Limited-edition Ricoh GR II Silver commemorates a major anniversary for its maker

 

 

Last summer, Ricoh launched a new model for its GR camera series, a cult-favorite since the days of photographic film. The Ricoh GR II has since been issued in two limited-edition kits, both of which have already sold out. If you've been wanting to show off your fashion sense by laying your hands on one of these relatively rare versions of the GR II, we have some good news, though: There's now a third one on the way!

The Ricoh GR II Silver Edition, like the Premium Kit variant which came before it, celebrates a milestone for Ricoh. But unlike that camera, which launched in honor of the tenth anniversary of the GR-series going digital, the GR II Silver Edition instead commemorates a landmark for the company itself. Founded in 1936 as Riken Kankoshi Co., Ltd. by Rikagaku Kōgyō K.K., the commercial arm of Japanese research institute RIKEN, Ricoh is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year -- and it's that which is the raison d'être for the RG II Silver.

The camera itself is near-identical to the standard GR II, all save for the body color and a few other minor tweaks. But where the magnesium-alloy body is ordinarily coated in a textured black finish, the GR II Silver instead has a silver finish. This doesn't cover just the magnesium-alloy panels, but also the shutter button and the removable plastic trim ring which encircles the lens barrel. The remainder of the lens barrel remains black, as do both the hot shoe cover and the GR II Silver's various other controls. And of course, there's still a black leatherette wrap around the handgrip.

 

 

As well as the color variations, the Ricoh GR II Silver Edition features laser-engraved text on the front of the lens barrel, and comes in specially-designed, limited-edition packaging. There's also a customized screen shown when the camera is powered off, and it ships with a black leather camera case in the product bundle, something that should help to protect the silver finish.

Pricing and availability for the Ricoh GR II Silver Edition haven't been announced at this time, but we do know that worldwide sales of this variant will be limited to just 3,200 units. Although that's going to make it a relatively rare collectible, it should be easier to get your hands on than the earlier GR II Premium Kit (1,200 units worldwide) or GR II Urban Leather Set (2,000 units).

Want to know more about the Ricoh GR II? Read our first-impressions preview, and watch this space for more. Our full Ricoh GR II field test should be landing shortly!