GR IIIx HDFvs A1
Ricoh
GR IIIx HDF (2024)
Starting from £999 new
Best for Street & documentary photography with a distinctive aesthetic
View GR IIIx HDF
Sony
A1 (2021)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
View A1
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Street & Documentary Photography With A Distinctive Aesthetic — GR IIIx HDF (2024): The GR IIIx with a built-in dream filter — for photographers who want the GR's legendary APS-C quality with an added layer of analogue magic.
Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
Who should buy what
GR IIIx HDF (2024)
- GR IIIx fans who want the HDF bloom effect without using post-processing
- Street photographers who want a distinctive, instantly recognisable aesthetic
- Film photography enthusiasts who want to replicate analogue optical character digitally
- GR III owners ready to upgrade to the 40mm equivalent perspective
A1 (2021)
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
Quick take: The a1 has the highest resolution at 50mp; the gr iiix hdf is the most affordable; only the a1 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | GR IIIx HDF (2024) | A1 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £999 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP APS-C CMOS | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 50.1MP |
| Video | 1920 × 1080 / 60fps | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Phase/contrast hybrid CDAF with Snap Focus | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points |
| Stabilisation | 3-axis Shake Reduction (SR) — 4 stops | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 4fps continuous | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE |
| Battery Life | ~200 shots (CIPA) | ~430 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 262g body only | 737g (with battery) |
| Dimensions | 122.5 × 69.5 × 35.2mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | None — rear LCD only | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed LCD touchscreen, 1.037M dots | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Fixed GR Lens 26.1mm f/2.8 (40mm equivalent) | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Single SD/SDHC/SDXC slot | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | GR IIIx HDF | A1 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Sports | ||
| Wildlife | ||
| Vlogging & Video | — | |
| Wedding | — |
GearScore™ suitability scores are based on aggregated purchaser reviews weighted by photography genre. See how scores are calculated →
More comparisons with GR IIIx HDF
Camera family history