p.3 #1 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
Personally, I'm happy if Ricoh stays on the market; they're not one of the big players in the camera market (quite the opposite). So, I'm fine with them following the trend of other manufacturers. Especially since the prices are manageable for Europeans, etc. As we all know, America has chosen a completely different course, so they'll have to pay completely different prices. My fear was more that other countries would also be affected. The way things are now, it's at least fair.
My order of improvements, as far as I can see, would be:
1. Brighter screen (the old one was often really difficult in bright daylight)
2. Faster autofocus => this, of course, depends a lot on how you use the camera. If you use SnapFocus, you don't need it at all, but I'm probably more traditional in that respect.
3. Larger battery
I‘m curious if they will release a Ricoh GR IV 43mm as well. Or a 75 mm in the future. Probably rather/very unlikely.
p.3 #2 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
Fred Miranda wrote:
Let's agree that the GR is on a whole different level of "small camera", even compared to the X100 series. But yes, Fujifilm did a good job here too. Many expected Sony to bring this to the new RX1RIII, but I suppose IBIS on a full-frame sensor requires more space.
What I meant was that you referred to Fuji twice in your post so I was not sure if you really meant Fuji or rather Ricoh
p.3 #3 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
kits_VA wrote:
I hope to purchase Ricoh GR IV and RX1Riii when I visit Japan in November. Those prices look lot more appealing and RX1Riii looks like a bargain.
Unless you can read Japanese, don't buy a Sony here. 99.9% of Sony devices sold in Japan are only avail with Japanese menus. The multilingual ones at duty-free stores cost more than normal Japan domestic models.
p.3 #5 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
ISO1600 wrote:
Unless you can read Japanese, don't buy a Sony here. 99.9% of Sony devices sold in Japan are only avail with Japanese menus. The multilingual ones at duty-free stores cost more than normal Japan domestic models.
Does anyone know if this is also the case with Ricoh (domestic Japanese GR's not offering other languages as a menu option)?
p.3 #9 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
I didn't. I have the IV on preorder from B&H and Adorama.
But I belong to a small group of people shooting the GRIII at night, with shutter speeds of 1/125th and faster, needing depth of field (e.g., F5.6 or F4.0 at least), so we're looking at effective ISO12,800 or even higher after post-processing.
The sensor in the GRIII had noise performance at high ISO a full stop behind that of its contemporaries, e.g., the 24 megapixel APS-C sensor in the X100F back in 2019. Images fell apart when pushed in post, even for my tastes, so any improvement will be welcome.
Improved high ISO performance was the first bullet point I looked for in the marketing materials for the updated GR IV.
An improvement even to the standards of yesteryear (like the X100F) would mean being able to keep images in color instead of having to resort to B&W at higher ISOs. It may mean better responsiveness to denoising -- interestingly the GRIII even responds less well to AI Denoise than other sensors at high ISO in my experience. It may mean a better ability to crop to 35mm angle of view while maintaining some semblance of image quality at night.
But for the majority of people who don't need this, I can see why the improvements are marginal and any upgrade is pretty unnecessary. It's hard to improve on what's already considered nearly perfect anyway. Well, other than autofocus, and we'll see in the real world how much that has or hasn't been improved.
p.3 #10 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
jjcha wrote:
I didn't. I have the IV on preorder from B&H and Adorama.
But I belong to a small group of people shooting the GRIII at night, with shutter speeds of 1/125th and faster, needing depth of field (e.g., F5.6 or F4.0 at least), so we're looking at effective ISO12,800 or even higher after post-processing.
The sensor in the GRIII had noise performance at high ISO a full stop behind that of its contemporaries, e.g., the 24 megapixel APS-C sensor in the X100F back in 2019. Images fell apart when pushed in post, even for my tastes, so any improvement will be welcome.
Improved high ISO performance was the first bullet point I looked for in the marketing materials for the updated GR IV.
An improvement even to the standards of yesteryear (like the X100F) would mean being able to keep images in color instead of having to resort to B&W at higher ISOs. It may mean better responsiveness to denoising -- interestingly the GRIII even responds less well to AI Denoise than other sensors at high ISO in my experience. It may mean a better ability to crop to 35mm angle of view while maintaining some semblance of image quality at night.
But for the majority of people who don't need this, I can see why the improvements are marginal and any upgrade is pretty unnecessary. It's hard to improve on what's already considered nearly perfect anyway. Well, other than autofocus, and we'll see in the real world how much that has or hasn't been improved....Show more →
That's a really interesting point. The GR III's high ISO noise has never really bothered me (as the GR II did), probably because I actually like adding a bit of grain to my images anyway. And you're right about AI denoisers...when I need them, they work so well that it makes me even less motivated to upgrade just for that reason. Looking back at my shots, I also realize I rarely shoot in lighting conditions that require ISO 12,800. Even if I did, I doubt the IV would look dramatically cleaner. Like you said, maybe a bit better, but still plenty noisy.
I should have added in my post that another reason is because I have the HDF version, and I've really come to appreciate that feature. I also like looking at the Dpreview Studio tests, and I’m sure the GR IV will be added soon. When I compare the GR III to the latest Fuji X100VI, I honestly don’t see ISO 12,800 being any worse...the results look very similar.
p.3 #11 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
I don't see any compelling need to upgrade my GRIII. If anything, the more I use the GRIII, the more I question keeping some of my other gear around as I find the files extremely malleable and the lens spectacular. Not spectacular in a clinical way but in a more organic way. I like the inherent vignetting and the focus fall-off from this lens, which both look very natural. I'm not 100% convinced I'm seeing this same look out of the new lens (which might be more clinical) after downloading the GR IV raws from DpReview. The new lens still has a lot of vignetting without profile correction enabled by the way. I'm also not seeing any noticeable improvement in regards to detail from these DpReview real world images as compared to what is already an amazingly detailed lens in the GR III.
p.3 #12 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
Fred Miranda wrote:
I should have added in my post that another reason is because I have the HDF version, and I've really come to appreciate that feature.
That‘s of great interest to me. I will add a 28mm Ricoh GR to my GRIIIx in the near future. What is it that you like about this feature? Do you really see differences so does it really affect „real world pictures“?
p.3 #13 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
zeitlos wrote:
That‘s of great interest to me. I will add a 28mm Ricoh GR to my GRIIIx in the near future. What is it that you like about this feature? Do you really see differences so does it really affect „real world pictures“?
Yes, it's like using a 1/4 diffuser filter (Like a Black Pro-Mist) but without the bulk of adding one with a big 49mm adapter. It creates a subtle glow on the highlights, which I really like, especially for environmental portraits. Honestly, I wouldn't want to shoot without this feature, so I might only consider the IV if it comes with HDF, since I don't mind swapping out the built-in ND for it.
Some people think the effect is too strong, but I find it perfectly balanced, especially on a wide-angle lens. If I were using a telephoto, I'd probably go for a 1/8 instead. Here are some samples I took yesterday...notice how the highlights get a subtle glow, which actually helps blend everything for a more organic look.
p.3 #14 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
Tariq Gibran wrote:
I don't see any compelling need to upgrade my GRIII. If anything, the more I use the GRIII, the more I question keeping some of my other gear around as I find the files extremely malleable and the lens spectacular. Not spectacular in a clinical way but in a more organic way. I like the inherent vignetting and the focus fall-off from this lens, which both look very natural. I'm not 100% convinced I'm seeing this same look out of the new lens (which might be more clinical) after downloading the GR IV raws from DpReview. The new lens still has a lot of vignetting without profile correction enabled by the way. I'm also not seeing any noticeable improvement in regards to detail from these DpReview real world images as compared to what is already an amazingly detailed lens in the GR III....Show more →
I understand what you mean. Sometimes chasing perfection can actually change the character of the lens output. Modern lenses are much more corrected than even those from 10 years ago, and improving things like resolution, contrast, SA, or coma can subtly alter how the lens renders. A little imperfection can actually be desirable, even though the GR III lens is far from flawed to begin with. So, perhaps for many the newer lens could actually be a negative. I have not seen comparisons but will also pay attention to this.
p.3 #15 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
Fred Miranda wrote:
Yes, it's like using a 1/4 diffuser filter (Like a Black Pro-Mist) but without the bulk of adding one with a big 49mm adapter. It creates a subtle glow on the highlights, which I really like, especially for environmental portraits. Honestly, I wouldn't want to shoot without this feature, so I might only consider the IV if it comes with HDF, since I don't mind swapping out the built-in ND for it.
Some people think the effect is too strong, but I find it perfectly balanced, especially on a wide-angle lens. If I were using a telephoto, I'd probably go for a 1/8 instead. Here are some samples I took yesterday...notice how the highlights get a subtle glow, which actually helps blend everything for a more organic look....Show more →
Thank you! Very interesting! And sample pictures mostly say more than words. I will consider it when making a decision.
p.3 #16 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
Fred Miranda wrote:
[Ricoh's engineers carefully balanced size, looks, and performance. They could have added a higher MP sensor, but that would require more power, so every feature is weighed against the battery. Keeping the camera compact meant using a MicroSD instead of a full SD card. Other cameras can offer more features, and it's already remarkable that Ricoh added IBIS to this tiny camera.
I really don't understand why anyone could se MicroSD as a downside for a camera such as the GR. I even use microSD, with adapter, for my large cameras because standard size is so much more difficult to get hold of around here.
Generally it don't make sense to buy every generation of a camera. GR III users should be good unless they have a special case for switching.
I've kept my GR II going! It's now showing some signs of being tired after all these years.
I like the flash and was sceptical of the wheel on the back so no GR III for me. Regardless the iq and resolution of the II was good enough for my use case.
I am honestly very impressed with how Ricoh handle the GR, so far no spec chasing or diluting of the idea. Just honing the camera and trying to improve it for its special use cases.
Curious about the lens, is it an IQ, cost, AF or look change. Not much info about it yet?
p.3 #17 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
Nushi wrote:
I really don't understand why anyone could se MicroSD as a downside for a camera such as the GR. I even use microSD, with adapter, for my large cameras because standard size is so much more difficult to get hold of around here.
I get that. For me, it is mostly about handling. IMO, full-size SD cards are more robust, easier to insert, remove, and less likely to get lost or damaged, but microSD with an adapter outside the camera works perfectly fine too. As I mentioned, it is a good compromise for having more space for a higher capacity battery, but I still consider it a slight downgrade, although not a significant one.
Yes, the GR II built-in flash is very versatile. I really wish Ricoh would bring a built-in flash back!
p.3 #18 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
In a camera like this or the second slot on the Nikon Zf, it makes no difference to me which size card it is. I almost never remove the cards from my bodies. I transfer all of my images via USB-C to my Mac then turn the camera off and let it charge. The IV has enough internal memory I don't even need a memory card, but will put on in to switch to if the internal memory gets full. I normally shoot raw and don't fill up 64gb in a day and always import the images same day.
p.3 #19 · Ricoh GR IV price set to be $1,496.95 (before tax)
Nushi wrote:
I really don't understand why anyone could se MicroSD as a downside for a camera such as the GR. I even use microSD, with adapter, for my large cameras because standard size is so much more difficult to get hold of around here.
I can't stand using microSD cards myself. I do have a bunch left over from other devices though years and I'm sure I have also lost a fair number since they are so small. I find them difficult to handle, less robust feeling than a standard size SD Card and don't get me started on adapters (which I also find a pain - cumbersome to use and never having with me when I need one). If I have to put up with MicroSD, I will - but it would definitely be a negative for me when making a choice - particularly as I have so many high capacity, pro SD cards for all of my other cameras. Having one standard card I can use in every camera is a huge plus. rant over!
Probably rather/very unlikely. 
Thanks, I fixed it. 
