irinaescoffery

Hi. I just started using Ricoh GRIII. I don't completely understand how autodocus and snap mode work. I assigned Fn button to AF and snap mode to 1m. Now when I want my focus to be on a distant subject I use auto focus, right? I half press and focus and it;s supposed to be sharp. If I want to focus quickly on something within 1 m I full press focus button and the subject has to be in focus.

In this image I intended to focus on a man on a bench and I half pressed and I thought I focused. However, in a very bright day it's hard to see clearly the result. At home I discovered that the object is not in focus. I assume that I pressed Fn button and it switched to snap. Is tat right?

Can anyone explain this to me, please.

User ID

In most cameras, when you assign AF to an Fn button you remove AF from the shutter button entirely. IOW you always need the Fn button for acquiring focus, unless using MF.

From what you’ve described, I infer that the snap button leaps focus to whatever distance that you program into it.

In some cameras when you assign AF activation to an Fn button you must take an addtional step to REMOVE the AF activation from the shutter button. In those cameras, failure to do that removal means that whatever focus you acquire from the Fn button will be overridden by the shutter button when you make the exposure. I would reasonably expect the same undesired override of the snap focus as well.

I’ve programmed about 20 camera by 5 makers to AF only via the Fn button. 4 out of 5 makes required that additional separate step of removing AF activation from the shutter button.

irinaescoffery

Thank you for you reply. As I understood, when I assigned AF to Fn button, it removed that function from the shutter button. As a result when I thought I focused on the subject it was a snap focus 1m distance in effect. Correct?
What if I assign any other function to Fn button? (Let's say AEL). Will the camera always be able to focus correctly when I half press the shutter button?
Than you again for your help. It's very valuable.

User ID

You are now getting into the specifics of the G-3 which I’ve never used. Best I could offer is the foundational info already given in hopes that it provided you more understanding to better enable you to make sense of results as you perform some trial and error testing.

You refer to THE Fn button, implying that there’s only one ?? I’m used to having several such that each assigned function for each Fn button is discrete. If you have only the one then it’s likely there are protocols built in that I cannot guess about. For instance maybe when SNAP is assigned to the Fn you’re expected press and hold Fn to maintain your Snap Distance focus as immune to any overriding by the shutter button ?

I can only hope my initial reply increased your insight about such features. But now you’re on your own to apply you insight ... especially if there’s just that one Fn button instead of enuf buttons to assign a discrete function to each button.

I realize user manuals can seem opaque but maybe I’ve enabled you to penetrate the fog a bit better ? Also, see if Ricoh Support has a downloadable pdf version. It will be the very same manual but PDFs are searchable docs and thus easier to hunt for clues than the printed version.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

There is a Pentax Forum, which also contains Ricoh users.

You can probably find knowledgeable help there.

https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/161-ricoh-gr/

irinaescoffery

Thanks. There is only one Fn button on Ricoh, indeed. I guess to maintain the camera small size. I experiment by trial and errors. Thank you for your insight. I made me search...

User ID

OK ... morbid curiosity got the better of me and I read the GR3 pdf about focus. Had to read carefully cuz what I found challenges common sense.

Firstly, no way to assign AF to some other button. It’s ALWAYS via the shutter button :-(

Secundo, snap focus always does that routine of allowing a useless AF at half press before snapping to your chosen preset upon full press :-0

Looks like you control on/off for snap via the menu ... so, IF the on/off can be assigned to the Fn that would be good but I did not check on that.

It seems the GR3 is One Trick Pony rather than a versatile tool and its one trick is single shot “Decisive Moment” grab shots. Other types of photography are acoarst possible, but are not its forte. Don’t know how well it’s able to do its one trick but that depends on whether it has world class AF ability.

On paper it has two justifications for its otherwise shocking price: the larger than typical sensor and the f:2.8 wide prime lens. Such things do cost money. OTOH those two things are not particularly needed for its one trick.

I must admit I find it hard to grasp this camera’s raison d’etre. if you intend to be the digital-era Cartier Bresson then it makes sense. If there’s a million users dedicated to that singular goal then Ricoh has major cash cow in the GR3.

User ID

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irinaescoffery

Yes, you can assign AF to Fn button which I did. You can un assign AF from shutter button (which I did not try). The trick is to balance your shots between AF and zone (snap) focusing. ( which I try to figure out).

It was interesting to read your insights about justification of buying this camera. Yes, it's mainly for streets. That is is what I bought it for. The price is a relative notion. I buy because I can. I try and explore different systems and cameras. Do I want to become another Cartier Bresson? No, rather Helen Levitt. And in our days the discretion on streets is a huge plus, especially if you work with children as your main subjects. That is where Ricoh becomes very handy.
I was surprised myself of the quality of pics it takes (don't judge on a sample photo as I just wanted to make a point). I'm still exploring this little thing and try to love it.
Thank you for your messages. I loved them.

User ID

With Olympus it’s just one step to remove AF from the shutter and assign it to the AEL button. Quick and simple but now you’ve lost the AEL feature ... and Olympus does not permit assigning AF to any other buttons, only to the AEL :-(

Does your GR3 do the one-step ? IOW, does assigning AF to the Fn button also remove AF from the shutter button as one combined changeover ?

One thing is carved in stone:
It’s pointless to have AF activation via a user-chosen alternative button if AF is still also on the shutter button, lurking to leap in and refocus the shot at the moment of exposure.

Seems to me that cuz you have only one Fn button, if you assign AF to the Fn then you hafta use the menu to switch Snap Focus on/off. Then when Snap is switched on, ALL shots are focused to the Snap preset so no point in using the AF-via-Fn until you switch off Snap Focus in the menu system.

To me it seems the user’s influence over the automation is so limited or so inconvenient that the only smooth approach is to leave everything at factory default settings and just trust the camera. As the skilled user, your job is to know what can mislead the AF (and also the AE) and be vigilant to avoid compositions that can mislead those two systems. Welcome to the 1980s.

irinaescoffery

Unfortunately, I don't know answers yet. I now that assigning AF to Fn button does not remove it from the shutter button but it makes it toggle between AF and snap focus (I think). And that is exactly what happened when I thought I used auto focus but it was a snap 1m instead and I screwed shots. In Ricoh one full press of the shutter button leads to a snap focus. Half press of the shutter button is regular auto focus.
Ricoh has 3 UI buttons when you can customize 3 different versions but I still search the best approach and learn about the camera.
You sound very skeptical about Ricoh.
What is your favorite camera?

User ID

I’m not skeptical about brands. I’ve got doofus cameras and logical versatile cameras within the same brand. Even got great and doofy within the same camera. Example of the latter is the foolishness of having to forego AEL if you want BBAF on an otherwise terrific Olympus that does stuff other cameras cannot do. Got a certain LUMIX model that blocks the higher ISO ranges when Silent Shutter is enabled ... like who needs silent mode outdoors in bright sunshine ?!?!?

Don’t really have a fave brand or even a fave camera. If I absolutely hafta be ready to deliver results regardless of unpredictable circumstances I count on a Sony a7-III. If one ignores the limitations of an m4/3 size sensor, then my Lumix G9 is far more versatile than the Sony. So the G9 is my “good times buddy”. When I’m responsible to “deliver or else”, I can’t risk that the m4/3 sensor will limit me so I need the Sony. But as my “good times buddy” the G9 has faster AF, insane burst speed, and is generally “faster than thought”. No joke. Its burst mode records bursts that begin 35 frames BEFORE you hit the shutter button ... and does that at 50fps in total silence. There’s more, much more, but you can look it up, cuz I’m waaaaay too lazy to do all that text entry :-(

Despite their capabilities neither the a7-III nor the G9 routinely follow out the door cuz they’re too big. For grab and go my choices are similar to your GR3 but just a bit bigger ... almost pocketable but not quite small enuf. I just won’t tolerate the limitations of a truly pocket sized camera.

irinaescoffery

Wow. You made me curious about G9 now. I used do go for birds shots in different points of planet in my past days. I always used Canon 7d M2 for that type of work. But as you said it's pretty heavy and bulky. So, it's just sitting there now. I am emotionally attached to it to sell it.
For streets I use Sony and Fuji, and mirrorless Canon. Now Ricoh...
Never tried Olympus
Never ever used Nikon