Great discussion and thoughts Eric! I'm also a camera enthusiast and like to play around with cameras. But during my own GAS journey I have to admit that I myself use the word "experience" quite often as an excuse to get myself a new camera for specific situations. And now after buying and selling cameras of APSc, full frame, high end prime lenses and zoom lenses, rangefinders, Leicas etc. I sometimes feel stupid for owning several cameras. Like yourself my different cameras serve different purposes, but in the end the iPhone would do a good enough job (80/20 rule) in all cases. I find myself it a bit ironic how we photographers find limitations in our gears as an outlet for creative challenges like: primes - zoom with your feet, film photography - slowing down, APSc - extra crop for e.g. wildlife, manual range finder focus - "faster" then AF, etc... But as soon it comes to phone photography most of us just disregard and think ourselves mah, experience is not good, don't like the phone look etc. instead of find a workaround e.g. editing in post. Although I have these thoughts, I still prefer my dedicated cameras - it's a on going thought in my head :D
I’d go for the GR it’s easier to explain yourself if someone asks if you took their photograph. Some can take a cell phone image of them when noticed a little creepy. I think having that physical camera makes it easier to have a purpose. However the smaller the camera the less of a chance of being noticed. I was just walking about with a Yashica Matt. I’ve never had an experience with people stopping and asking me about it and having a general interest. My first picture ever with that camera was a street portrait. The easiest photo I have ever asked for.
I bought a GR3 last year and ended up returning it for the same reason. Image quality was good, albeit with a lot more noise than any of my Fuji cameras. I loved the size, but I just kept thinking in the back of my head that my phone could do a very similar job. I don’t regret returning it.
Not sure if you mentioned this, but the almost infinite zoom of the iPhone is frick’n awesome. This is coming from someone who owns a Q3! I’ve own a GRIII and GRIIIX, primarily after viewing RUclips’s but unfortunately they never resonated with me. One thing I will say, in appreciation, is those little cameras retain their value on the used market!
Using the I-phone for street photography makes a lot of sense. But I won't be selling my GRIII any time soon. I need a camera that feels like a camera. I'm sure there are lots of people out there now who have never used a camera. For them, they won't miss it. For me.... I think I'll keep my cameras.
Eric,such interesting timing. Just got back from a photo trip. Using SL3 for the images I felt were important. Also had my iPhone 14 Pro Max and used it a lot with Raw Max mode. When I combined all the images in LR to assess, many wonderful shots came from the iPhone. It is there all the time. DNG is editable. Lenses offer good enough telephoto options. Point and shoot works great. I love shooting with a “real” camera. But many times, the iPhone is just so much easier to use and the images are good enough. Ultimately, if I was doing commercial work where I may need to crop and others judge the work in detail, I would use the SL3 or similar camera. For much of my personal work, the iPhone is simply easier to use, invites more creativity, and produces images that are just fine for sharing. So the question is not which is better, but rather, what do you want to do with the images/video. Once you know that, then picking the right tool is much easier.
I would like to say the same thing, but I feel like I've been reading this type of comment for every iPhone model for several years. Having an iPhone 12 and tested a GR III, I find the image quality really really realllly better on the Ricoh. Is there such a big difference between the image quality of an iPhone 12 and 14 or 15? That's the question.
Ive never had a good experience using iOS and ive given it a few chances, granted their cameras have always been great for a "everyday camera" but i just decided to give the gr iii a try after wanting something pocketable to capture travel and family moments. So far its been a month and i wish I knew about it sooner. I slept on this camera. Image quality and colors are great and it work great with transferring my files to my phone easily. I havent picked up my nikon z6 since, even though i grabbed the 28mm to make it more "compact" 😅
I prefer Ricoh Gr FILM camera.Between Ricoh Gr and iPhone,I prefer Ricoh all day all night because because off the shutter delay,very important to capture the moment.If you want to print Ricoh is much better.There is no comparison.I have.I have Ricoh GR1 and I print A2.For instagram,facebook and like think,iPhone is the best.You really don’t need anything else.
You make a very good point, Ricoh is better but the iPhone quality is not deal breaker. Perhaps, should get IIIx instead of III, for 40mm focal length, it would crush the iPhone in portrait mode
Late to this party, but like every other iPhone vs video this one is in light where all digital cameras "lose" to iPhones : Sony Nikon Leica whoever, don't matter. The camera takes one picture. The phone takes 100s and takes the best little bit from each (i.e. computational photography). With proper lighting, there is no comparison, m4:3 and larger IMO.
For your project, the iPhone sounds like a fun way to do it. I don’t have a ‘pro’ iPhone model so have never shot iPhone raw. Not a fan of iPhone jpeg colours so it would be the GR for me. I have a bit of love hate relationship with GRs. I’ve got the OG 16mp and IIIx and love the size and IQ but as you say, they are not the perfect shooting experience and I find more often, it’s a bigger camera that’s in my jacket pocket than a GR. Luckily I like big pockets.
I also have a OG GR and am mulling the purchase of a IIIx, do you find them complementary to each other? Not used to shooting 40mm but I think it could be fun here on the streets of NYC...
@@tylerjacobt I like having both. I thought I would take both out with me as they are so small but I just seem to bring one and more often, it has been the OG over the past few months. The wider lens and the built in flash has suited what I have needed recently but when the time is right, 40mm is good.
@@philiphunter3966 Very helpful thanks. Unless there's a major improvement in AF (I've read it's minor, at best) perhaps I'm better served waiting out for a IV which may be another 2-3 years out :(
@@tylerjacobt Not a bad idea to wait and see if they come up with anything good. I can live with the AF on the X. It has better eye detect which the OG only has (I think) in full auto mode. Touch screen is good to easily change the focus point but most of the time I use it the same way as the OG. Single point. I ordered a Fuji X100vi which I thought might be an upgrade over the iiix and an ok compromise between the 28 and 40mm but from some reviews on RUclips the iiiX lens seems to beat the Fuji in sharpness so I’m going to stick with my 2 GRs and not bother with the Fuji
As a Ricoh GRIII user: Do NOT buy a Ricoh GRIII unless you can immediately see the benefits. It isn't a beginner-friendly camera. It is for intermediate+ documentary, art, and street photographers. It is a hyper specialised tool with big sacrifices for high performance in other areas. Using it casually is like driving a Formula 1 car to get groceries. If it isn't instantly obvious to you why the Ricoh GR is lightyears ahead of the iPhone then you don't need it. Having the best of the best is pointless if you can't operate it. This goes for novice level photographers too. This isn't a camera for aperture priority AI face detect auto focus. Buy a Sony instead. This is an Orca of a camera - the apex predator of its environment. Casual photos of receipts and garden gnomes are better saved for your phone.
Hey buddy. Great video. I myself have bad gas. I have a Q3 but my X100VI just came in. If Ricoh was smart they would release a GR4. It’s been over 4 years and they really need to listen to their fans. I returned my GR3 almost 3 years ago because I felt my iPhone 11 Pro did as good of a job. Cheers.
@@jonbarnard7186 Amazon free returns. I loved the GR3 but always felt the pictures were dark. I hope they get their crap in gear and release a GR4 before it’s to late.
We all know the best camera is the one you have with you. The GRIII has a great lens but the AF really needs to be improved. Had one and as much as I loved the IQ, the AF frustrated me too many times. The big complaints I got from my family is images shot with my cameras took too long for me to share with them. Iphone images got shared and viewed far faster. And the way people view images these days for the most part are on their phones. Yes, for making prints, GR files will be far superior but how many prints will you actually make. I have limited wall space, so 95+% of my images never get printed. So the phone had become my daily carry for images.
@@SIQmaiI don't have enough pocket space to carry both a phone and the Ricoh, so I'd be pocketing the phone and hand-carrying/strapping the Ricoh anyway. And if I'm hand carrying a camera, I'd rather just dump the Ricoh and carry the X100VI.
Do it with the phone! Why spend another $1200. I had a ricoh too but use my phone more an more, great photos, apps for long exposures, for the extra cash, get a plane ticket and surprise us with a phone film/photo video! I would love to see that!
I just buy $200 phones. They work just as well for all the phone related tasks, so why spend $1000 more on a small sensor camera inside that phone when I could spend $1000 on a proper dedicated camera and have dedicated devices for my needs? iPhones are the most overpowered and overpriced way to check the news, call your mother, watch RUclips, and use maps. You all have been had. 😂
The things i like about the GRiii I can change in post. It's not worth having THAT secondary device. It can't do video well either which is really sad.
The Ricoh GRIII has always been marketed as a snapshot camera. On that use case, the iPhone is vastly superior. Us camera enthusiasts will pixel peep and look at things like "experience" till the heat death of the universe, but for those who are not us, there is no practical benefit of buying a RICOH GR and the additional 'work' it makes us do. I love coffee, and have a manual espresso maker and a grinder. Every cup of coffee takes about. Most people are fine with a Nespresso and capsules.
In my opinion any camera is superior to a smartphone. Every picture i took in the past i whish that i already owned my Ricoh GR III. Its simply amazing. But if you are happy with your phone thats also great. I simply don't like the look of smartphone photos. But there are people who can use it as there main device and have the skill to take amazing photos with it. For example Richard "Koci" Hernandez.
@@Milan-cf1xe I am an enthusiast and suffer from Gear Aquisition Syndrom. I own and use multiple cameras including the Q3 and X100V. So I am in agreement with you. My original comment was talking about the people who are not us 😄
100%. As a Ricoh GRIII user I never recommend it to people who don't care about images. It is not a beginner-friendly camera at all. It is designed for intermediate+ users who know what they are doing, and sacrificing for the benefits that the GR brings. It's why it's such a contentious camera, even novice photographers don't get it. It's a hyper specialised tool for a specialised purpose. I wouldn't recommend a Formula 1 car to pick up your groceries either. The GR isn't for everyone.
@@invijr Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I dont quite agree with your analogy - the enthusiast category by definition is a small niche of the camera buying population. Not everyone who buys the RICOH GR and its "personality" will become a lifelong photographer. Many will simply realise (as even I do) that a lot of the times the iPhone in their hands is simply better suited to the conditions.
Swapping the ND for the HDF filter is a very whatever thing to be so mad about. You can turn it off, and it's still just a good old GRIII. What's the issue really? 🤷♂️
@@-grey selling the same hardware for 5 years with increasing prices is pretty shitty and no one would accept in any other product category. Not that it’s meant to be a bokeh monster, but without the ND it’ll affect bokeh at high shutter speeds with the leaf shutter. Ultimately, not unique to Ricoh, but more egregious business practices from a shrinking market.
@@LIGHTHUNTER.D I mean, that's an ironic issue to have on a video comparing it to the iPhone. This time it's titanium. 😂 To be honest, it's not even sold as an upgrade juts another option. It's positioned at people who don't have a GRIII not at people who do. I'd prefer they did this rather than needlessly bump the megapixels, improve AF by 10% which could have been a firmware update, add the HDF and call it a GRIV, and sell it for £1600 - cough Fujifilm cough.
@@-grey obviously iPhone upgrades are incremental, all brands do this, but compare a 15 Pro to a model from 4-5 years ago and there are enough differences for it to be substantial. If Apple sold the *literal* same iPhone for that many generations, people wouldn’t accept it. Which is my point. Ricoh isn’t claiming this is *the new* model or anything, it obviously still has the III designation, but all the hardware is old. So they’ve refreshed it in marketing, swapped out a feature that is either a lateral move or downgrade, and asked for more money. I have a lot of criticisms of Fujifilm, especially the fake scarcity of their products (just can’t POSSIBLY project sales somehow!), but at least they’re upgrading the cameras gradually. Despite what RUclipsrs do, I don’t think the vast majority is looking to upgrade every single generation, but buying into outdated technology at the same/higher price makes no sense.
Great discussion and thoughts Eric! I'm also a camera enthusiast and like to play around with cameras. But during my own GAS journey I have to admit that I myself use the word "experience" quite often as an excuse to get myself a new camera for specific situations. And now after buying and selling cameras of APSc, full frame, high end prime lenses and zoom lenses, rangefinders, Leicas etc. I sometimes feel stupid for owning several cameras. Like yourself my different cameras serve different purposes, but in the end the iPhone would do a good enough job (80/20 rule) in all cases.
I find myself it a bit ironic how we photographers find limitations in our gears as an outlet for creative challenges like: primes - zoom with your feet, film photography - slowing down, APSc - extra crop for e.g. wildlife, manual range finder focus - "faster" then AF, etc...
But as soon it comes to phone photography most of us just disregard and think ourselves mah, experience is not good, don't like the phone look etc. instead of find a workaround e.g. editing in post.
Although I have these thoughts, I still prefer my dedicated cameras - it's a on going thought in my head :D
I’d go for the GR it’s easier to explain yourself if someone asks if you took their photograph. Some can take a cell phone image of them when noticed a little creepy. I think having that physical camera makes it easier to have a purpose. However the smaller the camera the less of a chance of being noticed. I was just walking about with a Yashica Matt. I’ve never had an experience with people stopping and asking me about it and having a general interest. My first picture ever with that camera was a street portrait. The easiest photo I have ever asked for.
I still have a 645 Fuji folder. Maybe I'll bring it out. I could use some attention.
I bought a GR3 last year and ended up returning it for the same reason. Image quality was good, albeit with a lot more noise than any of my Fuji cameras. I loved the size, but I just kept thinking in the back of my head that my phone could do a very similar job. I don’t regret returning it.
Not sure if you mentioned this, but the almost infinite zoom of the iPhone is frick’n awesome. This is coming from someone who owns a Q3! I’ve own a GRIII and GRIIIX, primarily after viewing RUclips’s but unfortunately they never resonated with me. One thing I will say, in appreciation, is those little cameras retain their value on the used market!
Using the I-phone for street photography makes a lot of sense. But I won't be selling my GRIII any time soon. I need a camera that feels like a camera. I'm sure there are lots of people out there now who have never used a camera. For them, they won't miss it. For me.... I think I'll keep my cameras.
Eric,such interesting timing. Just got back from a photo trip. Using SL3 for the images I felt were important. Also had my iPhone 14 Pro Max and used it a lot with Raw Max mode. When I combined all the images in LR to assess, many wonderful shots came from the iPhone. It is there all the time. DNG is editable. Lenses offer good enough telephoto options. Point and shoot works great. I love shooting with a “real” camera. But many times, the iPhone is just so much easier to use and the images are good enough. Ultimately, if I was doing commercial work where I may need to crop and others judge the work in detail, I would use the SL3 or similar camera. For much of my personal work, the iPhone is simply easier to use, invites more creativity, and produces images that are just fine for sharing. So the question is not which is better, but rather, what do you want to do with the images/video. Once you know that, then picking the right tool is much easier.
I would like to say the same thing, but I feel like I've been reading this type of comment for every iPhone model for several years. Having an iPhone 12 and tested a GR III, I find the image quality really really realllly better on the Ricoh.
Is there such a big difference between the image quality of an iPhone 12 and 14 or 15? That's the question.
Put the GRIII into snap focus or dof mode and go shoot street. iPhone is unusable and GRIII is amazing. It’s a niche camera…
Ive never had a good experience using iOS and ive given it a few chances, granted their cameras have always been great for a "everyday camera" but i just decided to give the gr iii a try after wanting something pocketable to capture travel and family moments. So far its been a month and i wish I knew about it sooner. I slept on this camera. Image quality and colors are great and it work great with transferring my files to my phone easily. I havent picked up my nikon z6 since, even though i grabbed the 28mm to make it more "compact" 😅
I prefer Ricoh Gr FILM camera.Between Ricoh Gr and iPhone,I prefer Ricoh all day all night because because off the shutter delay,very important to capture the moment.If you want to print Ricoh is much better.There is no comparison.I have.I have Ricoh GR1 and I print A2.For instagram,facebook and like think,iPhone is the best.You really don’t need anything else.
Still trying to figure this out myself. I have a GRIIIx so I tend to use it for those focal lengths and the iphone for wide.
That iPhone selfie looked like garbage. Flat colors, low detail, low contrast. It was totally lifeless
My default answer is use the one that you have more fun with
You make a very good point, Ricoh is better but the iPhone quality is not deal breaker. Perhaps, should get IIIx instead of III, for 40mm focal length, it would crush the iPhone in portrait mode
Late to this party, but like every other iPhone vs video this one is in light where all digital cameras "lose" to iPhones : Sony Nikon Leica whoever, don't matter. The camera takes one picture. The phone takes 100s and takes the best little bit from each (i.e. computational photography). With proper lighting, there is no comparison, m4:3 and larger IMO.
I have had both gr iii and iiix. In my experience, phones, both android and iphones are too slow and I always miss the shots
On the flip side, I'm more likely to have my phone on me than the camera.
For your project, the iPhone sounds like a fun way to do it. I don’t have a ‘pro’ iPhone model so have never shot iPhone raw. Not a fan of iPhone jpeg colours so it would be the GR for me. I have a bit of love hate relationship with GRs. I’ve got the OG 16mp and IIIx and love the size and IQ but as you say, they are not the perfect shooting experience and I find more often, it’s a bigger camera that’s in my jacket pocket than a GR. Luckily I like big pockets.
I also have a OG GR and am mulling the purchase of a IIIx, do you find them complementary to each other? Not used to shooting 40mm but I think it could be fun here on the streets of NYC...
@@tylerjacobt I like having both. I thought I would take both out with me as they are so small but I just seem to bring one and more often, it has been the OG over the past few months. The wider lens and the built in flash has suited what I have needed recently but when the time is right, 40mm is good.
@@philiphunter3966 Very helpful thanks. Unless there's a major improvement in AF (I've read it's minor, at best) perhaps I'm better served waiting out for a IV which may be another 2-3 years out :(
@@tylerjacobt Not a bad idea to wait and see if they come up with anything good. I can live with the AF on the X. It has better eye detect which the OG only has (I think) in full auto mode. Touch screen is good to easily change the focus point but most of the time I use it the same way as the OG. Single point. I ordered a Fuji X100vi which I thought might be an upgrade over the iiix and an ok compromise between the 28 and 40mm but from some reviews on RUclips the iiiX lens seems to beat the Fuji in sharpness so I’m going to stick with my 2 GRs and not bother with the Fuji
As a Ricoh GRIII user:
Do NOT buy a Ricoh GRIII unless you can immediately see the benefits. It isn't a beginner-friendly camera. It is for intermediate+ documentary, art, and street photographers. It is a hyper specialised tool with big sacrifices for high performance in other areas. Using it casually is like driving a Formula 1 car to get groceries.
If it isn't instantly obvious to you why the Ricoh GR is lightyears ahead of the iPhone then you don't need it. Having the best of the best is pointless if you can't operate it. This goes for novice level photographers too. This isn't a camera for aperture priority AI face detect auto focus. Buy a Sony instead. This is an Orca of a camera - the apex predator of its environment. Casual photos of receipts and garden gnomes are better saved for your phone.
Sounds a bit gatekeepy if you ask me 🤓
this comment is spot on 100%, minus the attempt at humor/sarcasm.
@@yoookhary it must be hard being so cool. 😎
For me griii x works better with an iPhone because the focal lenght.
Why not both? I think the irony of shooting your project about phone use on the phone is cool :-)
Hey buddy. Great video. I myself have bad gas. I have a Q3 but my X100VI just came in. If Ricoh was smart they would release a GR4. It’s been over 4 years and they really need to listen to their fans. I returned my GR3 almost 3 years ago because I felt my iPhone 11 Pro did as good of a job. Cheers.
You must have a great camera store. Either that, or you only used your GR for a few days.
@@jonbarnard7186 Amazon free returns. I loved the GR3 but always felt the pictures were dark. I hope they get their crap in gear and release a GR4 before it’s to late.
Varlens and Argentum. Both great apps for iPhone to tweek color profiles while shooting. Still cannot let go my GR3x 😊
When do you continue your iPhone/Ricoh project? Hope its with the phone 😎
Ricoh GRD4
Can’t find one… you missed the “first” comment! Lol
GRD1 but I do want a 4 too
I'd never take a phone over the gr3... Even for snapshots. The eye phone is a camera for the zombie...
We all know the best camera is the one you have with you. The GRIII has a great lens but the AF really needs to be improved. Had one and as much as I loved the IQ, the AF frustrated me too many times. The big complaints I got from my family is images shot with my cameras took too long for me to share with them. Iphone images got shared and viewed far faster. And the way people view images these days for the most part are on their phones. Yes, for making prints, GR files will be far superior but how many prints will you actually make. I have limited wall space, so 95+% of my images never get printed. So the phone had become my daily carry for images.
I print a lot actually but your point is valid
Ricoh looks best to me.
How does a gr3 compare to any of the Pixel phones for image quality? I ask because they are often said to have better photos than an iPhone.
Not sure. I haven’t used a recent pixel
@@ericrjennings thanks for the update
Iphone is good if you only have this on you but otherwise GR3 all the way.
People like to take video too, and the Ricoh is crap at that.
@@Kids11111 carry both? 🤷🏻♂️ not that hard considering the size.
@@SIQmaiI don't have enough pocket space to carry both a phone and the Ricoh, so I'd be pocketing the phone and hand-carrying/strapping the Ricoh anyway. And if I'm hand carrying a camera, I'd rather just dump the Ricoh and carry the X100VI.
@@Kids11111 good. You do you.
Do it with the phone! Why spend another $1200. I had a ricoh too but use my phone more an more, great photos, apps for long exposures, for the extra cash, get a plane ticket and surprise us with a phone film/photo video! I would love to see that!
I just buy $200 phones. They work just as well for all the phone related tasks, so why spend $1000 more on a small sensor camera inside that phone when I could spend $1000 on a proper dedicated camera and have dedicated devices for my needs?
iPhones are the most overpowered and overpriced way to check the news, call your mother, watch RUclips, and use maps. You all have been had. 😂
@@-grey I would throw the Ricoh into the trash bin before thinking of shooting video with it.
The things i like about the GRiii I can change in post. It's not worth having THAT secondary device. It can't do video well either which is really sad.
I like this rare topic video
Fuji xt20 >>>> Ricoh
The Ricoh GRIII has always been marketed as a snapshot camera. On that use case, the iPhone is vastly superior. Us camera enthusiasts will pixel peep and look at things like "experience" till the heat death of the universe, but for those who are not us, there is no practical benefit of buying a RICOH GR and the additional 'work' it makes us do. I love coffee, and have a manual espresso maker and a grinder. Every cup of coffee takes about. Most people are fine with a Nespresso and capsules.
In my opinion any camera is superior to a smartphone. Every picture i took in the past i whish that i already owned my Ricoh GR III. Its simply amazing. But if you are happy with your phone thats also great. I simply don't like the look of smartphone photos. But there are people who can use it as there main device and have the skill to take amazing photos with it. For example Richard "Koci" Hernandez.
@@Milan-cf1xe I am an enthusiast and suffer from Gear Aquisition Syndrom. I own and use multiple cameras including the Q3 and X100V. So I am in agreement with you. My original comment was talking about the people who are not us 😄
100%. As a Ricoh GRIII user I never recommend it to people who don't care about images. It is not a beginner-friendly camera at all. It is designed for intermediate+ users who know what they are doing, and sacrificing for the benefits that the GR brings. It's why it's such a contentious camera, even novice photographers don't get it. It's a hyper specialised tool for a specialised purpose. I wouldn't recommend a Formula 1 car to pick up your groceries either.
The GR isn't for everyone.
I think this is sort of a moot point considering a lot of people getting into buying dedicated cameras for photography BECOMES "us".
@@invijr Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. I dont quite agree with your analogy - the enthusiast category by definition is a small niche of the camera buying population. Not everyone who buys the RICOH GR and its "personality" will become a lifelong photographer. Many will simply realise (as even I do) that a lot of the times the iPhone in their hands is simply better suited to the conditions.
The recent HDF release is a joke. Souring Ricoh for me honestly.
That said, GR for the project still. Higher quality trumps using a different medium for the sake of it.
Swapping the ND for the HDF filter is a very whatever thing to be so mad about. You can turn it off, and it's still just a good old GRIII. What's the issue really? 🤷♂️
@@-grey selling the same hardware for 5 years with increasing prices is pretty shitty and no one would accept in any other product category. Not that it’s meant to be a bokeh monster, but without the ND it’ll affect bokeh at high shutter speeds with the leaf shutter. Ultimately, not unique to Ricoh, but more egregious business practices from a shrinking market.
@@LIGHTHUNTER.D I mean, that's an ironic issue to have on a video comparing it to the iPhone. This time it's titanium. 😂
To be honest, it's not even sold as an upgrade juts another option. It's positioned at people who don't have a GRIII not at people who do. I'd prefer they did this rather than needlessly bump the megapixels, improve AF by 10% which could have been a firmware update, add the HDF and call it a GRIV, and sell it for £1600 - cough Fujifilm cough.
@@-grey obviously iPhone upgrades are incremental, all brands do this, but compare a 15 Pro to a model from 4-5 years ago and there are enough differences for it to be substantial. If Apple sold the *literal* same iPhone for that many generations, people wouldn’t accept it. Which is my point.
Ricoh isn’t claiming this is *the new* model or anything, it obviously still has the III designation, but all the hardware is old. So they’ve refreshed it in marketing, swapped out a feature that is either a lateral move or downgrade, and asked for more money. I have a lot of criticisms of Fujifilm, especially the fake scarcity of their products (just can’t POSSIBLY project sales somehow!), but at least they’re upgrading the cameras gradually.
Despite what RUclipsrs do, I don’t think the vast majority is looking to upgrade every single generation, but buying into outdated technology at the same/higher price makes no sense.