Introducing the NEW RICOH GR IV

RICOH GR IV - The latest model of the high-end GR compact camera series, designed to be the ultimate snapshot camera. 

RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD. is pleased to announce the release of the RICOH GR IV, the latest model of the high-end GR-series of compact cameras. Within a compact, lightweight body, the camera harmonizes high-quality, high-resolution images with intuitive, responsive snapshot operations, making it an excellent choice in snapshot photography, even for professional photographers. 

To further enhance the essential values of the GR-series — optimizing image quality, responsiveness and portability — this latest member of the series is equipped with a complete range of newly developed main components, including lens, image sensor and imaging engine. It features a newly developed APS-C-size image sensor and a newly designed lens to improve image quality while reducing overall body depth — a new GR-series concept implemented from its predecessor, the RICOH GR III. The newly installed battery also helps improve battery life. 

For greater operability and usability, the connectivity of this latest, top-performing model has also been upgraded due to enhanced interface with communication devices and new applications. 

Main features 

1. Newly designed, super-slim, high-performance GR lens 

The GR IV incorporates a newly designed GR LENS 18.3mm F2.8, which harmonizes exceptional imaging performance with a slim design, while retaining the 28mm angle of view (equivalent in the 35mm format) and the large F2.8 maximum aperture of its predecessor. Consisting of seven optical elements in five groups, the latest optics incorporate glass-molded aspherical lens elements — including a large-diameter element used as a final lens — and high-refraction, low-dispersion glass elements to deliver high-contrast, high-resolution images with edge-to-edge sharpness, while minimizing distortion and chromatic aberration. 

2. High-quality, high-resolution images 

To enhance image resolving power, reproduce rich gradation and upgrade sensitivity, the GR IV harmonizes a newly designed, back-illuminated APS-C-size CMOS image sensor for higher sensitivity and reduced noise with an upgraded GR ENGINE 7 imaging engine. Thanks to super-high-resolution images assured by approximately 25.74 effective megapixels and improved image processing performance, the GR IV has been designed to produce exceptionally high-quality images rich in resolution and gradation. The camera also features the RICOH-original accelerator unit, designed to optimize the high signal-to-noise ratio image data captured by the image sensor and deliver it to the imaging engine, making it possible to assure top sensitivity of ISO 204800 for super-high-sensitivity photography. 

3. More advanced original SR mechanism 

Thanks to the originally developed SR (Shake Reduction) mechanism built into the camera body, the GR IV effectively compensates for camera shake at the time of shutter release. Assisted by the much-improved compensation algorithm, this five-axis mechanism minimizes adverse effects caused by pitch, yaw and roll during normal shooting, as well as shift shake during macro photography, by as much as six shutter steps.* 

* The compensation effect of pitch, yaw and roll: six shutter steps in the middle of a image, or four steps at edges, measured in conformity with 2024 CIPA standards. 

4. Advanced AF system with minimized start-up time and high-speed autofocus operation 

The GR- IV’s newly designed lens barrel and optimized start-up sequence reduce the start-up time to approximately 0.6 seconds — the shortest in GR-series history. This combination also reduces the time required for switching to the Macro shooting mode and during lens storage action, greatly enhancing the camera’s quick-shooting capabilities. The camera’s high-speed lens driving mechanism and the image sensor’s high-speed data readout also assure high-speed focusing operation and improve autofocus precision. The autofocus speed in low-illumination ranges and the precision and coverage area of the image-plane phase-matching AF system have also been optimized to greatly improve the GR IV’s overall AF performance. 

5. Compact, slim and functional body design  

In order to improve the camera’s quick-shooting performance, the GR IV’s body has been thoroughly redesigned to be compact, slim and functional — the elements required in a snapshot camera. The body has been designed to be slimmer than that of conventional GR-series models to assure a firm hold of the camera, while the thumb grip on the camera’s back is contoured to assure a tight but comfortable grip in the photographer’s hand. The layout of control buttons and dials have been redesigned, while the mode adjustment (ADJ) lever has been changed to a dial type for ease of operation, making the GR IV more functional and accessible than ever before. The camera’s body frame is made of a lightweight, high-rigidity magnesium alloy to enhance durability and reliability during shooting and carrying. 

6. Quick setting of the desired exposure mode best suited for a given subject 

When the camera’s exposure mode is set to Program AE, the GR IV features a new Program Auto Ex function, which allows the photographer to instantly shift the exposure mode, with a simple turn of the front e-dial to Aperture-Priority AE, or that of the rear e-dial to Shutter-Priority AE. A Snap Distance-Priority AE (Sn) mode has been also added to the range of selectable exposure modes. This new mode allows the photographer to capture images with an emphasized depth of field, based on the combination of the subject’s distance in snapshot shooting and a depth-of-field visual effect, to further expand the choice of exposure mode. 

7. New Cinema mode added to the Image Control function to expand the range of visual expressions 

In addition to the 12 conventional effect modes of the Image Control function, the GR IV now features a new Cinema mode (with a choice of yellow or green tone), allowing the photographer to recreate a rich, stately atmosphere with the visual effect of nostalgic film-format movies of yesteryear. In addition to basic parameters such as Saturation, Hue, Key, Contrast and Grain Effect,* this new mode also lets the user adjust two other parameters —strength and size — to the desired level, making it possible to create more diverse visual expressions and choose the desired finishing touch best suited to a captured image. User-selected settings can be added to the Image Control menu as a custom mode. 

* Selectable Image Control modes: Monotone, Soft Monotone, Hard Monotone, High-contrast B&W, Negative Film, Positive Film, Cinema (Yellow), Cinema (Green) 

8. Bluetooth® and wireless LAN dual communication 

The GR IV provides a dual-communication system combining Bluetooth® and wireless LAN for easy pairing with mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet computers. Exclusively designed for the RICOH GR series, a new GR WORLD application simplifies a variety of communication operations, including image data transfer to a smartphone, remote shutter release from a smartphone, and transfer of the camera’s location data to a smart device.