Ricoh GR01568 Black

The Ricoh GR IV HDF is a premium compact camera with a 25.7MP APS-C sensor and a sharp fixed 28mm lens, built for street photographers who want serious image quality in a pocketable body. The built-in HDF filter and 53GB internal storage are nice touches, and image quality is genuinely excellent. But battery life is one of the worst we've seen, there's no viewfinder, and video is stuck at 1080p, so it's a specialized tool rather than an all-rounder.

The sensor here is a 25.7MP back-illuminated APS-C CMOS, and it sits in the 93rd percentile for sensor quality in our database. That's the absolute best right now for a camera this size. You're getting image quality that rivals much larger mirrorless bodies, with a maximum ISO of 204800 for low-light shooting. The 28mm f/2.8 lens is sharp edge to edge, which matters when you're shooting architecture or street scenes where corner softness would be obvious.

Autofocus lands in the 69th percentile, which is solid but not class-leading. Eye AF is included, and startup time is 0.6 seconds, so the camera feels responsive when you pull it out for a quick shot. The 5-axis IBIS is rated for 6 stops of compensation, putting stabilization in the 87th percentile, a standout for a camera this small. Burst shooting is a weak spot at the 32nd percentile, so this isn't a camera for fast action. Video tops out at 1080p/60fps, which is about average for the category but feels dated when competitors are pushing 4K and beyond.

Compared to the Fujifilm X-H2S, the GR IV HDF is dramatically smaller and lighter, but the Fuji wins on burst speed, video, and battery life by a wide margin. The Sony a7R V has a higher resolution full-frame sensor and better autofocus, but it's a much bigger camera with a much bigger price tag. The Nikon Z9 and Canon EOS R6 Mark III are in a completely different class, professional bodies that outclass the GR in nearly every measurable way except portability.

Where the GR IV HDF beats all of them is the pocket factor. None of those competitors can slip into a jacket pocket the way this can. The Panasonic Lumix S5 II is a strong hybrid option with excellent stabilization, but again, it's a full-size mirrorless body. If you're comparing the GR IV HDF to other compacts, the field is thin. Ricoh basically owns this niche, and that's why the price stays high.

At $1,597 to $1,697 USD, the GR IV HDF is a premium compact, and you're paying for the sensor and lens combination rather than a long feature list. For the same money, you could get a Fujifilm X-H2S or a Sony a7R V, both of which offer far more versatility. But those cameras are also much larger and heavier. The value proposition here is simple: if you want APS-C image quality in a pocketable body with a fixed 28mm lens, there's almost nothing else like it. If you need zoom, 4K video, or all-day battery life, your money goes further elsewhere.

The Ricoh GR IV HDF is the latest in a line of cult-favorite compact cameras, and it lands in that premium point-and-shoot bracket where you're paying for a very specific kind of experience. This isn't a do-everything travel zoom. It's a 25.7MP APS-C sensor paired with a fixed 28mm f/2.8 lens, built for people who want serious image quality in something that actually fits in a pocket. At 228g, it's the smallest GR yet, and Ricoh has stuffed in a few new tricks like a built-in highlight diffusion filter and 53GB of internal storage.

If you're searching for a compact camera for street photography, the GR series is basically the default answer, and the GR IV HDF keeps that reputation intact. The HDF filter softens highlights for a more film-like, expressive look, which is a nice creative option for people who don't want to fuss with post-processing. The fixed 28mm focal length is a deliberate choice. It forces you to move and compose, and for a lot of photographers, that's the whole appeal.

But there are trade-offs. The battery life is rough, there's no viewfinder, and the video specs are pretty modest by modern standards. We'll dig into all of that below. For now, just know this is a specialized tool, not a general-purpose camera, and it's priced accordingly at roughly $1,600 to $1,700 USD depending on the listing.

Skip the GR IV HDF if you need zoom flexibility, shoot a lot of video, or want a camera that lasts all day on one battery. Travel photographers who want to capture distant subjects will find the fixed 28mm lens limiting, and the 250-shot battery life means you'll be swapping cells constantly. If you want a compact with zoom and better battery life, look at something like the Sony RX100 series. If you need 4K video and a viewfinder, the Fujifilm X-H2S or Panasonic Lumix S5 II are better fits, though they're much larger. This camera is for people who know exactly what a fixed-lens compact is for, and if that's not you, the compromises will feel frustrating.

Should you buy the Ricoh GR IV HDF? If you're a street photographer or someone who wants a serious camera that disappears into a pocket, yes. The image quality is genuinely excellent, the lens is sharp, and the HDF filter adds a creative option that's genuinely fun to use. The 53GB internal storage is a nice bonus that means you'll never miss a shot because you forgot a memory card.

But if you need a camera for travel with zoom range, or you shoot video regularly, or you want something that lasts all day on a single charge, this isn't it. The battery life is genuinely bad, and the lack of a viewfinder will frustrate anyone shooting in bright conditions. This is a specialist's camera, and it's very good at what it does. Just don't expect it to be anything else.