There are some indications that my IR-converted GRIII might be at risk of dying. (Odd power messages, occasional failure to turn on.) Hopefully this issue is either specific to one individual battery, or something that can be resolved by cleaning contacts, or -- and this is quite possible -- something that is related to the GR's susceptibility to overheating, since I've observed it mainly on hot days.
It isn't my only IR camera, but it is my only pocketable one. It would be hard to justify replacing with another GRIII, since I now know that it can't shoot much above ISO 100 due to a sensor monitoring LED inside the camera. (I was probably the first person to have a GRIII converted; previous GR series bodies didn't have this issue, so it wasn't known at the time.) I could get a GRII instead, but I would probably end up paying as much or even more for it, given how the used market has changed in the intervening years, and the wide angle adapter, which is critical to me, isn't compatible between the two models.
There's really not a great 1:1 alternative from other makers. The X100 series are bulky by comparison, and expensive for what you're getting, and I don't particularly want a 35mm-equivalent fixed lens. Same issues with the RX1R, although the lens in that is supposed to be excellent for infrared use. Leica Q series would be out even if I wanted to spend the money, since they cannot be infrared-converted and again they are not actually small cameras.
Sony RX100V, maybe? I dunno, man.
If I could get it, I would prefer a 20mm-equivalent compact, but there are virtually zero digital cameras that are simultaneously:
- Any good
- Pocketable
- Infrared convertible
- with lenses that go to 20mm or 21mm equivalents
And I'm not going to spend Ricoh GR21 money on a film camera that's likely to die within a few years due to aging electronics.
I think on paper the best you can do is Sony ZV-1 vlogging camera or, hilariously, a DJI Osmo Pocket. The latter would actually have some appeal given how much I end up shooting overhead, but its stills quality is terrible.