The Highly Anticipated Ricoh GR IV Is In Development and Coming This Fall

Ricoh Imaging has announced the development of the Ricoh GR IV, the latest model in the storied and extremely popular Ricoh GR series of premium compact cameras.

“Currently under development, the Ricoh GR IV inherits the basic GR-series concept, while also incorporating totally new components, including a newly designed lens, a new image sensor, and a new imaging engine, to further upgrade image quality. It also features more advanced communications functions and is compatible with a new application designed for smart devices to improve operability and functionality,” Ricoh Imaging says.

The company told PetaPixel at CP+ that a GR III successor would come soon.



”I don’t know if the new GR will come before or after I die, but it will come someday,” Kazunobu Saiki, General Manager, Camera Business Division, at Ricoh, told PetaPixel in February.

Saiki added that the company keeps core principles in mind when designing a GR series camera:

“We have really strong core principles in mind whenever we create a GR camera: compactness, quick response, high image quality, and then also evolution. So we always consider how we can improve these three points with some evolution. Regardless of whether it is a GR or a new DSLR or a new film camera or new lenses, whatever it is, we make some principles for that specific model with points we will never deviate from.”

Ricoh Imaging also says that a new GR-series model featuring a Highlight Diffusion Filter (HDF) based on the GR IV is also in the works, building upon the company’s most recent GR III models, the GR III HDF and GR IIIx HDF, both of which have proven extremely popular.

The company promises that the GR IV will be “the ultimate snapshot camera in the history of the GR series.” Further, the GR IV “is a totally new breed of camera, one which will satisfy every photographers’ demands and expectations.”

The history of the GR series is long and impressive. The analog Ricoh GR1 was released in 1996, nine years before the first digital GR, aptly named the GR Digital, in 2005. The GR Digital II followed in 2007, the GR Digital III in 2009, and the GR Digital IV in 2011. Then came the debut of the current GR series, the Ricoh GR in 2013. The Ricoh GR II followed shortly thereafter in 2015, and then the GR III three years later in 2018. Following the GR IIIx in 2021, photographers have been clamoring for the next generation of the Ricoh GR.

The Ricoh GR IV will feature an 18.3mm f/2.8 lens, equivalent to a 28mm in 35mm terms — just like the GR III. However, it is not an identical lens, as the GR IV’s built-in lens features seven elements in five groups, up from six in four. The extra element is a third aspherical lens.

The camera will also feature a new 25.7-megapixel image sensor (23.3 by 15.5 millimeters), up from the 24.2-megapixel APS-C chip in the GR III. The sensor has a native ISO range of 100 to 204,800 and features five-axis in-body image stabilization, which is improved from the GR III’s three-axis system.

The GR IV will capture 14-bit RAW (DNG) photos, record Full HD (not 4K) video, and includes 53GB of internal memory alongside a UHS-I microSD card slot.

Many other specifications appear similar to the GR III, including the 3-inch fixed rear display and focusing capabilities.

They won’t have to wait too long to learn more. Ricoh Imaging says it will showcase the GR IV at GR Space in Tokyo, Beijing, and Shanghai beginning on May 31.

The Ricoh GR IV Will Launch This Fall

The camera is expected to launch in “autumn 2025,” with the HDF model landing “after winter 2025.” The mentioned new smartphone app, which will be called GR World, will be “released soon” and support all GR-series models released after the Ricoh GR I.

Ricoh Imaging has also announced that the production and shipment of the Ricoh GR III will be discontinued in July “due to difficulty in procuring parts and components.” However, the Ricoh GR IIIx will be continued “for the time being,” which is good since Ricoh Imaging has not announced the development of a GR IVx.

Image credits: Ricoh Imaging