- Ricoh confirms that GR IV is under development and ‘autumn 2025’ launch
- A variation with highlight diffusion filter follows in ‘Winter 2025’
- The compacts pack a newly designed lens, sensor and processor
Ricoh has announced the development of Ricoh GR IV, the next generation of one of the best compact cameras. As a prolonged GR IIIX user, I couldn’t be more excited about what’s in store.
We have been speculating for several months if not years about when and if a GR IV would be revealed. Along the way, leaks have given us false hope as further iterations of GR III have been launched instead, such as GR III HDF.
Finally, we know (roughly) when GR IV is launched – a press release says we can expect GR IV in “Autumn 2025”, while a niche highlight diffusion filter (HDF) version is set to follow in “Winter 2025”. There is no word yet about an ‘x’ iteration.
In the structure of these launches, GR III will be interrupted, although the production of GR IIIX is set to continue for now.
I have already written about the upgrades I hope to see in Ricoh GR IV, and now the press release has teased a few things that we can look forward to.
How big an upgrade will Ricoh GR IV be?
Ricoh says that “GR IV inherits the basic GR-Series concept, while also including brand new components, including a newly designed lens, a new image sensor and a new imaging engine, to further up the image quality.
“It also contains more advanced communication features and is compatible with a new application designed for smart devices to improve operation and functionality.”
These improvements could actually make GR IV with Ricoh’s words “the ultimate snapshot camera in the history of the GR series”; But as an actual user of the GR IIIX, there are some less headline upgrades that I would also like to see.
Image quality from the GR III series is already excellent, but I hope we see some design improvements, especially better build quality, a built-in flash and provided that the really compact dimensions remain, a tilted LCD screen.
In terms of performance, GR IV needs better autofocus, and the mention of a new processor and sensor gives me hope that will be the case.
Ricoh says GR IV prototypes will be showcased at GR Space Showrooms in Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai from May 31. It should give us additional clues to any design changes, including the new lens.
Ricoh GR IV is a camera I have been looking forward to for a long time, and with Premium Compressations, which is particularly popular right now, it cannot come fast enough and is set to be one of the 2025’s most popular cameras.
