Ricoh’s GR IV launches in September for a much steeper price than its predecessor

The stealthy and no-frills camera is back.

Ricoh is launching its GR IV compact camera successful mid-September for $1,499.95, accompanied by a tiny caller GF-2 add-on flash for $119.95. As initially announced successful May, the GR IV volition diagnostic a 26-megapixel APS-C sensor, somewhat redesigned 28mm-equivalent f/2.8 lens, caller autofocus and stabilization systems, and 53GB of built-in retention to supplement its microSD paper slot.

It’s been implicit six years since the archetypal incarnation of the GR III launched, backmost successful 2019, with conscionable the GR IIIx and HDF variants pursuing since then. The overmuch anticipated sequel camera follows successful the footprints of its predecessor with an ultra-compact assemblage and lens combo that’s perfect for thoroughfare photography and mundane picture-taking.

If you’re much acquainted with Fujifilm’s wildly fashionable X100VI than a Ricoh GR, the Ricoh is an adjacent much compact instrumentality connected a akin look — 1 you tin acceptable into a pocket. The GR IV has the aforesaid size sensor but with a much humble resolution, a somewhat wider lens than an X100, a slower f/2.8 aperture, and nary viewfinder (GR cameras trust connected the rear surface for composition, oregon an old-fashioned optical finder you equine connected top).

That’s each par for the people with erstwhile GR cameras too. Though, 1 mode the GR III acceptable itself isolated from Fujifilm was a sub-$1,000 terms erstwhile it launched successful 2019. The caller GR IV volition merchantability for $600 much than that — and $350 much than the most caller GR III variant. Many cameras from the likes of Fujifilm, Nikon, Canon, and more person gone up successful terms this twelvemonth owed to US tariffs. Among the hardcore photograph crowd, the Ricoh GR enactment was known for being the affordable enactment of fixed focal-length thoroughfare cameras. They evidently weren’t impulse-buy territory, but they were cheaper than an X100 and overmuch cheaper than immoderate Leica Q. Now, with the GR IV astatine $1,500 and X100VI moving $1,800 (and perchance climbing higher) this benignant of camera feels similar a much pricier affair.