There’s a lot to love about the Ricoh GR IV. This long-anticipated addition to the lineup ushers in some welcome enhancements that take it to a whole new level.
Since its debut more than a decade ago, Ricoh’s GR line of premium compact point-and-shoot cameras has earned high praise from street photographers – both hobbyists and professionals – for their streamlined pocketability and reliable performance.
Ricoh claims that with a large APS-C format CMOS sensor and powerful processor, these cameras can deliver highly detailed DSLR-like image quality.
Earlier models like the GR III boasted an 18.3mm f/2.8 prime lens with a 35mm-equivalent focal length of 28mm, while the GR IIIx features a 26.1mm lens with a 40mm equivalent in the 35mm format.
The new GR IV steps it up, in more ways than one. Here are some of its best standout features.
While retaining the GR III’s popular 28mm focal length and large f/2.8 maximum aperture, the GR IV features a new lens design comprising seven optical elements in five groups, including glass-molded aspherical lens elements.
Ricoh says this gives it the power to deliver high-contrast, high-res images with edge-to-edge sharpness and minimal distortion and chromatic aberrations.
View Ricoh GR IV Pricing and Availability at Vistek
Additional enhancements include a newly developed back-illuminated APS-C CMOS image sensor, now at 25.74MP vs. the predecessors’ 24, and a new GR Engine 7 imaging engine.
The GR IV’s body has been thoroughly retooled, too, now offering boosted performance in a slimmer form factor, with control buttons and dials redesigned to improve overall functionality.
Features
- Newly designed 18.3mm f/2.8 GR lens
(approx. 28mm in 35mm equivalent focal length) - Back-illuminated 25.74MP APS-C CMOS image sensor
- Upgraded GR Engine 7 imaging engine
- f/2.8 to f/16 aperture range
- Updated 5-axis sensor-shift shake-reduction mechanism
- Compact, slim and functional body design
- 7 elements in 5 groups (including 3 aspherical lens elements)
- AA filter simulator