One-handed camera?

[joe bosak]

For reasons I won't go into, I increasingly find myself needing to be able to use a camera one-handed when I am out and about. Normally I'd use my right hand for the camera - taking it out, turning it on/off, usually framing with LCD but sometimes EVF/OVF, firing the shutter, turning off and putting back in bag if not going to take more shots for a while. Being able to adjust some settings one-handed would be icing on the cake.

My recollection of the GRII I no longer have was that it was possibly pretty much ideal for one-handed use in retrospect and on top of that could be set up to both shoot and adjust one or two settings reasonably easily one-handed. So that (or the later models in that line) may be the answer.

I'm wondering whether anyone might have any other recomendations for digital cameras (compact, ILC or otherwise) that might be good for one-handed use (draw/on/fire/off/put away) - preferably reasonably recent (2012 onwards) and perhaps with some capability for changing settings one-handed. Weight is another issue of course, and the Ricoh scores there too.

 

[Dogman]

First thing that came to mind when you said "one-handed camera" was the GRII.

 

[olakiril]

GR III would be my choice.

 

[Nitroplait]

That is how I use my X-100F. I don't bother turning it on or off - I let it wake up with a touch of the shutter before it reaches my eye and let it go on standby by itself after it is put away. Almost any function can be set-up to something reachable for one handed use.

 

[jsrockit]

Yeah, you cannot beat the GRIII (28mm) or GR3x (40mm) for this. The X100 series really is not the same. I use both.

 

[JohnWolf]

I've been whipping my GRs around with one hand for years and love them for that capability. I tried the Fuji a few times, but the GR's size, ergonomics, and retracting lens cover give it an edge.

The III series added IBIS, which makes one-handed shooting even better.

John

 

[joe bosak]

Thanks all, looks like I'll be buying a Ricoh then - cheers!

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Just in case. I have GRD III. To be honest, no interest in GR series. GRD III is f1.9 lens and CCD sensor.
GRD IV supposed to be even better, it has IBIS.

 

[Archlich]

Just in case. I have GRD III. To be honest, no interest in GR series. GRD III is f1.9 lens and CCD sensor.
GRD IV supposed to be even better, it has IBIS.

The GRD IV does make a clack sound when shaken, like all cameras with sensor-shift IBIS - just in this case, the sound is tiny, appropriate for its tiny sensor. The "VC" (Vibration Control I gather) on mine is good for like half a stop. 2/3 maybe. Pulls the noisy ISO 400 down to like ISO 300. You hardly feel it...

Fun camera though for occasional shoots in 2022.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

The GRD IV does make a clack sound when shaken, like all cameras with sensor-shift IBIS - just in this case, the sound is tiny, appropriate for its tiny sensor. The "VC" (Vibration Control I gather) on mine is good for like half a stop. 2/3 maybe. Pulls the noisy ISO 400 down to like ISO 300. You hardly feel it...

Fun camera though for occasional shoots in 2022.

GRD III became my regularly used camera in 2021. Great, yet little DNG files. See no reason to not use it often in 2022.

 

[retinax]

The GRs are very handy and I used to use mine onehanded if I had to, but I would often get camera shake that way. It's too small to really hold onto while pushing the button. Maybe an accessory grip helps. I'd go with the newest one if cost isn't an issue so you can crank up the ISO for fast shutter speeds and still get reasonably clean images.

 

[agentlossing]

Yes, recommending a GRD model to anyone but a masochist these days is probably the wrong idea... the GR III and IIIx have very effective in-body stabilization, a 14-bit DNG RAW pipeline with lots of editing headroom, and really excellent optics, and they retain the one-handedness factor quite well. Just remember to use the hand strap, when you're manipulating controls there's really not that much left to hang onto!

 

[Nitroplait]

Has Ricoh improve on the longevity of these cameras - or are they as delicate as they used to be?

 

[jsrockit]

Has Ricoh improve on the longevity of these cameras - or are they as delicate as they used to be?

If you had issues in the past, it will be the same now. I have never personally had an issue.

 

[besk]

The Ricoh using film did have problems with longevity. I sold mine after a couple of years of use based on their reputation. I wonder how many film based Ricohs are still in use today. This is the GR series.