame equivalent on the Ricoh.
And both can capture a lot of detail
with rich color and contrast
to accurately represent a scene.
Again, side by side,
it can be nearly impossible to tell a difference
between the images from these cameras.
So what actually sets these systems apart in like a huge way
is how you get to those final images.
(upbeat music)
The FUJIFILM X100VI is best known
for its distinct digital film simulations
that can provide beautiful JPEGs straight out the cam.
And new to the X100VI,
which launched last month, is a 40.2-megapixel sensor.
Though, to many folks' disappointment, it is still APS-C.
You can instantly have the desaturated colors
of Classic Chrome,
the sharpness and contrast of Acros.
Acros, Across, Across?
Someone will correct me, thank you in advance.
And the vibrancy of Velvia at the turn of the lens ring,
or whatever button you decide to program it to.
You can even set the bracket settings to capture an image
in three different simulations at the same time.
And while many other have a few color presets,
Fujifilms are based on real film stocks,
and tonally,
they are world's more pleasing and different than others.
Not to mention, there are 20 film presets in the X100VI,
and I found myself filtering through them often.
In bright sunlight,
I was bouncing between black and white options,
of which there are many.
But then I got hooked on the desaturated blues
of classic negative,
and I did not wanna stop taking photos of the sky
or vibrant yellows.
But regardless of what I landed on,
all of the profiles are consistently pleasing.
All but Sepia, that is.
I don't understand
why camera companies still include that preset,
even on cameras that aren't known for the preset.
So if you know DM me or comment down below.
The RICOH GR IIIx, on the other hand,
has a 24.2-megapixel APS-C sensor.
And although there are color presets,
they aren't that unique or pleasing,
which is why I just shot raw.
And that was totally fine
for straightforward, clean, crisp results.
From the GR II to the GR III,
Ricoh reworked one of the most popular presets,
which was the positive film effect, for the worst.
So now this camera almost solely relies on film recipes
made by its users.
I'm gonna pronounce these names wrong and I'm so sorry,
but shout out to Jakob Iglhaut and Reggie Ballesteros
from whom I got my presets.
Using the three custom user profile notches
on the top adjustment wheel,
I set different looks to quickly move between.
I had Reggie's Fujifilm simulation on U1
for matching photos quickly to the X100VI,
a positive film look based on that of the GR II on U2,
and a high contrast black and white simulation on U3.
But setting these up took research and time.
You have to really want a unique look
or simply love camera blogs
in order to tune the GR IIIx to your liking.
You can't instantly take this camera out of the box
and expect unique or interesting results.
But, once the setup is complete,
man, the Ricoh rips.
And the Fujifilm, it kind of pulls in the reins.
(electronic music)
Taking a photo on the GR IIIx
feels like being an undercover agent.
The process is quick, it's stealthy,
but most importantly, it is non-intrusive.
The design of the GR IIIx is so minimal
that the camera sets off no alarm bells for a subject.
Look at this thing,
it might as well be a point-and-shoot from like 2008.
I'm saying like eight megapixels at best.
I have been incredibly confident taking photos of strangers,
reaching my hand across train tracks,
or holding this thing above a crowd.
Because absolutely, no one thinks
it could possibly be capturing anything of importance,
so they completely ignore it.
Plus, it's hella small.
I mean, its size
allows for it to be pulled in and out of a pocket on a dime.
Adam Gough at Goughie best described this camera as...
- A little pocket rocket.
- And I think he's spot on
because despite the size and appearance of this camera,
oh, my gosh,
it totally rips both an image quality and speed.
It can capture a moment.
It's a total sleeper.
(camera clicking)
On the other side of the photography experience,
you have the FUJIFILM X100VI.
(gentle upbeat music)
This camera wants to be seen with its classic retro design,
and you'll wanna be seen with it,
considering how popular this thing is on social media.
But it's the same design
that makes for a more relaxing, thoughtful experience.
The dials have satisfying clicks
that require purposeful movement.
And the large rangefinder-style viewfinder,
it's like calling to be put up to your eye.
Then, internally,
having all of the different film simulations
encourages you to really look at the colors in front of you
and like mindfully decide how you wanna portray them.
It all adds up to a relaxing experience
that instantly produces nostalgic results,
and you'll wanna brag about them.
(gentle upbeat music)
So to put it simply,
the Ricoh gains all of its value by being small, quick,
and not compromising on image quality.
Whereas in the Fujifilm provides this like relaxing,
slow artful experience,
and it can produce unique results with no effort.
There's one last huge hardware difference
between these two cameras.
To viewfinder or not to viewfinder?
On the GR IIIx,
the lack of a viewfinder or articulating screen
forces you to, for the most part, blindly take photos.
It's both great practice at quick framing,
a very valuable skill in shooting street
and a total pain in the ass
when you just wanna clearly see your subject
and take your time with capturing a shot.
There are, of course, optical viewfinders you can buy
for the GR cameras.
But again, we are reviewing what is here.
There are a few things
I would love to see come to this camera
in the next generation.
One of them is an articulating screen.
I really don't think that would add that much bulk.
And then hear me out, a pop-up EVF,
like of the Sony RX100 cameras,
(lips smacking)
chef's kiss!
And then also just please bring back the flash.
The X100VI, on the other hand,
has both an articulating screen
and one of the coolest viewfinders out there.
It's a hybrid optical and electronic viewfinder
that can show you an unobstructed view of the frame
and an obstructed view
with a tiny preview of the frame in the corner
or just fully the preview of the frame.
And then outside of the usefulness of this viewfinder,
it is such a fun bar trick to show folks.
Yeah, they're totally dazzled by it.
I've been doing that a bunch.
(Becca chuckling)
Okay, what I hope you're starting to understand
is that these cameras are wildly different systems,
even though they can produce very similar results.
And the only reason they get compared to each other
is because the last version of this camera, the X100V,
was so hard to get that a need rose for a second option.
Ba-da-bing.
But, while they can produce similar results,
they are made for entirely different photographers.
Okay, but I'm gonna pick a winner
because y'all get saucy when I don't pick a winner,
so I'm gonna pick a winner for you.
For ease of use, features, looks,
it is the FUJIFILM X100VI, by a mile.
This camera is a blast to use, and you look good doing it.
But you will feel like you're carrying it,
which is why I'm saying,
if high-quality photos without the bulk
is what's important to you,
I cannot recommend getting to know the Ricoh more,
but you will need to get to know this camera.
It is not gonna come naturally to you.
No matter how long you've been a photographer
or how often used a point-and-shoot as a kid,
you have to get to know this system.
And once you do, it's a blast,
and you can carry it anywhere
without feeling like you're carrying anything extra at all.
And...
If you're still stuck, look at the fan base.
Who do you align with most?
I think that will put you right where you need to be.
Anyway, I am Becca.
Thank you so much for joining me today.
This was another "Full Frame."
I appreciate you so much, bud.
Let me know what you're shooting with today.
Let me know if you got a FUJIFULM X100VI or a V.
Wow.
Godspeed.
Appreciate you, bud.
Oh, is that...
(camera clicking)
(car horn honking)