Many street photographers have made the Ricoh GR III compact/fixed-lens camera their camera of choice for unobstrusive street photography. Compact, lightweight and all-black, it appeared non-threatening to subjects who may cringe at a huge camera pointed at them — besides being also a really good camera. The GR III was announced September 25, 2018 and eventually launched February 21, 2019.
The RICOH GR III Street Edition Special Limited Kit may be a bit less “unobstrusive,” sporting an orange-yellow lens barrel ring. The kit includes two items: an external detachable viewfinder (with the number 28 imprinted on its top panel to highlight the camera’s angle of view) and a genuine-leather hand strap with matching orange-yellow stopper.
Ricoh launches RICOH GR III Street Edition Special Limited Kit
Limited-quantity package featuring high-end digital compact camera with a stylish metallic gray body and exclusive accessories
RICOH GR III Street Edition Special Limited Kit
PARSIPPANY, N.J., June 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation today announced the launch of the RICOH GR III Street Edition Special Limited Kit. Available in a limited quantity of 3,500 units worldwide, the kit combines the RICOH GR III camera body, finished in a metallic gray color, with a compact, detachable viewfinder and a genuine-leather hand strap, both designed exclusively for this package.
Offering the same high image quality as the standard RICOH GR III, the small, lightweight camera body has been treated with a metallic gray finish designed to appeal to a street photographer, evoking the asphalt pavement in the city. The finish features an elegantly grained texture that is smooth in appearance but helps improve camera grip. It’s accentuated with an orange-yellow lens barrel ring, reminiscent of traffic lines painted on streets.
In addition to the camera, the kit includes a pair of exclusive accessories: a compact, detachable viewfinder featuring the identical metallic gray finish and a genuine-leather hand strap. The viewfinder has the number 28 imprinted on its top panel to highlight the camera’s angle of view, while the strap’s stopper is finished in orange-yellow identical to the camera’s lens barrel ring.
This camera allows the photographer to instantly activate the Full Press Snap feature* with a single touch on the LCD panel. This feature shifts the lens to a preselected focal point the moment the shutter release button is fully pressed. It can also be assigned to the LCD screen, assuring the photographer of flawless point-and-shoot photography to capture once-in-a-lifetime shutter opportunities. One of the strong points of the GR series, this feature comes in handy when taking snapshots on the street and will be available in the standard GR III via a firmware update that is scheduled for release later this year.
The RICOH GR III Street Edition, a high-grade digital compact camera that doesn’t include the viewfinder and the strap, is also scheduled to be launched in the autumn of 2020.
Pricing and Availability
The RICOH GR III Street Edition Special Limited Kit will be available mid-July at www.us.ricoh-imaging.com as well as at select Ricoh Imaging-authorized retail outlets nationwide for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of US $1199.95.
Main Features of the RICOH GR III Street Edition Special Limited Kit
The camera body has been treated with an attractive metallic gray finish that designed to appeal to a street photographer, symbolizing the asphalt pavement in the city. It’s also accentuated with an orange-yellow ring encircling the lens barrel. The exterior finish features an elegantly grained texture created by repeatedly spraying droplets of a coating material onto the camera body. Although smooth in appearance, this special paint also helps improve camera hold.
The camera comes with a pair of exclusive accessories: a compact, detachable viewfinder featuring the identical metallic gray finish, and a genuine-leather hand strap. The viewfinder has the number 28 imprinted on its top panel to highlight the camera’s angle of view, while the strap’s stopper is finished in orange-yellow identical to the camera’s lens barrel ring, to enhance the product image.
This camera allows the photographer to instantly activate the Full Press Snap feature* with a single touch on the LCD panel positioned on the camera’s back panel. This feature shifts the lens to a preselected focal point the moment the shutter release button is fully depressed. It can also be assigned to the LCD screen positioned on the camera’s back panel, assuring the photographer of flawless point-and-shoot photography to capture once-in-a-lifetime shutter opportunities. One of the strong points of the GR series, this feature comes in handy when taking snapshots on the street.
* This feature can be added to the standard GR III model by installing function expansion firmware, which is scheduled to be released after the time of the camera’s launch.
When the camera’s power is turned off, the camera displays an original termination screen consisting of the specially designed product logo and a street-view image that symbolizes the camera’s “street snapshot” concept.
Notes:
• The camera’s other specifications are identical with those of the standard GR III model.
• The design and specifications are subject to change without notice.
About Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation
Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation is a subsidiary of Ricoh Company Ltd., a global technology company specializing in office imaging equipment, production print solutions, document management systems and IT services. Headquartered in Tokyo, Ricoh Company Ltd. Is part of Ricoh Group, which operates in about 200 countries and regions.
The company operating now as Ricoh Company Ltd. was originally founded in 1919, under the name Asahi Optical Joint Stock Co. and launched its first SLR camera in the 1950s under the PENTAX name. Today, the company continues to produce the heritage-rich, award-winning line of PENTAX DSLR cameras, lenses and sport optics equipment as well as Ricoh’s offering of stylish and compact digital cameras, known for their wide-ranging, rich set of features.
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