Ricoh GR IIIx vs GR IV: Buy Now or Wait for the GR IVx?

Both have a 2EV built-in ND filter, hybrid phase and contrast autofocus, a 3.0-inch touchscreen with about 1,037,000 dots and no viewfinder. Ricoh's US store listed the GR IIIx HDF on its GR IIIx product page that day, so the gap to the GR IV was $250 at list price. The HDF filter changes the look of highlights; our HDF vs standard guide explains whether you want it.

Our pick: the GR IV for anyone who is happy at 28mm. The GR IIIx only for people who already know they see the world at 40mm.

28mm vs 40mm: the decision that matters most

Spec upgrades are nice. Focal length changes every photo you take, so settle it first.

Here is what the numbers mean in practice (our calculation from the equivalent focal lengths):

	28mm (GR IV)	40mm (GR IIIx)
Horizontal angle of view	About 65 degrees	About 48 degrees
Distance to frame a person head to waist	About 1.0m	About 1.4m
Typical feel	Wide, you are inside the scene	Natural, closer to what you notice
Best at	Crowds, interiors, travel, architecture	Portraits, details, food, quieter street work

The distance row is the one street shooters feel. To fill the frame the same way, the 28mm lens puts you about 30% closer to your subject. Some photographers love that closeness; others find it intrusive and never get used to it. The 40mm lens lets you stand back a step and still get a tight frame, and faces look more natural at portrait distances.

Can you just crop a GR IV file? You can, but cropping 28mm to 40mm framing keeps 70% of the width and height, so about 49% of the pixels, roughly 12.6MP. The GR IV's built-in crops don't help either: they jump from 28mm to 35mm and 50mm, with no 40mm step. If 40mm is your focal length, a 28mm camera is a compromise every day.

If you are still unsure, our GR III vs GR IIIx comparison goes deeper into living with each focal length on otherwise identical cameras.

What the GR IV adds over the GR IIIx

If you are fine with either focal length, the generation gap decides it. Four changes stand out.

1. Stabilization. Ricoh rates the GR IV's 5-axis system at up to 6.0 steps at the center of the frame under the CIPA 2024 standard, and the GR IIIx's 3-axis system at 4 steps. Two extra steps let you handhold a shutter speed four times slower for the same sharpness, or shoot two ISO stops lower at night. It does nothing for moving subjects, which still blur at slow speeds.

2. Battery and storage. About 250 shots per charge against about 200, and about 53GB of internal memory against 2GB. On a long travel day, the GR IV is the camera that doesn't need a card and complains about the battery a little later. You still want a spare battery on both.

3. Speed and autofocus. DPReview measured the GR IV's startup at about 0.6 seconds, "the shortest in GR-series history"; Ricoh quotes about 0.8 seconds for the GR IIIx. The GR IV also adds tracking and eye detection to the AF menu. Don't expect a sports camera, though: DPReview found single AF "generally quick and accurate" but continuous AF "far more likely to hunt." For street work, zone focusing remains the GR way on both bodies.

4. A third custom slot and two new looks. The GR IV adds Cinema (Yellow), Cinema (Green) and Custom3. More on that below.

Where the GR IIIx still holds its own

• Price. The GR IIIx HDF listed $250 below the GR IV on Ricoh's US store when we checked.
• Cards and batteries. The GR IIIx takes full-size SD cards and the DB-110, the same as the GR III. If you already own GR III spares, they carry over. The GR IV uses microSD and the DB-120, and DPReview calls the microSD slot "mildly annoying."
• Familiar controls. According to DPReview, the GR IV swaps the GR III-generation rear dial for a multi-directional controller and brings back the +/- rocker of the GR II. GR IIIx owners who upgrade will spend a week relearning where things are.
• Image quality at base ISO. 24.24MP against 25.74MP is a 6% difference in pixel count. You won't see it on a phone or in an A4 print.

The GR IVx changes the answer for 40mm shooters

On August 27, 2026, Ricoh announced that the GR IVx is in development. The specs it published, which Ricoh says may still change, read like a GR IV with a 40mm lens:

Spec (as announced)	GR IVx	GR IIIx
Lens	New 26.1mm f/2.8 (40mm equiv.), 8 elements in 6 groups	26.1mm f/2.8, 7 elements in 5 groups
Sensor	25.74MP APS-C	24.24MP APS-C
Stabilization	5-axis	3-axis
Video	4K at 30p/24p, Full HD up to 60p	Full HD up to 60p
Storage and battery	About 53GB + microSD, DB-120, about 250 shots	About 2GB + SD, DB-110, about 200 shots
Image Control	Adds Palette, Cinema (Yellow), Cinema (Green), Custom3	12 modes + 2 custom slots
Weight	About 265g	About 262g
Release	Winter 2026 or later (planned)	Available while stock lasts

The same announcement says production of the GR IIIx, GR IIIx HDF and GR IIIx Urban Edition is expected to end with the units shipped in October 2026, because certain parts are no longer available. Ricoh adds that the schedule is for Japan and may differ elsewhere. No price for the GR IVx has been given.

What this means for you:

• You want 40mm and need a camera now (a trip, a project, a gift): buy a GR IIIx while new stock exists. It will keep working, and every recipe you build on it moves forward.
• You want 40mm and can wait: wait for the GR IVx. It fixes the GR IIIx's two weak points, battery and stabilization, and adds 4K video, which neither the GR IIIx nor the GR IV offers.
• You want 28mm: the GR IVx doesn't concern you. Buy the GR IV.

A word of caution on the GR IVx: these are development specs, not a review. Nobody outside Ricoh has published autofocus or image tests yet, and GR prices move: DPReview lists the GR IV at $1,499 at launch, while Ricoh's US store lists it at $1,599.95 today.

Film recipes on the GR IIIx and GR IV

For recipe shooters, the good news is that nothing gets lost in either direction. Every Image Control on the GR IIIx's spec list, from Negative Film and Positive Film to Retro, Bleach Bypass and Hi-Contrast B&W, is also on the GR IV. Our recipes are built on those bases, so they run on both cameras.

Three things change in practice:

1. Custom3. The GR IIIx holds two saved looks; the GR IV holds three. A daylight color recipe, a night recipe and a black-and-white recipe can all stay loaded. Our GR IV recipes guide suggests which three to keep.
2. Cinema modes. Cinema (Yellow) and Cinema (Green) are new GR IV bases with no GR IIIx equivalent. On a GR IIIx, a tungsten white balance on Positive Film or Retro gets you closest to a movie-film look.
3. Color rendering. A new sensor can shift white balance slightly with the same settings. DPReview found the GR IV's standard color "more pleasing than the one on the GR III," which shares the GR IIIx's 24.24MP sensor. Check your first frames and adjust white balance before you touch saturation.

Focal length matters for recipes too. Warm, soft negative-film looks suit the 40mm lens, which you will use more for people and details. Contrasty slide and night looks suit the 28mm lens, which you will point at whole streets. That is why we pair Natural Analog with the GR IIIx and Indigo Film 800 with the GR IV for night work.

Mistakes we see all the time

• Buying the newer camera at the wrong focal length. A GR IV bought by a 40mm shooter becomes a 28mm camera they crop every day. Decide on focal length first.
• Paying more than list for a GR IIIx. With production ending, marketplace prices may climb. Once a GR IIIx costs as much as a GR IV, the GR IVx is worth the wait.
• Assuming GR IVx specs are final. Ricoh says they may change. Don't sell your current camera on the strength of a development announcement.
• Expecting tracking autofocus. Neither GR is a camera for kids' sports or birds. DPReview's main complaint about the GR IV is continuous AF.
• Forgetting the accessories. SD cards and DB-110 batteries don't fit the GR IV. Budget for a spare DB-120 if you switch.

In short

The GR IV is the better camera, with stronger stabilization, a longer battery life, 53GB of storage and three custom slots. The GR IIIx is the better 40mm camera on sale today, and its production is ending. Pick the GR IV for 28mm, the GR IIIx for 40mm if you need it now, and the GR IVx if you want 40mm with modern specs and can wait. Whichever you choose, start with our best GR IV settings or our best GR IIIx settings, and compare the GR IV with its 28mm predecessor in our GR IV vs GR III guide.

Load a recipe before your first walk. For the 40mm lens, the Natural Analog recipe ($3.99) gives a subtle, natural film look for people and everyday details. For GR IV night streets, Indigo Film 800 ($4.99) brings a CineStill 800T-inspired cinema look. Or get Natural Analog with Kodak Gold 200, EktaColor and Rustic Portra 400 in the Film Lovers Pack ($12.99).