Ricoh GR IV and GR Mono: New APS-C compact cameras teased — video still an afterthought for Ricoh

Rumours of a Ricoh GR IV appeared late last year, proposing the next-gen competition for the Fujifilm X100VI and Canon PowerShot V1 compact fixed-lens cameras. Now, however, in the latest in a slew of recent CP+ interviews, Ricoh executives have all but confirmed that there will be yet another GR III before the full update to the GR III. 

According to a recent DPReview interview with the General Manager of the Ricoh Camera Business Division, Kazunobu Saiki, Ricoh has seemingly noticed a demand for a monochrome version of the GR III. When asked directly about a potential market for a GR Mono, the executive noted that many GR users already use monochrome filters on their GR cameras. He goes on to say that "If we released such a camera, I think we can appeal to them." This all but confirms that Ricoh has at least started developing a monochrome version of the Ricoh GR compact APS-C camera. It wouldn't be surprising to see Ricoh launch something like a GR III Mono to go along with the GR IIIx, GR III HDF, and the GR IIIx Diary, Street, and Urban editions. 

Saiki also had some interesting insights into Ricoh's approach to the camera market. Despite the recent push by brands into video, with cameras like the Canon PowerShot V1 and Sony ZV-E10 II (curr. $998 at Amazon), Saiki says that Ricoh will not put an emphasis on video for any foreseeable camera releases. Instead, Ricoh wants to encourage photographers to capture what stands out to them instead of recording everything in a video. 

But among our brands, both Ricoh and Pentax, we value not only the results of photography or the result of recording: we want to provide an enjoyable process for photo taking. That's why we don't want to get heavily involved in video features.

Shortly before this interview went live, a Ricoh ambassador, Samuel Lintaro, gave a presentation at the Ricoh booth at the UK Photography & Video Show, where he dropped a vague hint that the Ricoh GR IV would be arriving before the 2026 UK Photography & Video Show. Talking about size of the booth, he says "I'm told next year, they will have a much bigger booth, because," before his voice is momentarily replaced by music in the video. This is an obvious reference to an upcoming product launch, which is likely to be the GR IV.

Our previous coverage of GR IV rumours suggested that the upcoming compact APS-C camera would likely introduce a new sensor or lens. The previous leaks also suggested that the GR IV would launch along with another Ricoh camera before the end of 2025. WIth Ricoh talking openly about a potential GR Mono, it seems possible that the GR IV will launch in both a full-colour and monochrome version, since it wouldn't make much sense to have the GR IV arriving alongside an updated version of the last-gen camera. 

Ricoh also addressed the disparity in the supply and demand for modern compact cameras, stating that meeting the ultra-high demand has become a top priority for the camera maker. This likely comes as good news for those frustrated by the likes of the Fujifilm X100VI and the ever-present "out of stock" message plaguing their screens.