Well, apparently Ricoh will not be announcing a GR IV anytime soon, according to Pentax Rumors. Additionally, the supposed GR IV Monochrome camera will likely never happen.
When Fujirumors reported it last week, I suggested that the news should be taken with a grain of salt. It just didn’t make sense to me. Not because these cameras wouldn’t be massively successful or that I wouldn’t be personally interested, but because Pentax Rumors didn’t report it first, and the GR III and GR IIIx are selling very well, so there should be no eagerness from the brand to replace them.
Pentax doesn’t update their lineup as often as other manufacturers. I think that’s good, and that camera companies—including Fujifilm—discontinue models much too quickly. A normal production lifespan should be four-to-five years, then, when the next generation is released, it’s a notable refresh. With quickly advancing digital technology and stiff competition, it can be tough to wait that long, so maybe don’t listen to me; however, I think replacing cameras every two or three years (sometimes less) is just difficult to sustain and seemingly unnecessary.
I don’t believe there is any need for Ricoh to replace the GR III anytime soon, as long as they continue to offer Kaizen firmware updates to keep it fresh. Same for the Fujifilm models in the current lineup that are getting older, such as the X-T30 II, X-H2s, X-H2, and X-T5. There’s been talk within the community recently about successors, but there’s no need for Fujifilm to release them anytime soon. I would suggest 2026, personally, or maybe even 2027. That’s probably an unpopular opinion, but I’d like to see Fujifilm manufacture models for more than just a couple years before discontinuing them. I don’t mind that an X-Pro4 hasn’t been announced yet, but it’s too bad that the X-Pro3 was discontinued. Ditto for the X-E5 and X-E4. The X-E4 should still be being manufactured right now, since it was discontinued with such a large demand and long backorder list.
I think we reached a point awhile ago where we can keep our cameras for many years and they’re still excellent and not obsolete. Obviously that’s a tough position for manufacturers, because perhaps consumers aren’t buying as many copies since they’re waiting longer to upgrade. My opinion is that if camera makers design and release desirable models—maybe unconventional yet intriguing or exciting cameras—it will drive sales. The Ricoh GR III and Fujifilm X100VI are both excellent examples of this. Neither are cameras that you really need, but they’re both ones that a lot of people want. They are desirable because they’re fun, and not just soulless tools packed with the latest technical advances. Fujifilm—perhaps more than any brand—is good at making those types of cameras. It’s really fueled their success, and will continue to do so well into the future.
See also: Ritchie’s Ricoh Recipes
#1 thing I’d want from a GRiv: weather sealing. Lean into the GADA of it: go anywhere, do anything. Probably can’t be as hardened as the waterproof compacts (so tough they make some designed to get cleansed with industrial and medical grade cleaners), but something which can withstand a rainy day about town would be fantastic.
Yeah, one issue that some people have had is dust getting on the sensor. Unfortunately, that’s not easy to clean. Some additional weather-sealing could be good for preventing that. Not sure how much larger the camera would need to get to accommodate, but if it isn’t too much, that would be a nice upgrade.
You are a man after my own heart.
I am regularly preaching the irresponsibility of camera manufacturers to keep replacing their models so quickly. Peer pressure to regularly update is enormous and too many photographers these days seem more concerned about buying the latest gear – rather than developing their skills.
I teach Photography and suggest that all new photographers practice on an old DSLR to learn their basic skills. Technology is often confusing to new photographers anyway, so a complicated mirrorless camera is not always the best option for new photographers who are struggling with the most basic of photography fundamentals.
As each new mirrorless camera is launched, it is a accompanied by an increasing complexity of technology… all of which (supposedly) is essential, and we simply have to have it. Wrong!
As far as digital cameras, Fujifilm models with the traditional exposure triangle controls would seem to be the most ideal to learn on, and the ability to get good results SOOC is definitely helpful. An old X-T1 is quite affordable, and would be such an excellent first camera for someone learning still photography. That’s my top recommendation. When I made the switch from film to digital with a Pentax DSLR many years ago, I felt like I was learning photography all over again. If a camera like the X-T1 had existed back then, that would have made it a lot easier for me, personally.
50 years ago, it was common for a camera model to be in production for several years, sometimes for as long as a whole decade (and a few longer than that—the Pentax K1000 was something like 20 years). Then, people would use that camera for years and years and years. There were well-know, successful photographers who used the same camera for decades. Nowadays, if your camera is more than a few years old, people tend to think it’s no longer good enough. But Liping Cao just won $200,000 with a 12-year-old DSLR and kit zoom. So even though it is “old” and sort of “obsolete” it is still extraordinarily capable just so long as the photographer is also capable.
Thanks for the comment!
Literally everybody knows it is coming in april-march, monochrome version too is on its way.
Pentax Rumors says that neither are true. I have no idea who is right—I certainly don’t have any inside information—but the safe bet is definitely Pentax Rumors—I would not recommend betting against them on this.
“GR III and GR IIIx are selling very well so there should be no eagerness from the brand to replace them.”
When my GR II fell and landed on the lens, it wouldn’t close. I sent it in for repair, but they couldn’t fix it because the necessary replacement parts were unavailable. My options? Pay $30 to have it shipped back or let them recycle it.
It’s great that Ricoh avoid pointless yearly updates like Apple’s cycle of constant releases. But it would be even better if they didn’t mimic Apple’s built-in obsolescence, where older models become unusable due to something as simple as a missing repair part.
I don’t know how long a company should keep replacement parts in stock for discontinued gear, but it should be longer than a few years, in my opinion.
My GR I stopped working. I was considering getting it repaired, but sounds like it might not even be worthwhile to try.
“It’s great that Ricoh avoid pointless yearly updates like Apple’s cycle of constant releases. But it would be even better if they didn’t mimic Apple’s built-in obsolescence, where older models become unusable due to something as simple as a missing repair part.”
You don’t have a SINGLE clue about what you’re talking about. First and foremost: compact cameras and phones/tablets/laptops are two vastly different markets with different upgrade cycles and amounts of demand, especially nowadays, when most of your average former compact user’s needs are covered by built-in smartphone cameras. The reason Apple and other mobile manufacturers release new models every year is because users upgrade their devices every X amount of years. On average it is five years or so, in a market with a much higher demand than pocketable camera market, where the “latest” tech and the pinnacle of what the market has to offer is…OVER 5 years old at this point (I’m ignoring the Sony ZV series, because it is far from being a pocketable device and is built with vlogging in mind).
I’m sorry to hear that Ricoh was unable to fix your camera, but it has nothing to do with either Apple or the myth of “built-in obsolescence”. The only thing to blame here is Ricoh’s own logistics and supply/support chain.
And as for Apple, their older devices are still around and there are plenty of parts used and new, so you can replace them to your heart’s content or just bring the broken device to the Apple store (and if you don’t want to go the official way, be my guest and bring it to your local phone “repair” shop where they are going to gladly take your original screen and replace it with B-tier battery drainer of a display). You know why is this possible? Because of higher demand, standardized parts and huge support chain.
I’m an Apple guy myself, with iMacs, MacBooks, iPads, and iPhones. This is a little apples-to-oranges, but I do recall that
Apple purposefully made their older iPhones work more slowly and glitchy (via software updates) in order to convince users to upgrade to the latest models. They admitted to doing this, but claimed it was to protect those phones from bad/aging batteries, and not to increase sales of new phones. They settled the lawsuit out of court, so the true facts may not ever be known, but by settling it does make it seem as though they did have some level of guilt that they didn’t want to publicly admit to or be found guilty of. That could be taken as a “built-in obsolescence”.
I don’t agree that the GR III doesn’t need an update. The current version has terrible autofocus, which is almost useless in low light. Its battery life is disappointing, and the video settings are very limited. Ricoh could have added the option to set aperture/shutter speed for video with a firmware update, but they haven’t, leaving the video capabilities lagging behind even smartphones. And the lack of a BSI sensor is a real drawback, as it leads to more noise in low-light situations.
So yeah, the camera no longer meets the standards of today, and I’d really like to see a GR IV released this year.
The GR cameras are not typically thought of as video cameras, per se. It’s a tool for another purpose. But, with that said, Ricoh/Pentax could certainly incorporate better video specs and performance into future models, and they certainly will.
I rather have them focus on what this camera intended to go, as a dedicated pocketable GADA. So yes please have a refresh in 2025 with better autofucus and weather sealing 🙂 thank you
Probably won’t be weather-sealed is my guess. That would add extra size/weight/cost. Perhaps AF could be improved with a firmware update?
But it’s not a GADA and Ricoh does not sell it as such. It is a photographer’s camera and meant for people who don’t mind certain limitations in exchange for the kind of pictures that only a small camera like a GR can make. Watch the Ricoh vlogs on youtube or read their blogs to get an idea about what they sell this camera as.
There’s no camera quite like the Ricoh GR models. The closest Fujifilm got to it was the X70, but it’s still not the same. People like the GR cameras because they fill a roll quite uniquely, and changing it too much could affect that negatively.