Ricoh GR III vs GR IV: Is It Worth the Wait?
The Ricoh GR series has long held a special place in the world of street and travel photography. Compact, discreet, and capable of producing stunning image quality, the GR III has been in many photographers’ pockets since its 2019 release. Now, with the announcement of the GR IV for autumn 2025, Ricoh promises improvements that could address long-standing issues—while keeping the camera’s beloved strengths intact.
After six years of real-world use with the GR III, thousands of shots taken across Lima, Rotterdam, and various travels, there’s a lot to unpack. Let’s break down what’s changing, what’s staying the same, and whether the GR IV is truly worth the wait.
The Ricoh GR III: Six Years of Strengths
When the GR III launched, it immediately appealed to photographers who needed a camera that could disappear into a pocket yet deliver professional-quality results. Two features made it irresistible: size and image quality.
Portability and Stealth
The GR III’s compact dimensions made it an ideal street photography companion. Side-by-side with a standard mirrorless camera, the difference is dramatic. For travel, the weight savings alone meant the GR III could be carried all day without fatigue.
Image Quality That Defies Size
Despite the small body, the GR III delivered 24 megapixels of crisp, detailed images. Even in challenging environments like the Amazon rainforest, the camera handled colors, textures, and sharpness with ease. This combination of portability and quality is what kept it in daily rotation for so many photographers.
What the GR IV Promises to Improve
The GR IV retains the GR III’s philosophy but tweaks some key specs:
Slightly Smaller and Lighter: Now weighing 262 grams.
Resolution Bump: From 24MP to 25.74MP.
Faster Boot Time: Ideal for capturing fleeting moments.
Hybrid Autofocus: Combines phase and contrast detection for better reliability.
Redesigned Lens: Seven elements with three aspherical elements for improved optical performance.
Bigger battery: This is a big one, since the battery is one of the GRIII’s biggest issues. More on that later.
New Control Layout: Eliminates the problematic rear dial in favor of dedicated buttons.
While these are incremental changes, some directly address pain points that have frustrated GR III owners.
Cropping Flexibility and Shooting Speed
One underrated strength of the GR III is its ability to crop without significant image degradation. The GR III could mimic the field of view of the GR IIIx through cropping—a flexibility that worked in one direction but not the other.
With the GR IV’s extra resolution, this becomes even more effective. More pixels mean more room to crop without losing print-worthy quality.
Then there’s the boot time. For street photographers, speed is everything. The GR III could power on and be ready to shoot in under two seconds. Ricoh claims the GR IV is even faster, making it harder to miss decisive moments.
Sharpness and Dynamic Range
Over the years, the GR III has consistently impressed with its sharpness. Revisiting old photos often reveals just how much detail the small camera could capture. Its dynamic range also exceeded expectations, allowing recovery of both highlights and shadows in tricky light.
The GR IV’s redesigned lens could push this further, though the GR III’s optics already performed at a high level. This makes the lens update feel more like refinement than revolution.
The Persistent Weakness: Battery Life
If there’s one universal frustration with the GR III, it’s battery life. The small battery yields around 200–250 shots per charge, and anyone shooting for a full day will need multiple spares.
This creates logistical issues: carrying, charging, and tracking multiple batteries becomes part of the workflow. The GR IV appears to use the same battery, so expectations for improvement here are low.
Workarounds like power banks exist but undermine the very portability that defines the GR series.
Autofocus Reliability: A Potential Game-Changer
The GR III’s autofocus, particularly in low-light or low-contrast conditions, was prone to hunting and missed focus. For fast-paced street photography, this is a critical limitation.
The GR IV’s hybrid autofocus system could be the single most meaningful upgrade. By combining phase detection with contrast detection, Ricoh aims to improve speed and accuracy across a wider range of conditions.
Physical Design Tweaks
Another complaint about the GR III was its rear control dial, which felt mushy and was prone to accidental presses. Ricoh’s decision to replace it with dedicated buttons in the GR IV is a welcome change, reducing the number of moving parts that could fail over time.
The Sensor Dust Debate
Perhaps the most discussed GR III flaw online is the tendency for dust to find its way onto the sensor due to the retracting lens design. In practice, not every owner experiences it.
In six years of regular use—even in dusty environments—some photographers report never encountering the issue. Others, however, have had multiple repairs due to dust spots appearing in images.
The GR IV’s design remains similar, so there’s little reason to expect a complete fix. Sensor dust is likely to remain a risk inherent to this style of compact camera.
Printing Potential
A common question about cameras in the GR series is whether their images can be printed at larger sizes. Tests with the GR III have shown that, with proper technique and post-processing, the results can be surprisingly good. Even with heavy cropping, large prints can retain excellent sharpness and detail.
Final Verdict: Upgrade or Hold?
Whether the GR IV is worth the wait depends on where you’re starting from.
New Buyers: If you don’t own a GR III, waiting for the GR IV makes sense. The autofocus upgrades and control improvements are substantial quality-of-life enhancements.
Current GR III Owners: If your GR III is still serving you well, the improvements may not justify the cost—unless autofocus reliability has been a source of frustration.
Battery-Sensitive Shooters: If battery life is your top concern, the GR IV will likely make you happier because of its new battery size. Let’s see how long it lasts in the real world, though.
Pricing will also be key. Because the GR IV will launch at a 1500 dollar price point. This is significantly higher than the GR III’s current street price, so its value proposition narrows, but is it enough to not buy it? We’ll have to see.
Conclusion
The Ricoh GR IV doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it polishes key aspects of a camera that’s already a cult favorite. For some, the new autofocus system and ergonomic changes will be worth the investment. For others, the GR III will remain perfectly capable for years to come.
As always, the decision comes down to shooting style, priorities, and budget. The GR IV might be the right step forward, or a reminder that the best camera is the one you already own.
