Ricoh GR IV review

The Ricoh GR IV is a photographer's compact built around a 26MP APS-C sensor with a fixed 28mm equiv. F2.8 lens. It's the fourth entry in the GR series (though that was preceded by the long-running GR Digital series and film models prior to that), and includes elements from previous GR cameras that had been dropped by its predecessor.

Key Specs:

• 25.74MP APS-C sensor
• 18.3mm F2.8 lens (28mm equiv)
• Magnesium alloy body
• Built-in 2EV ND
• 5-axis image stabilization
• 53GB internal storage and UHS-I Micro SD slot
• 3.0" 1.04M dot LCD (720 x 480 px)
• FullHD (1080) video up to 60p
• 262g with memory card and battery

The GR IV is available at an MSRP of $1499. This price represents a substantial increase from the GR III's $899 2018 launch price, though is less of a jump from the former market rate for the special editions of that camera, which go for around $1100 (when you can find them in stock).

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Index:

• What's new
• How does it compare?
• Body and handling
• Image Quality
• Autofocus
• In Use
• Conclusion
• Sample Gallery
• Specifications
• Press Release

What's New

Updated sensor

The GR IV uses a 25.74MP backside-illuminated sensor, compared to the 24MP frontside-illuminated one found in the GR III. It seems likely that it's the same sensor Sony uses for its a6700 and Pentax in the K-3 III, which would mean Ricoh is continuing its tradition of using tried-and-true imaging tech in the GR series.

In large sensors, the benefits of BSI tend to have more to do with getting even illumination at the corners of the sensor, rather than having much impact on overall noise.

Redesigned lens

Also getting an update is the 18.3mm (28mm equiv) F2.8 lens. Ricoh has refreshed the formula, adding another aspherical element, which it says should provide better detail and sharpness in the corners. More importantly, the lens barrel is thinner, which means it can extend faster, improving the camera's startup time by 0.2 seconds. This may not sound like much, but it's a 25% improvement.

The company also says it focused on making the lens suck in less dust when it retracts and extends. While it's still not making any claims about weather or dust resistance, it clearly saw users' complaints about their previous GR cameras getting dust on the sensor, as it's also added a new anti-fouling and anti-static coating to the UV/IR cut filter. That should make it easier for the sensor's cleaning routine to shake off any dust that makes it into the body.

New old control layout

Left: GR IV. Right: GR III

The GR IV's control scheme reverses several changes made with the GR III, and so more closely resembles the layout of the original GR and GR II. Most notably, it replaces the rear-plate control dial with a multi-directional controller, and regains the "+ / –" rocker switch the III dropped.

It isn't just a complete remake of the GR II, though. The rear jog lever that's been on all of the GR cameras up to this point has been replaced with a clickable command dial. The company has also added a position for the Snap Distance Priority mode, introduced via a firmware update to the GR III, onto the camera's mode dial. It makes the camera's zone focusing system a little more approachable, letting you control your focus distance with one dial, and the depth of field with the other, with the camera setting your other exposure settings accordingly.

The Program auto mode has also received a substantial rework, adopting Pentax's Hyper Program mode in all but name. You can now use the dials to override it to either prioritize aperture or shutter speed, using the command dials, and can reset back to auto with a press of the mode dial's lock button.

Upgraded internals and battery

The GR IV has a new image processor, which the company says can provide more sophisticated noise reduction and more accurate color reproduction in the out-of-camera JPEGs. It's also paired with new autofocus algorithms, which should improve its focusing speed and accuracy, especially in more difficult scenarios, according to Ricoh.

The sensor stabilization system has also been upgraded, moving from a three-axis design to a five-axis one, providing a bump from a 4EV rating of stabilization to 6EV.

Additionally, Ricoh has massively increased the amount of internal storage; while the GR III had around 2GB built-in, the GR IV has 53GB, which, for many users, may be enough to obviate a separate memory card. Which may be a relief, given that Ricoh has chosen to go with a Micro SD card slot, rather than a full-size one, this time around, to make way for other changes.

A flashy accessory

The GF-2 is sold separately, but provides a reasonably-priced, compact option for those who miss the original GR's built-in flash.

Alongside the GR IV, Ricoh is launching the GF-2, a sold-separately external flash designed to be compact and to fit the camera's design. It has a guide number of 3 at ISO 100, and has its own battery and charges via USB-C, so using it won't wear down the camera's battery. And while it's not a TTL flash, it is aware of the camera's exposure settings and focus distance, allowing for an automatic mode, though it can also be used manually.

Ricoh says that its customers are split on whether they care about the GR having an internal flash, but that they universally care about it being compact and pocketable. According to the company, the external flash lets the camera be as small as possible while making it so those who don't care about having it don't have to pay for its inclusion.

The flash doesn't power on with the camera, as you may not wish to use it every time, but it is clever enough to power down when you switch the camera off.

The GF-2 flash unit will cost $119.

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How does it compare?

Specs-wise, the GR IV is a mild update to the GR III, but there are enough differences to its core specs that we felt it was worth a direct comparison. We've also included Fujifilm's fixed-lens X100 VI; while its 35mm equiv. focal length will likely appeal to a different set of shooters, it's arguably the most famous of the photographer's fixed-lens cameras out there today. And while the RX100 VII's zoom lens and smaller sensor make for a very different shooting experience than the fixed lens APS-C cameras on this list, its size may make it attractive to the same photographers considering a GR.

While it's certainly not large, the X100 VI is substantially bulkier and heavier than the GR III/IV. However, there are reasons why: you get better battery life, a faster lens and a viewfinder experience that can be very engaging to shoot with. It's not the best option if you're looking for the most pocketable option, but it's still a portable and engaging fixed-lens camera, with features like a built-in flash and weather resistance that some fans of the Ricoh GR series have been asking for.

The RX100 VII is the oldest camera on this list, and that manifests in several ways; while its older autofocus system was once top-of-the-pack (and is still mostly competitive today), Sony's latest versions are even better. The menu system hasn't aged as gracefully, as it arguably wasn't very good to begin with, and the Micro USB port means that most people will have to carry a separate charger for it. However, its zoom lens and stacked sensor make it a more versatile pick for those looking for a camera that can also handle sports and action.

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Body and Handling

The GR IV retains the same utilitarian styling that the GR series has always been known for, though it is now slightly slimmer and shorter. The difference is subtle on the spec sheet, but is noticeable in the hand and the pocket.

The heart of the camera are its controls, which can be operated entirely with one hand. The two top-plate command dials are placed near where your thumb and forefinger naturally rest, giving you quick control over your exposure settings.

Pressing the rear dial brings up the 'ADJ' quick settings menu, which is entirely customizable. You can choose up to five categories of settings to be accessible from the menu, from 17 options such as color mode, drive mode, ISO settings, focus mode and so on. One dial switches between the categories, while the other lets you make your selection from them. You can arrange them in whatever order you prefer, so your most-changed settings are immediately at your fingertips.

You can pare the Adjust menu down to contain just your essentials.

By default, the menu will pop back up until you confirm your selection, though you can set the camera to do so with a half-press of the shutter. This customizability carries over to the rest of the camera, too, with over thirty settings for the function button and granular control over what a half-press of the shutter button does.

The menu system is also entirely navigable by touch if you prefer a more direct form of interaction. While it can be set to take a photo when you tap the screen, the menu doesn't live on the liveview display, avoiding the risk of accidentally toggling between touch-to-focus and touch-shutter modes.

In short, the GR IV gives you plenty of room to set it up in a way that suits your shooting style. It's extremely quick to operate once you have it dialed in, letting you change your most-accessed settings on the fly while staying in the moment, and making it easy to focus on the essentials of photography, rather than your camera.

All of this hasn't come about by chance: it's a result of continuous evolution of a well-loved interface, and it can be really quick to operate, once you're got a feel for it.

Display

The 3.0" rear LCD's resolution is unchanged from the previous model, and while it's not particularly high-resolution, it's sufficient for composing and checking focus after the fact (as long as you punch in to 1:1). It now has an auto-brightness setting, which monitors the ambient light through the lens and makes adjustments accordingly. Even when shooting on very sunny days, we found it relatively visible given its fixed placement on the back of the camera.

While the camera doesn't have a viewfinder, it is still compatible with the add-on optical viewfinders released for the GR III. The company says it plans on releasing new models more suited to the new camera's reduced depth, but that the older models should still fit reasonably well.

Ports and connectivity

The GR IV has a USB-C port hidden under a flap, which you can use to charge the camera even while in use and to offload images from its internal memory and Micro SD card.

It also gains 5Ghz Wi-Fi in regions where the standard is allowed, making offloading images to your phone via the GR World app even faster.

Battery

The GR IV uses a 6.9Wh DB-120 battery, which has around 40% greater capacity than the 4.9Wh DB-110 used by the GR III. The CIPA battery life rating receives a more modest bump; the GR IV is rated for 250 shots versus the GR III's 200, a 25% improvement. It's a physically larger battery, which is almost certainly why the GR IV has had to adopt a Micro SD slot.

CIPA ratings tend to be lower than what you'll actually get in real-world conditions, and are more useful as a common point of comparison between cameras than a literal number of shots that you can expect to get. With that said, it wasn't uncommon for the GR III to run out of power well before hitting 200 shots, and we found we could actually hit around 250 per charge with the IV, so it's a bigger jump than the ratings suggest.

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Image Quality

Our test scene is designed to simulate a variety of textures, colors, and detail types you'll encounter in the real world. It also has two illumination modes, full even light and low directional light, to see the effect of different lighting conditions.

At base ISO, the GR IV's Raws capture a good amount of detail, though not noticeably more than its predecessor (though that's not particularly surprising, given the tiny bump in resolution and limitations of how closely we can match focus). The higher-resolution X100VI captures a touch more detail, but both capture more than the lower-resolution sensor and zoom lens in the RX100 VIII. Compared to its contemporaries, low ISO noise performance follows sensor size, with the GR IV and X100VI performing similarly, though the GR IV appears to have noticeably less than its predecessor, which is somewhat suspicious.

At high ISOs, however, it's clearly applying noise reduction to its Raws, like the Pentax K-1 II does. Thankfully, the cross-hatching pattern that shows up in that camera's Raws doesn't make a return here, but it's still disappointing to see, as it means the camera is throwing away some of the detail it's capturing.

We find the GR IV's standard color mode to be more pleasing than the one on the GR III.

The GR III's JPEG engine doesn't do a great job of expressing fine details at base ISO, and unfortunately, that's true of the GR IV, too. The trend continues at higher ISOs, with the noise reduction further reducing the amount of detail while still falling behind the Fujifilm in terms of graininess. We find its colors a bit more pleasing than the GR III's, though, and, realistically, this is an enthusiast camera, so we expect many owners to be working with its Raws to better control sharpness (or choosing to make it even softer with the grain effects in custom color modes).

Lens performance

Our studio test scene isn't designed to test lenses, and we had to shoot it from quite close, thanks to the 28mm equiv. lens. However, our working distance was still enough that the results mirror what we saw in the shots we took with it.

Compared to its predecessor, the GR IV doesn't have a significant lead in center sharpness. Move out towards the edges, though, and the story changes; the GR IV has some of the strongest performance we've seen in this class of camera, delivering noticeably better results than its peers, and more consistent performance across the frame than its predecessor. When you get to the corners, it's a bit soft, similar to the GR III, but Ricoh's use of a unit-focus lens design means it doesn't suffer nearly as much as the Fujifilm or Sony.

Speaking of the corners, you've likely noticed the heavy vignetting. While it's a touch better than the III, compared to cameras like the X100VI and the RX1R III, the GR IV's lens is noticeably darker in the periphery, even at F5.6. It doesn't get much worse when you open it up to F2.8, though, so the camera's built-in correction profile doesn't have to do a bunch of extra brightening for wide-open shots. It deals with the vignetting very nicely in JPEGs, though the corners getting less light means you'll see the extra noise there upon correction.

That consistency applies to its sharpness, too. At the edges, the lens is almost as good at F2.8 as it is at F5.6. The very corners are definitely softer with the lens wide-open, but performance improves as soon as you stop down.

Overall, we're impressed with the GR IV's lens. The GR III was already impressively sharp at the center, and Ricoh has done an admirable job stretching that performance out towards the edges of the frame. It's also quite consistent, so opening it up to let in more light doesn't come with a heavy cost.

Dynamic Range

F4 | 1/800 sec | ISO 100 Underexposed to protect highlights, brightness raised 2EV in Adobe Camera Raw.

The GR IV uses a sensor we're familiar with, and, as expected, has great dynamic range performance. It adds very little read noise, which means you have room to take a picture at its base ISO of 100 to capture the maximum dynamic range, and then boost it in post.

It also performs well when you're boosting shadows, letting you expose to preserve highlights, as seen above.

Exposure Latitude | ISO Invariance

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Autofocus

F2.8 | 1/500 sec | ISO 200 | Macro mode

The GR IV has a variety of autofocus area modes, including auto, which samples the whole frame, zone, which has a single size that covers roughly a quarter of the frame, a single, small AF point, and a pinpoint option. These autofocus selection options are single AF only; they'll focus when you half-press the shutter, but there's no way to get them to continuously update to account for movement.

This is more separated than most contemporary cameras, which typically let you use many of their selection point options in either continuous or single AF mode. With the GR IV, continuous is restricted to the Continuous and Tracking modes, both of which have small, non-resizable points. This somewhat limits your options for shooting moving subjects, especially ones where you don't know where exactly they'll enter frame, or ones that move erratically.

The facial recognition on the GR IV didn't reliably recognize people wearing sunglasses as humans.

The GR IV's face/eye detection mode works almost exclusively on humans (sorry, pet owners) and is available in the single focus modes. It's nowhere near as advanced as most manufacturers' systems; it generally only recognizes people who are close to and facing the camera. When it recognizes a face or faces, it automatically selects it, and you can choose between multiple recognized faces by tapping on the screen or using the directional controller. You can also tap elsewhere on the screen to get your AF selection point back and to ignore the recognized face.

You can move your focus point or zone using the four-way controller, though it's generally more expedient to do so via the touchscreen.

Autofocus performance

You can capture fast-moving objects with the GR IV, with a little pre-planning. F2.8 | 1/60 sec | ISO 800

We found that the GR IV was generally quick and accurate when focusing in its single autofocus modes, though it would still occasionally hunt in darker, lower contrast scenarios, even with the help of the AF assist lamp.

Continuous autofocus performance was weaker. The camera was far more likely to hunt for a bit, then show a red box indicating that it couldn't focus on the subject. It would also occasionally seem to acquire focus on a subject, turning the box around it green, only to start hunting for focus again in the moment before we pressed the shutter, frustratingly leading to a completely out-of-focus shot.

Its tracking performance is also well off the pace for modern cameras. In ideal scenarios, it does a reasonable job of staying with your selected subject, allowing for track and recompose shooting, as long as you don't move too fast. However, with less favorable conditions, it would frequently wander off target, not keep up with a moving subject, or give up on tracking entirely.

But who needs it anyway?

Of course, many GR-series die-hards don't buy the camera for its autofocus capabilities. The line is famous for its zone focus-emulating Snap Focus system, which lets you specify a pre-determined distance. When you press the shutter button, it'll immediately focus to that distance and take a picture.

The Snap Focus priority mode, which now gets its own place on the mode dial, makes it even easier to use by giving you direct control of focus distance via a command dial (when shooting Snap Focus in other modes, you have to press a button and turn the dial to change your distance). It also lets you change your aperture setting by telling the camera how deep you want your field of focus to be, though it doesn't give you direct control over shutter speed, unless you work around it using the auto ISO minimum shutter speed setting.

Snap Focus priority mode, added via firmware update to the GR III, has graduated to having its own spot on the mode dial.

The mode (and zone focusing in general) takes time to get used to, but once you do, it can be a powerful tool, especially for street photography. However, you don't have to be all-in on the mode to benefit from it. In Snap Focus mode, you can touch the screen, and the camera will autofocus on your selected point, overriding the set focus distance. You can also set the camera to shoot at your selected Snap Focus distance even in your autofocus modes, provided you press the shutter all the way down immediately, with no half-press in between.

The GR IV is also one of the very rare compacts that retains your manual focus position even when you turn it completely off, letting you set the focus where the action will happen, then turn the camera off until just before the moment happens to conserve battery. As in all its focus modes, the camera's manual focus mode also does a good job of visualizing what the depth of field will be, given your aperture setting.

It has a dedicated infinity focus mode as well, where the camera will always focus to infinity when you press the shutter button (though as with Snap Focus, you can override it with a tap on the screen).

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In Use

The GR IV isn't a revolutionary change to the series' formula, so there aren't that many surprises when it comes to what it's like to use. It's still a camera that can fit in a pant or jacket pocket, offers a lot of manual control and customizability, and is booted and ready to take a picture as soon as you take it out.

I find the return to the GR II's control scheme is a welcome one; the +/– rocker is a much nicer control point than a fiddly rear-plate dial, and the multi-directional controller is better for accessing your custom functions. Ricoh also doesn't make you waste time diving through menus; for example, if you use the on-screen display to adjust ISO, you can toggle auto mode with a press of the Fn button.

The GR IV (front) returns to a more traditional control scheme for the series, after the III (rear) departed a bit from it.

Of course, you could also do so using the extensively customizable Adjust menus, which feel like this camera's secret weapon. They put the controls that matter most to you right at your fingertips, making it so you rarely have to dive into the menus while shooting. The fact that you can zip through them using the two dials and have the option of confirming your choice with a half-press of the shutter button means it's very friendly to one-handed use, which is great for when you want to quickly grab a snapshot of whatever's happening in front of you.

The menus are, thankfully, entirely operable by touch for the rare times you have to dive into them. Of course, if you prefer the dials or multi-directional controller, those will work as well. The GR IV, characteristically, also gives you several options for choosing what a tap on the touchscreen does in live view, and there's no easily-brushable on-screen button that will change that choice on you.

Battery life still isn't exceptional, but you don't have to constantly worry about it

While battery life still isn't exceptional, it is now at least to the point where you don't have to constantly worry about it. I found I didn't feel the need to charge it after a light outing, where I'd only shot around 50-60 images; I was confident the camera could make it through another similar outing without dying.

The GR III lets you manually boost the screen's brightness to make it easier to see outdoors, but you can now set the GR IV to do so automatically, which is a nice touch. It appears to still be the same panel, though, so it will wash out in really bright conditions, making it a bit hard to compose and review your images.

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Conclusion

By Mitchell Clark

Reviewing a camera like the GR IV is tough; it has a lot of dedicated fans who use it in a very particular way, and Ricoh has put a lot of effort into making sure the camera caters to that style of shooting. But at the same time, there's clearly a lot of interest in photographers' compacts outside of that core audience, and those buyers will likely value very different parts of the experience.

This divide is likely at its deepest when it comes to autofocus. I'm sure there will be GR IV owners who would never even consider using the camera's tracking mode, but if you're coming to the camera with experience from modern mirrorless systems, you'll likely find its continuous autofocus modes a letdown. Even compared to those on the X100VI, they're a fair way behind what we've come to expect, and the rest of the camera is absolutely good enough to justify a better class of autofocus.

If you can look past that, though, there's so much to like here. The user interface, both hardware and software, is pitch-perfect for the type of shooting you're likely to do with the GR IV. The better battery life makes it easier to take with you, without having to worry if it's fully charged. The Raw image quality is great, it has plenty of highly customizable and pleasing JPEG color modes, and the lens is shockingly good given the body it has to fit into.

That size is, increasingly, the star of the show, and it's impressive that Ricoh managed to make the GR IV even smaller (the difference is subtle, but definitely there). While the GR series has long provided some of the best image quality available in a pocketable camera, there used to be at least some competition.

Now, though, that's not really the case, and that brings us to what will likely be a big sticking point: price. Value is rarely as distinctly in the eye of the beholder as it is with this camera, because there aren't other options that provide this much image quality in a package this small. If you're willing to budge on either of those points, you can get something cheaper or with more bang for the buck. If you're not, your only real option is to pay what Ricoh is asking, even if it is substantially more than it asked for the previous model.

If the GR III were still available, we suspect there'd be customers who went for it to save some money... but they'd be missing out.

Ricoh perhaps could have softened that blow by packing in the flash (or at least making a slightly discounted kit available), or by improving the autofocus or making a noticeably bigger leap in image quality compared to the (still quite good) III. But as we've said before, we can only review the camera that the company actually made, and despite its price, the GR IV is still a very fun camera to carry, and an even more fun one to use.

While the autofocus performance keeps it from getting a Gold Award, we feel it handily deserves its silver thanks to its image quality, user interface and the subtle but important improvements it makes compared to its predecessor.

Scoring

Scoring is relative only to the other cameras in the same category. Click here to learn about what these numbers mean.

Compared to its peers

For some, a comparison to the Fujifilm X100VI will be a non-starter, thanks to its 35mm equiv. lens and noticeably larger body that won't fit in most pockets. If you're fine with the focal length and size, though – and are somehow lucky enough to find one for sale – its extra features like weather resistance, viewfinder, and flash could be quite enticing. While Fujifilm's continuous and tracking autofocus is more reliable than Ricoh's, it's not at its fastest in the X100VI, thanks to the unit-focus lens.

As for the Sony RX100 VII, it's a hard camera to recommend today, and is in some ways the GR IV's polar opposite; rather than giving you hands-on, engaging controls, it fights against you if you try to use it as anything other than a point-and-shoot. Its zoom lens makes it undeniably more versatile (at the cost of the focused style of photography that comes with a fixed prime), and its built-in flash and pop-up viewfinder will make some GR fans jealous, as will its autofocus. But even if you're willing to accept the lower image quality that comes from its smaller sensor, its antiquated menus, microUSB port, and absurdly inflated price tag are all reasons to avoid it in 2025.

Compared to its predecessor, the Ricoh GR III, there's no one standout spec that makes the GR IV the obvious winner. Rather, it's the compound effect of all the little improvements: the more consistent lens, improved autofocus, nicer user interface, bigger battery and more storage all add up to make it a noticeably more enjoyable camera to use.

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Sample Galleries

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