The Ricoh GR IV is one of those cameras that’s frustrating to review — not because it’s bad, but because it’s both genuinely improved and still very obviously a GR III at its core. Ricoh has refined almost every area of performance: faster operation, cleaner image quality, slightly sharper corners, better battery life, and meaningful autofocus improvements in daylight. See how the GRIV compares to the Fuji X100VI. If you want to see which are the best compact cameras as we head in to 2026 then I wrote an article just for you.

But it also carries every familiar weakness forward: it still won’t track movement, it still struggles at night, it still isn’t weather-sealed, and the screen is still too dim under harsh sun. Six years after the GR III, I can’t help but feel the upgrades should have gone further.

Yet here’s the thing: despite all of that, the GR IV remains the best genuinely pocketable camera you can buy. Nothing else offers this blend of size, image quality, and simplicity. And because of that, I find it very hard to imagine not owning one. If you are looking for alternatives, then I wrote an article about the best compact cameras.

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Specification	Details
Sensor	APS-C BSI-CMOS, 23.3 × 15.5 mm
Effective Pixels	~ 25.74 MP (≈ 26 MP)
Lens (Fixed)	18.3 mm f/2.8 (≈ 28 mm full-frame equiv.)
Aperture Range	f/2.8 – f/16
Image Stabilization	5-axis sensor-shift “SR” IBIS (≈ 6-stop compensation)
ISO Sensitivity (Standard)	ISO 100 – 204,800
Shutter Speed Range	1/4000 – 30 s (mechanical/electronic)
Continuous Shooting	≈ 4.0 fps
Image Formats	RAW (14-bit DNG), JPEG
Video	Full HD 1080p, up to 60 fps (H.264/MPEG-4)
Rear Screen	3.0″ fixed touchscreen LCD, 1,037,000-dot resolution
Storage	Internal 53 GB + microSD (UHS-I)
Connectivity / Ports	USB-C (USB 3.0), Wi-Fi (2.4 / 5 GHz), Bluetooth
Body Dimensions	109.4 × 61.1 × 32.7 mm
Weight (with battery & card)	≈ 262 g
Battery / Shots (CIPA)	Battery Pack DB-120; approx. 250–262 shots
Autofocus	Hybrid AF (phase + contrast), Face / Eye detect

First Impressions — Familiar, But Better

Although the GR IV looks almost identical to the GR III, it feels like a more modern camera. It starts up faster, menus respond more quickly, and the redesigned rear buttons make the camera nicer to operate one-handed.

Image quality is also cleaner. Files look slightly more polished straight out of camera, with a touch more microcontrast and noticeably sharper corners. It’s not a night-and-day leap, but it’s an upgrade you feel as soon as you start shooting.

Battery life is also significantly improved. I managed full days of shooting by topping up with a power bank, and this is the first GR where I’d comfortably head out with just one spare battery.

All these small updates add up. The GR IV simply feels more responsive and more reliable — at least in the right conditions.

Autofocus: A True Daylight Improvement (But Still Not a Fast Camera)

The biggest real-world difference between the GR III and GR IV is autofocus.

In daylight, it’s meaningfully better.

On a playground in Dumaguete, I took my daughter Sofia out and was pleasantly surprised. With a little intention and timing, the GR IV could reliably pick up her face when she paused or wasn’t moving quickly. Eye detection is now usable. Not great, not perfect — but genuinely usable in bright light.

The caveat is simple:

It still won’t track motion.

Kids running? Forget it. Subjects moving unpredictably? No chance. The AF system is faster and more confident than the GR III, but it cannot handle action.

At night, the reality returns quickly.

In a dim Mexican restaurant the GR IV struggled badly. The camera hunted, failed to lock onto my family consistently, and the auto white balance jumped around unpredictably. If you shoot RAW it’s manageable, but JPEG shooters will want to set white balance manually in mixed light.

The contrast with the Nikon Zf + 40mm f/2 I had used the night before was eye-opening — that setup nailed everything instantly. The GR IV simply isn’t built for that.

Image Quality — Cleaner, Sharper, More Refined

Ricoh hasn’t reinvented the sensor, but files from the GR IV look slightly more modern and polished than those from the GR III:

• Cleaner shadows
• Better noise handling
• Sharper corners
• More consistent rendering at wide apertures

It’s subtle, but welcome — and enough that if the GR III and GR IV were the same price, I’d take the GR IV without hesitation.

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Ergonomics, Battery Life & Handling

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• Rear buttons: meaningfully better — far easier to use by feel.
• Start-up time: noticeably quicker.
• Battery: the first GR that doesn’t feel battery-anxious.
• Screen: still too dim for bright Philippine sunlight.
• Weather sealing: still missing, and still a real shame for a camera meant to go everywhere.

The GR IV is a more pleasant camera to live with… just not the leap forward many of us hoped for.

Where the GR IV Fits — A Second Camera That Can’t Be Replaced

This camera fills exactly the same role for me as the GR III did.

It’s not for action, kids running around, fast movement, or night photography.
It’s not for complex tracking or decisive-moment unpredictability.
It’s not for low-light restaurant moments with family.

But that’s not the point of the GR series.

The GR IV is a daylight, travel, street, always-with-you camera. It’s the one you slip into your pocket when everything else feels too much. It’s the camera that lets you enjoy photography again without thinking about gear. It’s the only genuinely pocketable APS-C camera with full manual control and image quality you’d actually want to print.

And because of that, even with its flaws, it’s a camera I enjoy taking out.

GR III vs GR IV — Should You Upgrade?

If you own neither:

Buy the GR IV.
It feels faster, cleaner, and simply more modern. The battery life alone is worth the difference.

If you own the GR III and use it daily:

A soft yes.
You’ll appreciate the speed, the daylight AF improvements, the cleaner files, and the better battery.

If you own the GR III but don’t use it constantly:

Save your money.
The GR IV doesn’t enable new types of photography. It just does what the GR III did — but better.

If you hoped for a huge leap:

You may be underwhelmed.
Six years on, the GR IV is still limited in the same situations the GR III was. For a more detailed comparison, I put the Ricoh GRIII against the GRIV.

Strengths

• Best-in-class portability and image quality
• Faster AF in daylight with usable eye detection
• Clean, refined image quality
• Sharper corners than the GR III
• Much better battery life
• Improved rear buttons
• Faster, more responsive operation
• Still the ultimate “always with you” camera

Weaknesses

• No weather sealing
• Screen too dim in bright sun
• AF still weak in low light
• No action-tracking ability
• Auto white balance unreliable indoors
• Price increase not reflected in the scale of upgrades

Who’s It For?

The Ricoh GR IV is for photographers who value presence over perfection — people who want a camera that asks nothing of them but to notice the world more.

It’s for travellers, walkers, street photographers, parents who want something light while chasing kids (but not photographing them running), and creatives who want a camera that fits in the pocket of shorts without bulging.

It’s not a replacement for a modern mirrorless system.
It’s a companion. A visual notebook. A camera that’s always there when your “real” camera isn’t.

Buy it for what it is, not what you wish it could be, and it becomes one of the most addictive tools you’ll ever own.

Final Verdict

The Ricoh GR IV is a clear improvement over the GR III: faster, cleaner, more polished, and undeniably nicer to use. If the two cameras sit at similar prices, take the GR IV every time.

But the truth is simple:

This should have been a bigger upgrade.

The autofocus improvements are welcome but it’s still not quick to focus compared with other cameras. The lack of weather sealing and the dim screen feel a little outdated. And the price jump is hard to justify for existing GR III owners. It’s also getting very close in price to the Fuji X100VI.

Yet despite that, the GR IV is still one of my favourite cameras to carry. It’s imperfect, but unique — and still the only truly pocketable camera that delivers such good image quality.

If you understand its purpose and accept its limitations, the GR IV is an exceptional tool. Just don’t expect it to be something it was never designed to be.

Frequently Asked Questions — Ricoh GR IV

Is the Ricoh GR IV worth buying in 2026?
Yes — if you want the best genuinely pocketable camera available. The GR IV improves on the GR III with faster operation, cleaner files, better daylight autofocus, and much improved battery life. It remains unmatched for portability and image quality in such a small body.

Should I upgrade from the Ricoh GR III to the GR IV?
Only if you use your GR III heavily. The GR IV is faster, more responsive, and nicer to live with, but it does not unlock new types of photography. Casual GR III users can safely skip the upgrade.

Is the autofocus on the Ricoh GR IV good?
In daylight, yes — it is meaningfully improved over the GR III, with usable face and eye detection when subjects are relatively still. However, it still cannot track moving subjects and remains unreliable for action or fast movement.

How does the Ricoh GR IV perform in low light?
Low-light autofocus is still a weakness. The camera struggles to lock focus indoors or at night, and auto white balance can be inconsistent in mixed lighting. Shooting RAW helps, but this is not a strong low-light camera.

Is the Ricoh GR IV weather sealed?
No. Like previous GR models, the GR IV has no weather sealing. This remains one of the most frustrating limitations for a camera designed to be carried everywhere.

Is the Ricoh GR IV better than the Fujifilm X100VI?
They serve very different purposes. The GR IV is vastly more portable and truly pocketable, while the X100VI offers better autofocus, weather sealing, a viewfinder, and stronger low-light performance. If size matters most, the GR IV wins. If versatility matters more, the X100VI is the better camera.

Is the Ricoh GR IV good for family photography?
It can work for calm, daylight moments, but it is not suitable for photographing kids running or unpredictable movement. It is best thought of as a personal, observational camera rather than a family action camera.

Does the Ricoh GR IV take good JPEGs?
Yes, image quality is clean and refined, but auto white balance can be unreliable indoors. JPEG shooters may want to set white balance manually in challenging lighting or shoot RAW for maximum flexibility.

What is the Ricoh GR IV best used for?
The GR IV excels as a daylight travel, street, and everyday carry camera. It’s ideal for walking, exploring, and documenting moments when carrying a larger camera feels intrusive or unnecessary.

Is the Ricoh GR IV a good first camera?
For most people, no. It works best as a second camera alongside a more capable system. Its limitations mean it rewards experienced photographers more than beginners.