A couple of weeks ago, I rented a Leica Q2 from borrowlenses.com for my birthday week. It marked the first time I had ever laid hands on a Leica, let alone shoot with one. While I found the camera to be a thing of beauty, and the lens truly sublime, I simply cannot justify spending over 5K on a digital tool that will someday become obsolete.

Enter the Ricoh GRIII-at around 85 percent less than the Leica Q2.

Years ago, I purchased the original Ricoh GR and used it pretty obsessively-especially for sojourns onto the streets. Sadly, it contracted a giant dust spot on the sensor (something the Ricoh’s are notorious for), and it found itself in a drawer, where it gathered dust on the outside.

After some extensive research (o.k. maybe it was a bit of an impulse buy), I decided to risk the the the dust attracting sensor, and I pulled the trigger on the Richo GRIII.

Below is a sampling of my first couple of days with the camera. To cut to the chase, I love this little camera. It has its flaws (battery life is atrocious), but this tiny workhorse is an absolute beast when it comes to candid street photography.