Name: Battle of the point and shoot: Fujifilm x100VI vs. Ricoh GR IIIx
Uploaded: 2025-05-23T07:36:52.000Z
Duration: 10 min 25 s
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Incredibly compact or a long history of incredible color science?

These are two of the most popular digital point-and-shoot cameras for folks who don't wanna break the bank.

You have the Ricoh GR3X for $1,100 and you have Fujifilm's X106 for $1,600.

But which one of these systems reigns supreme?

I just wanna state maybe the obvious, that is the Ricoh GR3X came out in September 2021 and it is also $500 cheaper than the Fujifilm X106 that came out last month.

And here at The Verge, we always review what we have in front of us now, and this is what we have.

But in a lot of ways, it's last-gen versus latest-gen.

I don't know any other camera systems that have as loyal of fan bases as these two.

You have the Fujifanatics that are posting aesthetically colored and composed photos on threads endlessly.

And then you have the Ricoh fans that have been privately sliding into my DMs for the last three years with photos of their family and friends in an attempt to get me to review one of these cameras.

And those differences actually describe these systems quite well.

One of these photos is from the Fuji and one's from the Ricoh.

The point is, Ricoh has been on the left and Fuji's been on the right.

I'm talking just small changes to white balance or contrast, you can get nearly identical images from either one of these systems.

They both have similar fixed focal lengths.

That's 35 millimeter full-frame equivalent on the Fuji and a 40 millimeter full-frame equivalent on the Ricoh.

And both can capture a lot of detail with rich color and contrast to accurately represent a scene.

Again, side by side, it can be nearly impossible to tell a difference between the images from these cameras.

So what actually sets these systems apart in like a huge way is how you get to those final images.

The Fujifilm X106 is best known for its distinct digital film simulations that can provide beautiful JPEGs straight out the cam.

And new to the X106, which launched last month, is a 40.2 megapixel sensor.

Though to many folks' disappointment, it is still APS-C.

You can instantly have the desaturated colors of classic chrome, the sharpness and contrast of Acros.

And the vibrancy of Velvia at the turn of the lens ring or whatever button you decide to program it to.

You can even set the bracket settings to capture an image in three different simulations at the same time.

And while many other cameras have a few color presets,

Fujifilm's are based on real film stocks and tonally, they are worlds more pleasing and different than others.

Not to mention there are 20 film presets in the X106 and I found myself filtering through them often.

I was bouncing between black and white options, of which there are many, but then I got hooked on the desaturated blues of classic negative and I did not want to stop taking photos of the sky or vibrant yellows.

But regardless of what I landed on, all of the profiles are consistently pleasing.

I don't understand why camera companies still include that preset, even on cameras that aren't known for the preset.

So if you know, DM me or comment down below.

The Ricoh GR3X, on the other hand, has a 24.2 megapixel APS-C sensor.

And although there are color presets, they aren't that unique or pleasing, which is why I just shot raw.

And that was totally fine for straightforward, clean, crisp results.

Ricoh reworked one of the most popular presets, which was the positive film effect for the worst.

So now this camera almost solely relies on film recipes made by its users.

I'm gonna pronounce these names wrong and I'm so sorry, but shout out to Jacob Iglot and Reggie Ballesteros from whom I got my presets.

Using the three custom user profile notches on the top adjustment wheel,

I set different looks to quickly move between.

I had Reggie's Fujifilm simulation on U1 for matching photos quickly to the X106, a positive film look based on that of the GR2 on U2, and a high contrast black and white simulation on U3.

But setting these up took research and time.

You have to really want a unique look or simply love camera blogs in order to tune the GR3X to your liking.

You can't instantly take this camera out of the box and expect unique or interesting results.

But once the setup is complete, man, the Ricoh rips.

And the Fujifilm, it kind of pulls in the reins.

Taking a photo on the GR3X feels like being an undercover agent.

The process is quick, it's stealthy, but most importantly, it is non-intrusive.

The design of the GR3X is so minimal that the camera sets off no alarm bells for a subject.

It might as well be a point-and-shoot from, like, 2008.

I'm saying, like, eight megapixels at best.

I have been incredibly confident taking photos of strangers, reaching my hand across train tracks, or holding this thing above a crowd, because absolutely no one thinks it could possibly be capturing anything of importance.

I mean, its size allows for it to be pulled in and out of a pocket on a dime.

Adam Gu of, at GUI, best described this camera as a little pocket rocket.

And I think he's spot on, because despite the size and appearance of this camera, oh my gosh, it totally rips both in image quality and speed it can capture a moment.

On the other side of the photography experience, you have the Fujifilm X106.

This camera wants to be seen with its classic retro design, and you will want to be seen with it, considering how popular this thing is on social media.

But it's this same design that makes for a more relaxing, thoughtful experience.

The dials have satisfying clicks that require purposeful movement, and the large rangefinder-style viewfinder, it's, like, calling to be put up to your eye.

Then internally, having all of the different film simulations encourages you to really look at the colors in front of you and, like, mindfully decide how you want to portray them.

It all adds up to a relaxing experience that instantly produces nostalgic results, and you'll want to brag about them.

So to put it simply, the Ricoh gains all of its value by being small, quick, and not compromising on image quality, whereas in the Fujifilm provides this, like, relaxing, slow, artful experience, and it can produce unique results with no effort.

There's one last huge hardware difference between these two cameras.

On the GR3X, the lack of a viewfinder or articulating screen forces you to, for the most part, blindly take photos.

It's both great practice at quick framing, a very valuable skill in shooting street, and a total pain in the ass when you just want to clearly see your subject and take your time with capturing a shot.

There are, of course, optical viewfinders you can buy for the GR cameras, but again, we are reviewing what is here.

There are a few things I would love to see come to this camera in the next generation.

I really don't think that would add that much bulk.

And then also just please bring back the flash.

The X106, on the other hand, has both an articulating screen and one of the coolest viewfinders out there.

It's a hybrid optical and electronic viewfinder that can show you an unobstructed view of the frame, an unobstructed view with a tiny preview of the frame in the corner, or just fully the preview of the frame.

And then outside of the usefulness of this viewfinder, it is such a fun bar trick to show folks.

Okay, what I hope you're starting to understand is that these cameras are wildly different systems, even though they can produce very similar results.

Subtitles ListPlay Video

Battle of the point and shoot: Fujifilm x100VI vs. Ricoh GR IIIx

articulate

equivalent

incredibly

compromise