Ricoh GR IV Accessories: What to Buy and What Carries Over

The Ricoh GR IV ships with almost nothing: a DB-120 battery, a USB cable and a basic hand strap, according to Ricoh's specification page. Everything else is up to you, and the official system chart lists 19 optional items, from a $64.99 lens adapter to a stainless steel hot shoe cover.

Most of them are not worth your money. A GR is a pocket camera, and every accessory you add fights that. This guide sorts the GR IV lineup into what we would buy first, what depends on how you shoot, and what you can skip. It also answers the question GR III owners actually ask: which of my old accessories still fit? A plain note on method: we have not shot a GR IV ourselves. Everything below comes from Ricoh's official GR IV and GR III accessory pages and spec sheet, PetaPixel and a US retailer, all read on October 6, 2026.

The Ricoh GR IV accessories worth buying first

These four cover the camera's two real weak points, battery life and carry, and they cost less together than any lens accessory.

Accessory	Ricoh code	Why it earns its place
Spare battery	DB-120	About 250 shots per charge (CIPA) is still a half day of street shooting
Dual charger	BJ-12	Charges up to two DB-120s over USB, about 2 hours from empty
Case	GC-11 or GC-12	Leather protection without adding bulk to the body
Wrist or finger strap	GS-2 or GS-4	Keeps the camera in your hand, ready, and off your neck

A spare DB-120. Ricoh rates the DB-120 at about 250 shots per charge at 23°C, which is better than the GR III but still not a full day if you review images or shoot in the cold. The camera charges over USB-C with Power Delivery, so a power bank works in a pinch, but in-camera charging ties up the camera. One spare is the minimum; two if you travel.

The BJ-12 charger. Ricoh's BJ-12 charges up to two DB-120 batteries over a USB cable and fills an empty one in about two hours, per Ricoh. Once you own two batteries, charging them one at a time through the camera every night gets old fast. This is the least exciting item on the list and the one that changes your shooting most.

A case that matches how you carry. Ricoh makes two leather cases that fit the GR IV. The GC-11 has a magnetic top cover for quick access and a belt loop, so it suits people who wear the camera. The GC-12 is a soft, supple sleeve built to protect the camera inside a bag. If your GR lives in a jacket pocket, you may not want either: a case adds thickness, and the pocket is the point.

A short strap. The bundled hand strap is functional. Ricoh's own options are the GS-2 single-point leather hand strap and the GS-4 leather finger strap, sold in a standard black version and a 30th Anniversary version. BC Camera lists the GS-2 at $36.99 (checked October 6, 2026). A neck strap (Ricoh's ST-2 or leather GS-3) makes a 262g camera swing at chest height, which is the opposite of how a GR is meant to be used.

Our pick: a spare DB-120, the BJ-12 and a GS-2 wrist strap. Add a GC-11 only if you carry the camera outside a pocket.

What GR III accessories still fit the GR IV

This is where upgraders save or waste money. We compared Ricoh's GR III/GR IIIx system chart with the GR IV chart item by item.

Accessory	GR III / GR IIIx	GR IV	Carries over?
Battery	DB-110	DB-120	No
Charger	BJ-11 (about 2.5 h)	BJ-12 (about 2 h)	No
Lens adapter for GW-4 and 49mm filters	GA-1	GA-3	No
Wide conversion lens (21mm equiv.)	GW-4	GW-4	Yes, with the GA-3
Tele conversion lens (GR IIIx)	GT-2 + GA-2	Not listed	No
Ring cap	GN-1 / GN-2	GN-3	No
Hot shoe cover	GK-1	GK-2	Different part
Viewfinders	GV-1, GV-2, GV-3	GV-1, GV-2	GV-1 and GV-2 yes
Flash	GF-2	GF-2	Yes
Cases	GC-11, GC-12	GC-11, GC-12	Yes
Straps	GS-2, GS-3, GS-4, ST-2	GS-2, GS-3, GS-4, ST-2	Yes
Memory card	SD	microSD (UHS-I) + about 53GB internal	No

The short version: anything that touches power, the lens mount or storage changed. Anything that touches your hand, your bag or the hot shoe carries over. If you are upgrading from a GR III, sell the DB-110s, the BJ-11 and the GA-1 together while they are still in demand, and keep your strap, case, GW-4 and GF-2.

The GV-3 (40mm frame) only made sense on the GR IIIx and is not on the GR IV chart, which makes sense: the GR IV is a 28mm-equivalent camera. If you are still weighing focal lengths before buying, our GR IV review covers what changed from the GR III and who should upgrade.

Lens accessories: GA-3, GW-4 and filters

The GA-3 lens adapter is the gateway to every lens accessory on the GR IV. Ricoh says it accepts the GW-4 wide converter and commercial 49mm filters. BC Camera lists it at $64.99 (checked October 6, 2026).

Its best use is not creative. A plain 49mm clear filter on the GA-3 seals the front of the extending lens, which is the most practical defense against the dust problem every retracting-lens GR shares. Our sensor dust prevention guide explains why that matters; the mechanism is the same on the newer body. The trade-off is pocketability, so fit it for beach, desert and festival trips and take it off in the city.

The GW-4 wide conversion lens turns the 28mm view into a 21mm equivalent with a 0.75x magnification and comes with a hood and pouch, per Ricoh. It is a real optical accessory, but it turns a pocket camera into a small telescope. Buy it if you already know you want 21mm for tight interiors and architecture. Don't buy it hoping to find out.

Third-party option. SmallRig's GR IV lens hood with a UV filter and protective cap attaches to the bayonet mount and was listed at $16.99 when PetaPixel covered the launch on December 12, 2025. It is a cheaper route to a protective filter than the GA-3 if you never plan to use the GW-4.

Our pick: GA-3 plus a slim clear filter for dusty trips. Skip the GW-4 unless 21mm is already how you see.

Hot shoe accessories: viewfinders, flash and grips

The GR IV's hot shoe can hold one thing at a time, so choose deliberately.

• GV-1 external viewfinder: about 90% coverage with 21mm and 28mm frames. Ricoh notes that part of the view is blocked when you use the wide converter or a hood.
• GV-2 external mini viewfinder: about 85% coverage, a 28mm frame and a 1:1 aspect mark. It is the cleaner pick for a stock GR IV.
• GF-2 external flash: a very small flash with a maximum guide number of 3 (ISO 100, meters) and a built-in lithium-ion battery charged over USB-C. Guide number 3 is fill flash at arm's length, which is exactly the job for direct-flash street portraits at night.
• Thumb grips: SmallRig's GR IV thumb grip, listed at $14.99 by PetaPixel, adds silicone pads and texture for one-handed hold. Check how any grip mounts before buying: anything that sits in the hot shoe rules out the finder and the flash.

An optical finder pairs naturally with zone focusing: if you shoot at a preset focus distance, you are not relying on the screen to confirm focus anyway. Our Snap Focus and zone focusing guide walks through the distances and apertures we use.

Our pick: the GV-2 for daylight street work, the GF-2 if you shoot at night. Not both at once.

What you can skip

The 30th Anniversary hot shoe cover and the GN-3 ring cap. The metal GK-2 cover and the dark gray GN-3 (DG) ring cap are cosmetic. The black GN-3 (BK) is simply a replacement for the ring cap already on your camera. Buy one only if you lose yours.

The D-AC166 AC adapter kit. It powers the camera from a wall outlet. Useful for long interval or tethered sessions, irrelevant for street shooting, since the camera already charges over USB-C.

A fast UHS-II microSD card. Ricoh specifies UHS-I cards. You can buy a UHS-II card, but the GR IV card slot is UHS-I, so spend the difference on a second battery.

A crossbody bag built for the GR. SmallRig's leather crossbody bag has battery and card pockets and an AirTag slot, per PetaPixel. It is well thought out, but a jacket pocket does the same job for free.

The accessory you already own

The cheapest GR IV upgrade is configuration. Our film recipes use the same Image Control settings on the GR IV as on the GR III, so you can load a daylight color look, a night look and a black-and-white look before you leave home, and you will never fiddle with menus on the street. Our custom user modes guide shows how we lay out U1, U2 and U3.

Slot	Job	Our preset
U1	Everyday warm color	Kodak Gold 200
U2	Night streets and tungsten light	Indigo Film 800
U3	Gritty black and white	Ilford HP5 B&W

Mistakes we see all the time

• Bringing GR III batteries to a GR IV. The DB-110 does not fit. Buy DB-120s before your first trip, not at the airport.
• Buying the GA-1 for a GR IV. The GW-4 and 49mm filters need the GA-3 on the GR IV. Check the code before you order a used adapter.
• Ordering an SD card. The GR IV uses microSD, and it has about 53GB built in.
• Stacking the hot shoe. A finder, a flash and a thumb grip cannot all live there. Pick the one you use most.
• Turning the GR into a rig. Cages, cold shoes and large hoods undo the reason you bought a 262g camera.

In short

The Ricoh GR IV accessories that matter are a spare DB-120, the BJ-12 charger and a strap, with a GC-11 or GC-12 case depending on how you carry. GR III owners keep their GW-4, viewfinders, flash, cases and straps, but need a new battery, charger, lens adapter and microSD card. If you are still deciding which body to buy, our Ricoh GR III price guide compares every current GR, and our GR III accessories guide covers the older body in depth.

Fill those three user slots before your first walk: start with the Kodak Gold 200 recipe ($1.99) for everyday color, or get the Street Essentials bundle ($8.99) and set up the whole camera in one sitting.