Ricoh GR IV Review: Is It Worth Upgrading?

The Ricoh GR IV succeeds the GR III, and on paper it looks almost boring: same 28mm-equivalent lens, same f/2.8, same pocket-sized magnesium body, same lack of a viewfinder. The changes are all underneath, and they add up to a camera that fixes most of what GR III owners complained about.

A quick note on how this guide was made: we have not shot a GR IV ourselves yet. Everything below comes from Ricoh's official specifications, Ricoh's US launch announcement and DPReview's in-depth review, read on September 25, 2026, combined with what we know from building film recipes on the GR III. Where we give an opinion, we say so.

Ricoh GR IV specs at a glance

Here is the GR IV next to the GR III, using Ricoh's own specification pages for both cameras.

Spec	Ricoh GR IV	Ricoh GR III
Sensor	25.74MP back-illuminated APS-C (23.3 x 15.5mm)	24.24MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6mm)
Lens	18.3mm f/2.8 (28mm equiv.), 7 elements in 5 groups	18.3mm f/2.8 (28mm equiv.), 6 elements in 4 groups
Stabilization	5-axis sensor shift, up to 6 stops	3-axis sensor shift
ISO	100 to 204800	100 to 102400
Autofocus	Hybrid (phase detect + contrast)	Hybrid (phase detect + contrast)
Battery	DB-120, about 250 shots	DB-110, about 200 shots
Storage	53GB internal + microSD	2GB internal + SD
Video	Full HD up to 60p	Full HD up to 60p
Weight	262g with battery and card	257g with battery and card
US launch price	$1,499.95	$899 (per DPReview)

Ricoh announced the camera on August 20, 2025, and US stock arrived in mid-September 2025. Ricoh also quotes a startup time of about 0.6 seconds, which it calls the shortest in GR history.

Our pick: if you are buying your first GR today and the budget allows it, get the GR IV. The stabilization and battery alone change how the camera feels at night and on long travel days.

What actually changed from the GR III

The sensor and lens. The resolution bump from 24.24MP to 25.74MP is small; nobody should upgrade for 1.5 megapixels. The lens matters more. Ricoh redesigned it with one extra group and one extra element, and DPReview describes it as a "more consistent lens" with better edge sharpness than the GR III. If you shoot architecture or tight street frames where the corners count, this is the upgrade you will notice.

Stabilization. The GR III has 3-axis sensor shift. The GR IV moves to 5-axis, which Ricoh rates at up to 6 stops. In practice this is about handheld night work: slower shutter speeds at base ISO instead of pushing into noise.

Battery and storage. The new DB-120 battery is rated at about 250 shots per charge, up from about 200 on the GR III. It is still not a lot, so carry a spare. The 53GB of internal memory is the surprise: you can shoot a full day with no card at all, and the card slot moves to microSD. That also means your old SD cards will not fit.

Controls and modes. DPReview reports that the control layout goes back toward the GR II scheme, and Ricoh added a Snap Distance Priority mode (Sn) to the mode dial. If you already zone focus with the GR III, our Snap Focus and zone focusing guide still applies; Sn simply puts that way of shooting one turn of the dial away.

Image Control: what's new for film recipes

This is the part that matters most for us, and it is good news. The GR IV keeps every Image Control from the GR III and adds three things:

Image Control	GR III	GR IV
Standard, Vivid, Monotone, Soft / Hard Monotone, Hi-Contrast B&W	Yes	Yes
Positive Film, Negative Film, Bleach Bypass, Retro, Cross Processing, HDR Tone	Yes	Yes
Cinema (Yellow) and Cinema (Green)	No	Yes
Custom slots	2	3

The adjustable parameters listed by Ricoh are the same ones our recipes use: saturation, hue, high/low key, contrast, highlight and shadow contrast, sharpness, shading, clarity, toning, filter effect and grain. So a recipe built on Positive Film or Negative Film carries over directly. If you want a refresher on what each base mode does, read our Image Control modes explained.

The third custom slot is a practical win. On the GR III you have to choose two looks to keep on hand; on the GR IV you can keep a daylight color recipe, a night recipe and a black-and-white recipe loaded at the same time.

Our pick: load a warm color negative in Custom 1, a tungsten night look in Custom 2 and a gritty monochrome in Custom 3. Our Kodak Gold 200, Indigo Film 800 and Ilford HP5 B&W recipes cover exactly those three jobs.

Do GR III recipes work on the GR IV?

Yes, with one caveat. Because every setting in a GR III recipe exists on the GR IV, you enter it the same way; our guide on how to apply presets walks through the menu. The caveat is the new sensor: a different sensor can render color and white balance slightly differently, even with identical settings. We have not measured that difference on a GR IV, so we will not pretend to know its size.

What we recommend:

1. Enter the recipe exactly as written.
2. Shoot the same scene in daylight with the GR IV and, if you still have it, the GR III.
3. If the GR IV frame looks cooler or warmer, adjust the white balance compensation one step at a time rather than touching saturation or hue first. Our white balance guide explains how that fine-tuning works.
4. Save the adjusted version to a custom slot and name it in your notes.

Our reasoning for recipes built on a fixed Kelvin white balance: you set the number yourself, so there is one variable to check instead of the camera's auto white balance logic.

Where the GR IV falls short

DPReview gave the GR IV 84% and a Silver Award, and praised its image quality, lens sharpness, controls and battery life. Its main complaint is continuous autofocus, which it calls "well off the pace for modern cameras." If you shoot kids, sports or anything moving toward you, that matters; for street photography with zone focusing, it mostly does not.

The other limits are old GR limits: no viewfinder, a fixed rear screen, Full HD video only and no weather sealing listed in Ricoh's specs. And there is the price. At $1,499.95 the GR IV costs far more than the GR III did at launch, which makes a used GR III a serious alternative.

Who should upgrade (and who shouldn't)

Upgrade from a GR II or older: yes. You gain a much larger jump in sensor, autofocus, stabilization and battery than GR III owners do, and you get the full modern Image Control set.

Upgrade from a GR III: only for specific reasons. Upgrade if you shoot handheld at night often, if you are tired of carrying three batteries, or if lens-edge sharpness bothers you. If your GR III works and your complaints are mostly about color, a new recipe will do more for your photos than a new body.

Buying your first GR: GR IV if the budget fits, GR III if it doesn't. And if you are torn between 28mm and 40mm, our GR III vs GR IIIx comparison covers that choice; the GR IV only comes in 28mm.

Skip it if you need a viewfinder, 4K video or tracking autofocus. Those are not GR strengths, and the GR IV doesn't change that.

Mistakes we see all the time

• Upgrading for megapixels. 1.5MP more is invisible in most prints. Upgrade for stabilization, battery and the lens.
• Forgetting the card change. The GR IV takes microSD, not SD. Buy a fast microSD card or lean on the 53GB internal memory.
• Assuming recipes look identical. Same settings, new sensor. Check white balance on day one.
• Ignoring the third custom slot. It is the most useful new feature for recipe shooters, and it costs nothing.
• Leaving the ND filter off in bright sun. The standard GR IV keeps a built-in 2-stop ND filter (the HDF version drops it), which helps you stay at f/2.8 outdoors.

In short

The Ricoh GR IV is the best pocketable APS-C camera for street photographers who shoot JPEGs, and its biggest gains are stabilization, battery life, storage and a sharper lens. GR II owners should upgrade; GR III owners should upgrade only for those specific gains. Your recipes carry over, and the third custom slot makes the GR IV an even better recipe camera than the GR III. If you still weigh the GR against Fujifilm's approach, our GR III vs Fujifilm X100V comparison lays out the trade-offs.

Ready to fill those three custom slots? Start with the Kodak Gold 200 recipe ($1.99) for everyday warm color, add Classic Chrome ($3.99) for muted documentary street work, or get the Street Essentials bundle and set up your GR IV in one sitting.