The Ricoh GR collection has a wierd pull on individuals who care about having an actual digicam of their pocket as a substitute of a telephone, and the brand new GR IV pushes that concept additional whereas charging a premium that competes with critical interchangeable-lens our bodies. If you care about spontaneous road photographs, low-key household moments, or simply at all times having a compact on you, the tradeoffs on this physique matter greater than the standard spec sheet bragging rights to photographers.
Coming to you from Tony and Chelsea Northrup, this candid video places the Ricoh GR IV digital camera below actual on a regular basis stress slightly than simply studying off options. Northrup walks by means of how a 25.7 MP APS-C sensor, a 28mm-equivalent f/2.8 lens, and solely 1080p video at as much as 60 fps really feel in the actual world if you find yourself paying round $1,500 for a fixed-lens compact. There isn’t any 4K, no viewfinder, no flip display, and the tiny exterior flash prices additional, which might look absurd on paper should you judged it towards a Canon R8 or comparable our bodies in the identical worth bracket. You see rapidly that the pitch right here isn’t specs however a particular fashion of capturing the place measurement, really feel, and velocity of entry matter greater than uncooked decision charts. The video leans into that rigidity as a substitute of pretending the GR IV is a spec monster.
Once Northrup will get previous the sheet of numbers, the attention-grabbing half begins: how the GR IV really modifications the way in which you shoot. The physique is sufficiently small to vanish in a entrance pocket and lightweight sufficient to dwell on a wrist strap all day with out turning into a burden, which makes it way more probably you’ll even have it on you than a Fujifilm X100VI or a Sony RX1R III. The 5-axis sensor-shift stabilization, built-in 2-stop ND filter, and adjustable aperture make it straightforward to pull the shutter, shoot multi-second handheld exposures, and play with motion in a manner you merely can’t with a telephone. Northrup additionally talks in regards to the beneficiant 53 GB of inside storage that permits you to depart the microSD slot empty and nonetheless get a shocking quantity of capturing accomplished. At the identical time, he doesn’t gloss over the autofocus issues, the distracting inexperienced AF-assist lamp, and the quirky snap focus system that forces you to suppose in distances slightly than simply letting the digicam seize a face.
Key Specs
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25.74 MP APS-C (23.3 x 15.5 mm) CMOS sensor
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Fixed 18.3mm lens (28mm full body equal)
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Maximum aperture f/2.8, minimal aperture f/16
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5-axis sensor-shift picture stabilization
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Native ISO vary 100 to 204,800
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Internal recording as much as 1,920 x 1,080 at 23.98/29.97/59.94 fps (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC)
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Single microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC (UHS-I) card slot plus 53 GB inside reminiscence
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Fixed 3″ touchscreen LCD with 1,037,000 dots
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No built-in flash; scorching shoe for exterior flash
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Approx. 250 photographs per cost from the DB-120 battery
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Dimensions 4.3 x 2.4 x 1.3″ and weight 8.0 oz physique solely
You get a transparent sense that the GR IV doesn’t “win” on pure picture high quality towards any of these, and it completely doesn’t beat fashionable smartphone computational pictures in a clear side-by-side. What it provides as a substitute is a distraction-free expertise, a easy fastened 28mm view, and simply sufficient handbook management to really feel intentional with out pulling you into menus each few seconds. Northrup additionally spends time on the app, the Wi-Fi switch speeds, and GPS tagging, that are ok to be usable however flaky sufficient that you’ll not wish to depend on them for each session. That steadiness of allure and annoyance is a part of what makes the video price watching slightly than simply skimming a spec listing. Check out the video above for the complete rundown from Northrup.