I found a post analyzing the theoretical performance of the GR IV vs GR III based on patents and optical design software. You may need to use translation software.
A quote that perhaps support what I've seen in the samples.
This shows that the GR4 achieves more homogeneous image quality throughout the screen compared to the GR3. If the performance in the screen is high homogenous, it can also be expected that the parts that are not focused, such as the background, will be more natural and smoother.
The performance looks very similar to GR III though, that extra asph, despite it's size, seems to have moderate impact.
There are other articles in there that may be of interest to people on this site.
Nushi wrote:
I found a post analyzing the theoretical performance of the GR IV vs GR III based on patents and optical design software. You may need to use translation software.
A quote that perhaps support what I've seen in the samples.
The performance looks very similar to GR III though, that extra asph, despite it's size, seems to have moderate impact.
There are other articles in there that may be of interest to people on this site.
Pretty cool, but it still feels too theoretical. I would like to see real world comparisons such as infinity resolution, contrast and actual rendering side by side. Adding a huge aspherical close to the sensor should make a difference, but what it really does in practice is still unclear. In my opinion, a more worthwhile upgrade would have been turning it into an 18mm f/2.5.
Fred Miranda wrote:
Pretty cool, but it still feels too theoretical. I would like to see real world comparisons such as infinity resolution, contrast and actual rendering side by side. Adding a huge aspherical close to the sensor should make a difference, but what it really does in practice is still unclear. In my opinion, a more worthwhile upgrade would have been turning it into an 18mm f/2.5.
Yes it's completely theoretical and only based on patent info. In real life they have to manufacture it as well.
The guy is pretty good at reading those graphs though! He has analyzed a lot of lenses on his site and is pretty much spot on for those I have experience with. This includes seeing qualities way beyond pure resolution and aberration. Not being an experienced optical engineer I have to rely on his text rather than the graphs themselves.
Nushi wrote:
Yes it's completely theoretical and only based on patent info. In real life they have to manufacture it as well.
The guy is pretty good at reading those graphs though! He has analyzed a lot of lenses on his site and is pretty much spot on for those I have experience with. This includes seeing qualities way beyond pure resolution and aberration. Not being an experienced optical engineer I have to rely on his text rather than the graphs themselves.
Yes, the technical analyses are very insightful. Thanks for sharing. is really great. Thanks for posting it.
Yes, I received my preorder from Adorama last Saturday. My backup preorder from Focus Camera was apparently shipped at the same time and arrived on Wednesday before I could cancel it. Thinking about listing it (at cost) in the Buy/Sell forums instead of returning it to help out a fellow forum member.
I just did a round of searching for reviews of GR iv and, (apart from the usual influencers that merely babble), was surprised to see a good number of negative reviews stating:
—little reason to upgrade from the GR iii,
—likely to have the same overheating problems as the GR iii,
—lacking some things like flash and dust sealing, etc. and
—that it is out of stock.
Hear me out. Is anyone thinking of just using the new iPhone (17 PRO MAX) with its bigger sensor and pro raw? I have been tempted to sell my GRlllx because I've been using my new iPhone more and am really pleased with the results. I even printed a few 13x19's and they look good. I like shooting the GR but I always seem to use my iPhone or Sony kit. The GR seems to fall in-between.
I think you've answered your own question. If using an iPhone is working for you as a replacement for the GR, that's all you need to know. Personally, I could never get along with the UI of the iPhone as a stand-alone camera. It's fine for casual photography, but if I want to take pictures where I have control of all the parameters, including the best user experience, then my GR wins every time.
fotografur wrote:
Hear me out. Is anyone thinking of just using the new iPhone (17 PRO MAX) with its bigger sensor and pro raw? I have been tempted to sell my GRlllx because I've been using my new iPhone more and am really pleased with the results. I even printed a few 13x19's and they look good. I like shooting the GR but I always seem to use my iPhone or Sony kit. The GR seems to fall in-between.
I have been debating something similar, but more concerned with the experience rather than image quality.:
I still have a Ricoh GR, and if carrying it and a iPhone, the GR will be the more satisfying to hold and use.
However the real issue with a Ricoh comes when also carrying a system camera - here the lazy option is to snap away with the Ricoh, rather than make the effort to photograph with intent.
I am leaning towards cancelling the Ricoh GR IV order, to setting up my EDC preference to be the phone* and a Leica MP+35/1.4 (* my iPhone 8 is out of OS support, so must be upgraded this year - thinking 17 Pro rather than the max ).
Are people receiving these in the US? I see one person did above.. but I'm getting the sense something is going on with these shipments (and not in a good way).
BrandonSi wrote:
Are people receiving these in the US? I see one person did above.. but I'm getting the sense something is going on with these shipments (and not in a good way).
Mine is en route from B&H. I ordered within five minutes of the announcement on August 20th. Fingers crossed that it doesn't have any of the lens or dial issues I've seen reported.
BrandonSi wrote:
Are people receiving these in the US? I see one person did above.. but I'm getting the sense something is going on with these shipments (and not in a good way).
I received mine last Thursday. I pre-ordered from Glazer's right when they put the listing up. They notified me it was available on Monday, shipped out on Tuesday, received on Thursday. So far no issues with the dials/lens, but I haven't used it too much yet. In another GR forum, I saw that Adorama shipped out some units early last week too.
I pulled the trigger….on a GR iiix HDF, to add to my GR iii HDF. I may want to upgrade to the iv one day (but early reports of QC issues are disturbing) and I’d wait for the HDF version anyway. In the meantime, one day the iiix HDF will no longer be available new. FOMO on the one hand and the fact that I won’t need to buy new spare batteries and cards and filter attachments on the other hand. Both cameras together weigh less than my Nikon D7100 and 35 1.8 dx that I keep for when the GR iii is just too wide.
fotografur wrote:
Hear me out. Is anyone thinking of just using the new iPhone (17 PRO MAX) with its bigger sensor and pro raw? I have been tempted to sell my GRlllx because I've been using my new iPhone more and am really pleased with the results. I even printed a few 13x19's and they look good. I like shooting the GR but I always seem to use my iPhone or Sony kit. The GR seems to fall in-between.
I pre-ordered the GRiv to use as my EDC and already got it, but had to return it because the lens kept getting stuck and wouldn’t retract fully when powering off. I recently picked up the iPhone 17 Pro and I’m honestly thinking of just using that instead of the Ricoh when I can’t carry my Nikon Zf. Been shooting in ProRAW and even pre-ordered the Moment Pro Camera II app for $5 to gain manual shutter speed control. I’ll see how it goes, and maybe give the Ricoh another shot once the early batch quality issues are sorted out.
