Photokina 2018 is going to be a busy show for new full-frame cameras, however Ricoh is getting the event off to a smaller, humbler start with its announcement of the development of the Ricoh GRIII APS-C camera. The predecessor Ricoh GRII is a classic street photography camera, combining a fast f/2.8 prime lens with an excellent 16-megapixel image sensor, however it’s a few years old at this point. Ricoh promises to overhaul the entire proposition with a new image sensor, new lens, and new image processing chip.

Slated for a release in early 2019, the Ricoh GRIII will be on show here at Photokina, which will provide an early preview of Ricoh’s progress between generations. As far as specs go, Ricoh has revealed that the new camera will step up to a higher 24-megapixel resolution, while offering 1080/60p video recording, hybrid autofocus, and a 1 million-dot 3-inch LCD on the back. The design looks every bit as austere and retro-minimalist as the company’s previous entrants in the GR series. Stay tuned for more on the GRIII and the rest of the new cameras making their debut at Photokina as the show ramps up this week and I get a chance to lay my hands on them.

Correction: Amended the resolution of the GRIII, which was initially stated as being the same as that of the GRII.