>>3470077I used several GR's (APS). They had dust problems, but Ricoh customer service was great. Can't say the same about "Precision Camera" which is the company that actually does repairs. I got a new one as replacement, which I used until it completely wore out. I got a GRII (APS) in 2017 and I'm still using it. No dust problems so far. The GR II is basically the GR with WiFi and more megapixels, but there are noticeable improvements in use.
Autofocus is only contrast detection, but it locks on reliably. The snap focus implementation is excellent, and doesn't force the aperture to 5.6 like on Fuji copies. It's basically scale focusing, but you can flick between 1m,1.5m,2m, 2.5m, 3m, 5m, and infinity, and toggle between AF and Snap (or any other focusing mode). No stupid clickless digital focusing ring or laggy on-screen DoF scales to deal with. You can shoot predictively like a rangefinder since you only actually need to bring up the camera for the moment of exposure, or just grab scenes the instant you notice them.
There isn't an early-shutter penalty like Fujis and some Olympus cameras. You can pump the shutter button like a DSLR, so if you trip the shutter a split second too early, you can just shoot immediately. If the scene changes right after exposure and you like it better that way, you can instantly grab that scene too. Imagine Garry Winogrand or William Klein's 28mm Leica setups, but it fits in jeans pockets and has an excellent flash with great metering (not to mention all the perks of digital and high ISO).
The GRIII is missing a flash, which means you can't shoot with a flash and optical viewfinder at the same time, and putting a flash on the GR makes it not a compact anymore. The flash is an incredibly useful tool, and I'm pretty peeved about the removal. The official excuse is for dust sealing, but there's also an ultrasonic cleaner for the sensor which makes the removal redundant. Skip the III.
