Ricoh GR IV First Impressions: Meet the New Snapshooting Superhero

Photographers like nothing more than finding a compact, user-friendly piece of camera gear that can perform admirably alongside their larger, more-expansive kits. That’s why advanced digital compact cameras, like the new Ricoh GR IV, always make a big splash when they hit the market.

Let’s find out a bit more about the Ricoh GR IV, and figure out who is going to be keenest to get their hands on one as soon as it hits the shelves.

The Ricoh GR IV features an APS-C format back-illuminated image sensor with 25.74MP. While the megapixels matter to some degree, it is the larger size of the image sensor that makes this camera capture such excellent image quality, and is why dedicated cameras like this will always be better than smartphones, if image quality is your main concern.

The lens in the Ricoh GR IV is capable of brilliant edge-to-edge sharpness and minimal distortion, thanks to the glass-molded aspherical and high-refraction elements included in the design. The 18mm focal length is equivalent to 28mm, which is a versatile, wide field of view.

What does the Ricoh GR IV have in store to combat camera shake? This camera includes an advanced 5-axis Shake Reduction mechanism, which compensates for a whopping 6 stops of shake!

While this camera shines as a still photography tool, it is also a capable video maker, with Full HD video recording on offer. Storing this video is easy, with a huge 53GB storage capacity built-in, as well as a micro SD slot for enhancing this.

While the release of the GR IV is exciting, for anyone who has followed camera releases over the years, the high-quality will not come as a surprise.

What does this new model offer, compared to the popular Ricoh GR III, which we reviewed previously?

The Ricoh GR IV features a brand new lithium rechargeable battery, which offers extended battery life, so you can capture up to 250 shots on a solitary charge. The new GR 7 engine offers a variety of improvements, which includes enhanced operating speeds, speedier AF functionality, and low-light performance.

While the difference in build is not huge this new model is smaller and slimmer than previous models, making it even more pocketable and suitable for everyday use.

Developing the look and style of your photos and videos is simple and enjoyable with the GR IV. As well as the 12 standard effects modes offered by the image control function, this camera includes a cinema mode, which allows users to harness the look and charm of old-school movies. Similarly, the grain effect mode has been improved to allow the size and strength of grain to be adjusted, so you can tweak the look of your digital photographs until they look eerily similar to the film photography that you love.

Here are some other key tweaks that caught our eye when checking out the GR IV:

• Program Auto Ex: Easily switch to Aperture Priority AE by turning the front dial and Shutter Priority AE by turning the rear dial - an intuitive way to experience automated shooting.
• Snap Distance Priority: This setting is perfect for zone focusing. It automatically adjusts the aperture to keep your subject sharp, based on your set focus distance.
• EV Compensation Button: A dedicated button now lets you easily adjust the EV setting to get the perfect exposure.
• GR World: A new smartphone app that improves connectivity, letting you easily import images, shoot remotely, and add location data to your photos.

When recapping the highlights of the Ricoh GR IV, it is evident that this camera is portable and powerful, with a penchant for capturing premium results in whatever surroundings you may find yourself in. This makes the camera perfect for everyday snapshot photography, travel photography and of course, street photography.