Ricoh GR IV Monochrome — 17,000 Shots In… Still Shooting

Ricoh GR Monochrome Glitch (Real User Experience After 17,000 Shots)

Ricoh GR IV Monochrome — 17,000 Shots In… Still ShootingDownload

What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.

Today I want to share with you this glitch that’s been occurring on my Ricoh GR for monochrome.

So unfortunately, I was in New York City recently, and I was trying to challenge myself to produce a full book in 12 hours. I was pounding the pavement — walked 18 miles, photographed from sunrise to sunset — and my camera started to glitch.

The Issue

I started to get this weird glitch where the lens would lock up.

The aperture doesn’t really open properly — it kind of opens halfway, gets stuck, and then locks.

At that point, I have to:

  • Take the battery out
  • Restart the camera
  • Go through this whole rigmarole

And it’s becoming unreliable.

“I really do practice. I shoot every single day from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep.”

Real Usage (Not a Gear Review)

I want to be clear — I’m not sponsored by Ricoh.

This is just my real-world experience as someone who actually uses their camera.

Over the past 3.5 years:

  • ~400,000 photos on GR III and IIIx
  • ~17,000–18,000 frames on the GR Monochrome in about a month or two

I don’t baby my cameras.

  • Never dropped it
  • No physical damage
  • Still — hardware issue

So yeah… something’s wrong.

Why This Matters

This isn’t just about a glitch.

It’s about reliability.

When you’re out every day shooting, you need a camera that works. Period.

And right now?

“I don’t feel like I can trust it to go back out and do the kind of photography that I do.”

So I’m sending it in for repair.

Still Shooting (No Excuses)

But here’s the thing — I’m not stopping.

I’ve got my GR III and GR IIIx.

I was already back out the next day shooting.

Because at the end of the day:

“I’m a practitioner. I’m not a gear guy.”

The Work Continues

Even with the glitch, I still:

  • Shot the full video
  • Made a full photo book in 12 hours
  • Kept pushing through

And honestly, the workflow is still unmatched.

“This is the fastest, most streamlined workflow I’ve ever had.”

Gear Breaks — It Happens

This isn’t new for me.

  • Fujifilm X-Pro3 broke after a month
  • Leica M3 has issues sitting on the shelf

Because I actually use my cameras.

Hard.

“I click the shutter tens of thousands of times in a week or two.”

So yeah — things break.

Back to the GR IIIx (And New Curiosity)

This situation actually pushed me back toward the GR IIIx.

Specifically:

  • 40mm focal length
  • 71mm crop mode

Something I was exploring in Tokyo.

And honestly?

I’m excited about it again.

What I’m Chasing Now

There’s something I’m curious about:

  • Light wrapping around faces
  • Shooting close with snap focus (1 meter)
  • That subtle tension in portraits

One photo I made yesterday…

There’s something strange about it.

“It feels like a portal into another world.”

That’s what I’m chasing.

Why Ricoh Still Wins (For Me)

Despite everything…

I still believe this is the best camera for street photography.

Because of:

  • Size
  • Speed
  • Discretion
  • Workflow

You can move like a tourist.

Like a kid.

Just wandering, observing, reacting.

“There really isn’t another match for the kind of work that I do.”

Final Thoughts

Yeah — the camera failed.

Yeah — it’s frustrating.

But this is part of the practice.

“These are the hiccups that occur when you actually go out and shoot.”

So we keep going.

We adapt.

We pivot.

And we stay out there.

Shooting.

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