Find your Ricoh GR

28mm (GR III) is wider, more immersive, and the classic street photography focal length. It forces you to get close and captures more environmental context. 40mm (GR IIIx) is closer to how your eye naturally sees, better for portraits and subject isolation. If you shoot mostly street and travel, go 28mm. If you shoot more people and everyday life, try 40mm. When in doubt, 28mm is the more versatile and traditional GR choice.

The GR IV is available now at $1,499. It improves on the GR III with a BSI sensor, faster startup, better AF, 5-axis IBIS, USB-C, 53 GB internal storage, and longer battery life. No single upgrade is revolutionary, but together they make a noticeably better camera. Still no weather sealing. If budget allows, get the GR IV. If you're budget-conscious and can find a GR III at a good price (especially used), it's still a fantastic camera — image quality is very close.

The HDF adds a physical Highlight Diffusion Filter that creates softer, film-like images with bloomed highlights. It replaces the ND filter. If you enjoy the dreamy, nostalgic aesthetic and don't need an ND filter, the HDF is a fun creative tool that can't be perfectly replicated in post. If you frequently use the ND filter for shooting wide open in bright light, skip the HDF. You can also add HDF to a standard GR IV via future firmware updates.

Snap Focus (Full Press Snap) lets you bypass autofocus entirely. Fully press the shutter and the lens instantly jumps to a preset distance (e.g. 1.5m, 2.5m, 5m, or infinity). Combined with a small aperture like ƒ/8 or ƒ/11 for deep depth of field, this gives you zero shutter lag — you see the moment, you press, you capture it. It's the closest a digital camera gets to the zone-focusing technique of classic rangefinders, and it's the defining feature of the GR shooting experience.

The GR III's AF is functional but slow and can hunt, especially in low light. It's a 2019-era contrast/phase hybrid system. The GR IV improves AF speed and precision, but neither camera matches modern mirrorless AF with subject tracking. This is by design — the GR is built around Snap Focus and zone focusing for street shooting, not continuous AF tracking. If you need fast, reliable face/eye tracking for portraits or action, look at the X100VI or a mirrorless body instead.

The GR III is rated around 200 shots per charge (CIPA), which is modest. Real-world use varies from 200–400+ depending on settings. The GR IV improves this with a larger battery. Common advice: buy 2–3 spare DB-110 batteries and rotate them. Turn off Wi-Fi/Bluetooth when not transferring. Use the power-save settings aggressively. A small USB power bank can charge the camera between sessions.

No Ricoh GR camera has ever been weather sealed — not the GR III series and not the GR IV. This is one of the most persistent complaints in the community and a key differentiator when comparing to the Fujifilm X100VI, which is weather sealed. Treat every GR like a premium compact: keep it in a pocket or pouch near sand, spray, or rain. The GR IV does have an improved anti-static dust coating on its sensor filter, but this is not weather sealing.

As of early 2026, Ricoh has not announced a GR IVx. The GR IV is 28mm only. If you want the 40mm focal length, the GR IIIx or GR IIIx HDF remain your options. A GR IVx announcement is widely expected but has no confirmed timeline.

The Monochrome is for photographers fully committed to black-and-white work. The dedicated sensor captures significantly more light per pixel (no Bayer filter), resulting in better tonal range, cleaner high-ISO performance, and sharper detail than converting color files to B&W. The built-in red filter adds dramatic sky contrast. At $2,199 it's a niche product, but far more affordable than the Leica Q3 Monochrom ($7,790). You cannot shoot color at all — this is a feature, not a limitation, for its intended audience.

It's one of the most discussed issues on r/RicohGR. The retractable lens design can draw dust onto the sensor over time, especially in sandy or dusty environments. The GR III has a sensor-shake dust removal system but it doesn't always suffice. Ricoh offers sensor cleaning service. Many users keep a lens cap on and avoid changing environments rapidly with the lens extended. The GR IV has an improved anti-static coating on its sensor filter, which helps but does not eliminate the problem entirely — no GR model is weather or dust sealed.

Commonly recommended: a wrist strap (replace the stock one), spare DB-110 batteries, a GW-4 wide conversion lens (21mm on GR III, available for GR IV), a quality screen protector, and a small padded pouch for pocket carry. Some users add the GA-1 or GA-2 lens adapter for filters. The GR IV can use the new GF-2 external flash ($119). A thumb grip can improve handling for extended shooting.

The X100VI is objectively the more capable camera. But it's bigger, heavier, and — critically — not truly pocketable. The GR's value proposition is that it goes everywhere because it fits in a jeans pocket. A camera you always have will take more photos than a better camera you left at home. They also have different focal lengths (28mm vs 35mm) which suit different styles. Many serious photographers own both. The X100VI has also been extremely difficult to purchase due to demand, while GR models are more readily available.

All GR models shoot 1080p at 60/30/24 fps. No GR model shoots 4K. Video is not a strength of the GR series and never has been. If video matters to you, look at the Fujifilm X100VI (6.2K), Sony RX100 VII (4K), or a dedicated mirrorless camera. The GR is a stills-first camera.