Ricoh’s long-awaited GR IV camera remains compact, but features a new sensor and lens
It’s kind of like the Fujifilm X100VI, but even smaller.
Ricoh has finally lifted the wraps off its new GR IV camera – the long-awaited successor to the GR III.
To start, it remains positively tiny. Its dimensions are almost identical to those of its predecessor. It also means that it’s much smaller than the Fujifilm X100VI. This is a camera that you can truly slip into your pockets.
The sensors and lens have been improved. It now has a 25.74-megapixel backside-illuminated APS-C sensor (the GR III has a 24MP sensor). The small increase in resolution will likely be negligible, but it will be interesting to see if the new sensor offers any benefits in noise performance and dynamic range.
The 28mm equivalent lens should have improved sharpness.
The lens still has a 28mm-equivalent focal length, but has improved internals (an additional aspherical element), which should mean better sharpness in the corners. The lens barrel is also said to be thinner, which reduces the camera’s startup time by 0.2 seconds or 25%.
Inside, the GR IV also gets a new image processor that Ricoh claims has better noise reduction and more accurate colour reproduction for better out-of-camera JPEGs. Autofocusing is also said to be improved, and there’s a more sophisticated five-axis IBIS (up from a three-axis system).
Internal storage has been increased from just 2GB in the GR III to 53GB in the GR IV. This should be good for over 2,000 JPEGs. If you need more storage, the GR IV accepts micro-SD cards.
The rear screen appears to be largely unchanged. It still has a 3-inch 1.04M dot screen.
The GR IV uses the larger DB-120 battery, which holds 40% more charge than the DB-110 battery used by the GR III. This is crucial because battery life was a weakness of the GR III. Thanks to the larger battery, the GR IV has a CIPA battery life rating of 250 shots (up from 200 in the GR III).
Fans of Ricoh’s compact GR series have been waiting for a new camera for a while, and it’s finally here. As it stands, the new GR IV looks like a meaningful update over the GR III. It’s hard to say how much better the improved sensor and lens will perform, but I’m sure fans of its tiny form factor will be glad to see that it now has more internal storage and battery life. What they won’t be happy about, however, is its higher price. The old GR III had a launch price of US$899. The new GR IV costs US$1,499.
Availability and pricing
There’s no word yet on local availability and pricing, but we do know that it will be launching in the US in September for US$1,499 (S$1,932). We will update this section once we know more.