Ricoh GR IV Monochrome Digital Camera

RICOH GR IV MONOCHROME

The RICOH GR IV Monochrome is based on the RICOH GR IV, which fully and legitimately evolves the GR series’ fundamental concept—the essential values of a camera, including high image quality, quick response and portability—while newly incorporating a monochrome-dedicated image sensor. By eliminating the colour filter used to acquire colour information, as well as the interpolation process required to generate colour images, the camera is able to fully draw out the capabilities of the high-performance GR lens, delivering refined rendering and rich tonal gradation. In addition, the built-in red filter enables more distinctive monochrome photography, while newly developed Image Control options dedicated to monochrome imaging provide deep and diverse monochrome expressions.

Monochrome-dedicated design

With the pursuit of the ultimate monochrome expression, the camera is newly equipped with a anti-aliasing (AA) filterless monochrome-dedicated CMOS image sensor of APS-C-equivalent size, capable of producing high-definition images with approximately 25.74 million effective pixels. Unlike monochrome images produced using a general colour image sensor—where each pixel receives light through one of red (R), green (G), or blue (B) colour filters, the information is interpolated to generate a colour image, and the result is then converted to monochrome—each pixel of the monochrome-dedicated sensor captures the subject’s brightness information. Because it directly takes in the light information entering through the lens without interpolation processing, it enables sharp monochrome rendering with rich tonal gradation, and also makes it possible to create works that emphasize grain effects by taking advantage of high-sensitivity performance.

High-Speed, High-Precision Focusing Performance
Image-Plane Phase Detection

Despite being a monochrome-dedicated camera, it also supports image-plane phase detection. This enables high-speed, high-precision focusing on the subject and allows for responsive, agile shooting. In addition, the monochrome-dedicated sensor offers excellent low-light performance, making it easier to acquire focus even in dark scenes. AF shooting is possible even with the red filter set to “On,” so you can fully enjoy quick, reactive photography.

Support for diverse monochrome expressions

The camera features monochrome-dedicated Image Control options to enable a wide range of monochrome expressions. “Solid” uses a hard tonal curve to express a crisp, clean look and renders edges with refined clarity. “Grainy,” characterized by a strong grain effect, delivers a finish reminiscent of silver-halide prints and printed materials by avoiding complete highlight blowout and preventing shadows from being crushed to solid black, while producing grain that is clearly visible even on smart devices.

Carefully crafted exterior design

To evoke the primitive, essential world of black-and-white photography by unifying the overall colour and texture, the magnesium-alloy body, as well as the shutter release button and ring cap, are finished in matte black. The subdued sheen, deep texture, and a softly tactile feel together make the GR’s special nature immediately apparent. In addition, the front GR logo is finished in semi-gloss black, with a lustre distinct from that of the body finish. Moreover, the power button illumination has also been changed to white. The monochrome aesthetic is expressed throughout the design.

Electronic shutter enabling high-speed shooting up to 1/16000 s

In addition to the conventional mechanical shutter, the camera is equipped with an electronic shutter that enables shooting at higher shutter speeds. The shutter speed can be increased up to 1/16000 s, which is effective for creative work that takes advantage of the monochrome sensor’s high-sensitivity characteristics in bright conditions, and for situations where it is desirable to shoot with the aperture open even in very bright environments.

Optics That Truly Shine in Monochrome
F2.8 GR Lens

The camera features the 18.3mm (28mm in 35mm equivalent focal length) F2.8 GR lens. While inheriting the established design philosophy and incorporating successive advances in optical technology, the lens employs a 5-group 7-element construction, with a large, aspherical high-precision molded glass lens added as the final lens. To fully realize the performance of this lens, the imaging system has been optimized specifically for the monochrome-dedicated GR.

The monochrome-dedicated image sensor is not equipped with a colour filter and performs no interpolation processing, enabling the GR lens’s outstanding optical performance to be captured in its entirety. The result is exceptional resolution extending to the edges of the frame, rich gradation, and low distortion. The true potential of the GR lens is fully revealed in monochrome.

Faithful Light Capture
Monochrome-Dedicated CMOS Image Sensor

To pursue the highest level of monochrome expression, a dedicated image sensor was developed. It does not use a colour filter to acquire colour information; instead, each pixel captures the brightness information of the subject and directly translates it into a monochrome image. This allows the sensor to receive more light information than a conventional colour image sensor, resulting in sharper images with enhanced detail and improved sensitivity.

Contrast Control
Built-in Red Filter

In monochrome photography, the use of colour filters is a well-established technique for altering the impression of an image. Among them, red filters can produce images with strong visual impact—for example, by darkening the tones of a blue sky to enhance contrast with clouds, or by rendering red subjects brighter to make them stand out more clearly. Instead of an ND filter, the GR IV Monochrome incorporates a red filter within the lens unit, enabling expanded image expression through the use of colour even in monochrome photography. The filter ON/OFF function is assigned to the Fn button, allowing it to be switched intuitively without interrupting the shooting rhythm. In addition, a warm colour is used for the AF fill light when the red filter is turned on.

Expand Your Expressive Capabilities
Wide Conversion Lens / Dedicated Flash

The camera supports the Wide Conversion Lens GW-4. When attached, it enables ultra-wide-angle shooting equivalent to 21mm (in 35mm format). The camera also supports the External Flash GF-2, which, when attached, achieves not only low-light shooting but also various flash applications such as daylight sync with automatic brightness control. Its ultra-compact design preserves the camera’s mobility even when attached.

Use of the Wide Conversion Lens GW-4 requires the Lens Adapter GA-3.

GR IV Monochrome Image Sensor

With this new monochrome-dedicated sensor, the brightness information acquired by each pixel is applied directly to images without interpolation processing. This achieves nuanced detail, high resolution, and exceptional reproduction of tones for outstanding monochrome rendering.

Dedicated Monochrome Image Processing
GR ENGINE 7

To maximize the performance of the monochrome-dedicated image sensor, a new image-processing engine was developed. It performs none of the interpolation processing that is indispensable in colour image sensors, allowing it to make full use of the brightness information captured by each pixel. This delivers high-definition and nuanced detail as well as rich tonal depth, achieving the imaging power demanded of a GR designed exclusively for monochrome photography.

5-axis, 6-stop Image Stabilization

The camera is equipped with a 5-axis image stabilization mechanism that corrects angular shake, rotational shake, and even shift shake by driving the image sensor. With a high correction performance equivalent to 6.0* stops in shutter speed, it expands the limits of snap shooting. In the monochrome-dedicated imaging system, which makes use of brightness information captured by all pixels, this image stabilization is also highly effective. By compensating for the impact of camera shake, it produces high-resolution, high-definition monochrome images.