Dust on the sensor of my GR III

[dogcatcher]

I thought I'd love the Ricoh GR's but am now having misgivings. I bought both the GR III and GR IIIx thinking they'd be great travel cameras. Now after several months I have a speck of dust on the GR III that is visible in the 28mm and 35 mm settings, it is not on the 50 as it is out of view of the sensor. So I check on a repair and it the standard repair is something like $365. I have owned many point and shoots with fixed lenses and have never experienced this problem with much, much cheaper cameras. What's their problem with sealing these cameras against dust. I have always had the sensor cleaner "on" for both start up and off. Now I own a camera essentially with a 50 mm lens as the other foccal lengths are useable. I am reluctant to have this camera cleaned as it appears that they have inadequate sealling and I could be in the same boat a couple months from now and it would be a waste of money. I'd then own essentially a disposable camera. I have contacted Ricoh through their customer support and all I have gotten is a "canned" email with the address of their repair shop. No help them. It is very frustratiing. Has anyone had a similar problem with their cusotmer service? This seems like something that shouldn't be an issue on a $1000 point and shoot, I probably have 4000 actuations and haven't travelled with the thing yet. I live in the midwest of the US so it is not a tradtionally dusty area. Anyone take their GR apart on their own and clean it? What;s the word out there about dust problems with these cameras? I am new to the forum and perhaps I should have looked at the issues wih these cameras before spendeing any money on them. Anyone with advice on this issue, either with dealing with the company or the camera?

 

[dirk]

Hi dogcatcher,

I travelled with my GR3 and GR3x around the world and made many photos. I never had dust issued.

But I do not put my GRs into my trousers. I use a pouch for the belt for them as you can see in my other postings. I always treat my GRs like a real camera. I would do this even if they would be weather sealt.

They look tiny, but the GRs are still high sophisticated cameras/computers as other cameras too.

 

[dogcatcher]

I don't put it in my pants, either. I have used this camera very seldom and respect it, treat it like my others. I'm not taking pictures in dusty areas, I've only used it in Minnesota, that's why I 'm so disappointed. I'd hoped to travel to SE Asia with it this winter but not sure I want to return home with all my pictures requiring time to remove dust with Lightroom. This camera has 4000 actuations and the other GR IIIx has 360 but it does not have any dust on the sensor, but I fear it will. Like I have said, I have owned several cameras, point and shoot style Canon and Nikon and have never, ever had an issue with dust on the sensor. These other cameras were half the price, but are not as small. One person describes an accessory to add to the lens and then a filter to keep the dust out, sounds good until you try to be inconspicuous using the camera. Now it looks like every other camera on the street and no longer fits in the small leather Ricoh pouch. I own a Sony A7R II and have cleaned the sensor of dust once in five years and I'm always changing lenses on that camera in many environments. This camera is supposed to be sealed and magically, dust appears on the sensor. I guess my expectations were too high.

 

[kennikins]

Dust is an apparently issue there is a simple answer. I bought a stick on UV filter (JJC) and a metal lens cap on Amazon, sorted.

 

[kennikins]

Photos below

 

[GRMike]

Dogcatcher, I understand your frustration. I have a Ricoh GR IIIx and the dust spots have become a real pain, especially living in dusty New Mexico. So, it's not simply an issue of keeping it out of the pocket, which I don't feel like we should have to baby it. Simply using it attracts dust. It's pretty disappointing considering the price and reputation of these cameras. DSLRs and Mirrorless ILC cameras have easy access to the sensor for cleaning, but that's not the case with the Ricoh. These dust issues are a major oversight. Lightroom does a good job cleaning up the spots, but I doubt I'm buying any future upgrades unless Ricoh releases a weather-sealed version or one that better guards against dust. I hope Ricoh addresses these issues in future models.

 

[webstertomkins]

Hi Dogcatcher, I also understand your frustration. To be honest, I am really surprised about the costs for a sensor cleaning in your country. I sent my GR II to the service for cleaning the sensor, some years ago and paid something around 100€ for this.

 

[Trankster]

Sorry to learn of your troubles. Any chance your camera is still under warranty? If you check with other repair services, you may find a less costly shop. I have had my GR IIIx a couple of years and keep a JJC lens cap (pictured above) on mine except when shooting. I also wipe off the extended lens barrel with a microcloth and blow off the lens from time to time. No filter for me tho. So far no dust.