Ricoh GR IV, More than Meets the Eye - TDS Photography Podcast

This is The Digital Story Podcast 1,014, August 26, 2025. Today's theme is, "Ricoh GR IV, More than Meets the Eye." I'm Derrick Story.

Opening Monologue

$1,496 seems a lot to pay for a compact camera, that is, until you realize what everyone else will be charging for their products starting in September. So then we go to specs. Is this enough of an upgrade to warrant the price? I think it is, and will explain why in today's TDS Photography Podcast. I hope you enjoy the show.

Digital Photography Podcast 1014

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Ricoh GR IV, More than Meets the Eye

Before I starting researching the Ricoh GR IV, I was initially underwhelmed by its specs compared to the super-popular GR III. But as I began to dig into the decisions that Ricoh made regarding the update, I found myself impressed by their willingness to listen to customers and address those requests.

The GR IV is a very thoughtful camera, unique in its class, and refined with little touches that add up to a big upgrade. The best way to illustrate that is to review its highlight features.

• 25.7MP APS-C BSI CMOS Sensor with GR Engine 7 processor - the back-illuminated design for cleaner image quality and reduced noise. This sensor pairs with the updated GR ENGINE 7 processor that helps to achieve a full stop better low-light performance along with a faster 0.6-sec startup time, quicker focusing performance, up to ISO 204800, and the same versatile 14-bit DNG and JPEG recording as its predecessor.
• New 28mm f/2.8 Lens (Full-Frame Equiv.) - Plus, an integrated ND filter cuts down exposures by two stops, allowing the use of wider-than-normal aperture settings or slower shutter speeds for creative depth of field or motion blur effects. And yes, 35mm and 50mm crop modes.
• Improved AF and Low-Light Focusing - Aided by the new GR ENGINE 7 processing and a redesigned lens that's lighter in weight, AF performance is more responsive than its predecessor, focusing hunting is greatly reduced, and both face recognition and subject tracking have been improved. Additionally, pairing with the improved low-light image quality, low-light focusing is also faster and more accurate for shooting in difficult lighting conditions.
• 5-Axis 6-Stop Shake Reduction System - One more asset for low-light use, the GR IV has a new 5-axis Shake Reduction system that compensates for up to 6 stops of camera shake. Improving upon the 3-axis system of the previous generation, this new stabilization system compensates for more types of camera movement and is more effective at reducing the appearance of camera shake when shooting handheld.
• New DB-120 battery is used in the GR IV; this larger