Ricoh GR IV Officially Unveiled, is a Pocket Camera That Packs a Punch

Street photographers have been whispering about the Ricoh GR IV for months and now it’s here, in all its compact glory. This camera, the latest in the GR series, doesn’t just iterate, it reinvents. With a new body, new sensor and a lens that’s sharper than ever the GR IV is a tool made for those who live to capture the moments of city life.

Smaller and sleeker than the GR III the GR IV shaves off a few millimeters in width and height making it even easier to slip into a jacket pocket. At 9.2 ounces with battery and memory card it’s a featherweight companion that doesn’t skimp on durability thanks to a magnesium alloy frame. The grip has been reshaped for a more comfortable hold and the rear controls have been reimagined. A new dial replaces the old toggle for mode adjustments and the exposure compensation button now sits in a more intuitive spot. It feels like an extension of your hand ready to shoot at a moment’s notice.

At the heart of the GR IV is a 25.7 megapixel APS-C sensor, up from the GR III’s 24.2 megapixels. Paired with the GR ENGINE 7 processor this sensor delivers images with crisp detail and rich colours even in tough light. The ISO range goes from 100 to 204,800 so you can shoot in near darkness without sacrificing clarity. A new antistatic coating on the sensor’s IR-cut filter keeps dust at bay, a small but nice upgrade for a fixed lens camera. The new 18.3mm f/2.8 lens, equivalent to a 28mm full frame, has 7 elements in 5 groups to minimize distortion and maximize sharpness. It’s a lens that sees the world like a street photographer does – wide, clear and unflinching.


Shake reduction has been upgraded with a 5 axis IBIS system, 2 stops more than the GR III’s 3 axis 4 stop system. So you can shoot handheld in low light, whether it’s a neon lit alley or a dimly lit café. Autofocus is faster and more accurate, with better low light performance and face tracking. Startup time is 0.6 seconds, the fastest in the GR series and switching to macro mode is just as quick.


For snap shooters, the GR IV has a Program Auto Ex function that lets you switch between aperture and shutter priority with a turn of the front or rear dial. A new Snap Distance-Priority mode simplifies depth-of-field control, perfect for grabbing shots without fiddling with settings. The camera also adds a Cinema mode to its Image Control options, with yellow or green tones that mimic the nostalgic glow of old film. You can tweak saturation, hue, contrast and grain to your heart’s content, even process RAW files in-camera to create JPEGs on the fly. With 53GB of internal storage and a microSD slot, you’ve got plenty of room to store those creations.


Connectivity gets a boost with the GR World app, designed for the GR series. Dual-band Wi-Fi and Bluetooth lets you download your photos to your phone to share on social media or shoot remotely. You can also geotag your photos for context of your urban adventures. The 3.0-inch touchscreen LCD with 1.04 million dots is brighter and clearer and has auto-brightness.


Video is secondary, 1080p at 60p. The GR IV isn’t a filmmaker’s tool, it’s a stills camera and it’s great at that. The new DB-120 battery gives you 25% more life, about 250 shots per charge. Accessories like the GF-2 mini-flash, GA-3 lens adapter for 21mm wide-angle conversion and cosmetic add-ons like the GN-3 ring cap and GK-2 hotshoe cover let you customize the camera. The GR IV is $1,499.95, more than the GR III’s $900 launch price in 2019 due to tariffs and inflation.


The GR IV will be available in mid-September and is a camera for photographers who want to travel incognito, capture life’s raw moments with precision and ease.
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