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Pros
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Great size
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Fast and easy to use
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Takes great photos
cons
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It differs only slightly from the GR III
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Video is 1080p only
The Ricoh GR IV is an extremely compact fixed-lens point-and-shoot camera, ideal for travel or street photography. It has a large image sensor (APS-C), relative to its physical size, which, in many situations, allows it to take better quality photos than you can get with your phone.
The GR IV is the 2025 update of the GR III, which was one of our picks for it The best point and shoot camera. The changes are minimal, with an updated but similar image sensor and the same general design, although technically a little smaller. Better image stabilization, updated processing, and some other improvements create a better, more capable camera, but it’s not a revolutionary camera.
Overall, the GR IV excels in the same ways as its predecessor. It’s a very small camera with a large image sensor. It fits easily into a pocket and is ready to take a photo when you hold it in front of you. It takes great photos that don’t require editing if you don’t want to spend the time. It’s not as versatile as Fujifilm X100VI Or an interchangeable lens camera, but both options are larger and usually cost more. For travel or street photography, the GR IV is a gem, which is why it’s an Editors’ Choice award winner.
Ricoh GR IV specifications
| Image resolution | 25.7 MP (6,192 x 4,128) |
|---|---|
| Video resolution | 1080p 60 fps |
| Sensor size | APC-C (23.3×15.5 mm) |
| lens | 28mm (35mm equivalent) f/2.8-f16 |
| Image stabilization | 5-axis in-body image stabilization (IBIS) |
| Screen type | 3 inch LCD touch screen, fixed |
| storage | 53 GB (internal), microSD card |
| weight | 262 g (0.6 lb) |
| program | iOS/Android |
Ricoh certainly took a “it’s not broke, don’t fix” approach to the GR IV. Although there are a variety of changes and improvements compared to its predecessor, they are still very similar cameras. While each individual change is fairly minor, it results in a decent progression.
If you’re new to the GR line, the broad stroke is that it’s a very portable and easy way to get better image quality than you can get from the highly processed images captured by the tiny image sensors in all the phones. The APC-C-sized sensor in the GR IV is what’s found in many entry-level DSLRs and DSLRs. It has a resolution of 25.7 megapixels (6192 x 4128), which is lower than some of its contemporaries, but that’s enough for most uses, including if you want prints. Despite the similar resolution to its predecessor, it is a new back-illuminated image sensor.
However, the lens is the same 28mm (35mm equivalent) as the III (the IIIx had a 40mm equivalent lens). It adds an extra element to a total of seven out of five groups that Ricoh says helps improve clarity across the entire image. While f/2.8 is slower than some contemporaries, when paired with in-body image stabilization and a large image sensor, all but low-light situations will be captured with minimal or no blur.
The video is definitely an afterthought. An ‘added value’, so to speak, the camera records at 1080p60, which is fine and sufficient for social media, but Ricoh clearly doesn’t intend to use this camera much for video.
Connecting GR IV to my device Pixel 9 Pro It proved to be very problematic, with endless bugs and a general inability to connect. Sometimes it seems like 90% of my time reviewing cameras is trying to get them to connect to the phone via Bluetooth. I was able to finally connect it and found the app to be fairly basic. You can use it to remotely control the camera and download photos, but there’s no live view or any editing. You can’t even delete photos from the camera via the app. I was able to easily connect to the iPad, so this is likely an Android issue (which is common among camera apps).
Ease of use and image quality
All images in this section are taken directly from the camera except for some cropping.
To be honest, the only specifications you need to know about this camera are size and speed. It boots up and is ready to take a photo in less than a second (0.6 seconds according to Ricoh), and at 109.4 x 61.1 x 32.7 mm, it fits easily into a regular-sized pocket. It’s narrower than many flagship phones, at nearly twice as thick and 40% shorter. It’s wonderfully small. Technically, it’s smaller than the GR III, but only by a millimeter here and there. So it’s ready to go and take beautiful photos as quickly as your phone, and it can hide in your pocket when you’re not using it. It’s a camera that’s easy to carry with you, ready to capture the moment.
Speed and size are the GR IV’s biggest strengths, but they won’t make any sense if the image quality is poor. But this is not the case. The images themselves, with stock settings, are detailed with accurate colors. There is a naturalness to the photos that can’t quite match photos taken from a phone.
The sensor has excellent dynamic range, capturing shadows and bright highlights with minimal noise or clipping. The built-in neutral density filter allows you to slow down the shutter speed and/or open the aperture in bright scenes for greater creative flexibility. The 28mm lens is roughly the width of the main camera on many phones.
The dial at the top lets you choose standard camera modes such as aperture priority, shutter priority, full manual, and program. Snap Distance Priority AE mode lets you adjust focus distance and depth of field for faster shooting in a similar environment. Marking dials close to where your fingers rest let you quickly adjust aperture or shutter speed on the go. The rocker button where your thumb rests allows you to quickly increase or decrease exposure. It’s all remarkably natural and easy to use.
After reviewing the GR III and several other cameras we have Point and shoot camera guideI fell in love with and actually purchased one of this camera’s competitors, the Fujifilm X100VI. One of the main features of this camera is the extensive and easy-to-use photo “recipes” where you can radically change the look of the photo in camera, reducing the time spent on editing. To a lesser extent, you can do the same with the smaller (and cheaper) GR IV.
Three user-programmable modes, accessed via the mode dial on top, with adjustments to color temperature, saturation, hue, contrast and more to allow you to dial in a specific ‘look’ for your images so you don’t have to do it in post. It’s not quite as wide-ranging as what you can do with the X100VI, but unless that’s your specific reason for getting a camera, what’s possible on the GR IV will work for most people.
Perfection in the pocket?
After reviewing the GR III, which was already a bit long, I was very interested in what Ricoh would do with the successor. The Internet was full of rumours, hopes and dreams about a possible future for the GR IV. Higher resolution sensor? 4K video? compact flash? Even smaller body? What we get is… none of that. No opportunity was taken with the GR IV, other than it was in a category that previously had dozens of options and now has less than a handful of them. Or in the case of an IV, literally one handful, because that’s how small it is. Ricoh improved the GR, but it was a step forward when many fans wanted to make the leap. So it goes.
Ricoh GR IV and Fujifilm X100VI.
The real question is whether it’s worth it Search for used JR III. The answer is, oddly enough, “Sort of?” The GR IIIs have held their value well, and given how similar they are to the GR IV, I don’t imagine those prices will change much. A recent study of used camera stores KEH and MPB found that the cameras cost only a few hundred dollars less than a new GR IV. Close enough that if it were me, I’d probably get the new camera. There are enough improvements to be worth the premium. If you can find a GR III in great condition for cheap (which is unlikely), go for it, but for most people, the GR IV is the better option. This is from someone who likes to spend a lot on used camera gear.
Ricoh GR IV and Pixel 9 Pro (not XL).
I’ve recently become interested in the appeal of a small, high-quality fixed lens camera. I travel a lot, and on my last trip, I almost never used the big Canon camera; Instead, I used the X100VI for almost everything. There is a huge difference in size between these two, however the GR IV is even smaller. It can fit anywhere and still take great, high-quality photos.
Does it have the great sensor and features of the X100VI? No, does it have the full frame HD sensor of Sony RX1R III? No, but it’s cheaper and smaller than both, about the same size as a device Panasonic ZS99but it is capable of taking much better pictures than that compact camera. I can see why the GR series has such a cult following. It’s perfect to keep in your pocket, ready to take a great photo whenever you want. Please someone convince me that I don’t need it last camera.