Ricoh GR: the small camera with a big story

Ricoh is not a brand you would immediately associate with photography. It is neither Nikon nor Canon. To the general public it is best known for its photocopiers and digital solutions. Yet for photography enthusiasts, it is one of those companies that borders on mythology. Over the decades it has produced experimental cameras, different from those usually found on store shelves. Like the Auto Half of the 1960s, which shot in half-frame, or the Tls 401, an SLR with an interchangeable viewfinder. More recently, the Ricoh Gxr, a modular digital camera experiment that became a small cult.

But for photography lovers, Ricoh is above all the Gr line. Launched in the 1990s in analog format, it is perhaps a unique example of consistency in the development and updating of a product line, in the history of photography and of industrial design in general. The first Ricoh Gr, the Gr1, arrived in 1996. It belonged to a very precise category: high-quality compact cameras without a zoom, equipped instead with a fixed lens, usually a fairly bright wide-angle. In this category are cameras now highly sought after on the second-hand market, such as the Contax T with Zeiss lens, used by Jurgen Teller and, more recently, by Kendall Jenner, Frank Ocean, and a whole trail of celebrities; the Yashica T3, made famous by Terry Richardson; and then the Olympus Xa and Mju, the Leica Minilux, the Minolta TC-1, and others. In short, a rather crowded landscape. Today, the Ricoh Gr is the only survivor.

The Gr1 had a sharp and fairly bright 28mm wide-angle lens (f/2.8), several shooting modes, and a “snap” option for quick photographs without waiting for autofocus — often a weak point of compacts — which set a standard. It was a sturdy camera, a small tank: compact, discreet. It already featured the squared-off lines and slightly brutalist aesthetic that would define it over the years. A beautiful object capable of excellent photos, which, however, rose to almost mythological status for two reasons: first, that it came from Ricoh and not from a mainstream brand that churned out countless models every year; second, that it was heavily used from the start by Daido Moriyama, a Japanese photographer beloved by those who truly know photography (recently C/O Berlin dedicated a major exhibition to him and Uniqlo a line of T-shirts). Moriyama, an absolute master of black and white, also uses other cameras, sometimes with surprising choices (recently he shot with not-particularly-sought-after Nikon compacts), but his name has always been associated with the Gr.

Thus, the Ricoh Gr connects in some way to Moriyama’s aesthetic while creating one of its own: candid, high-contrast photos with a preference for black and white. The Ricoh Gr fits easily in a pocket. Street photography enthusiasts made it their tool of choice. The original Gr was followed by two other film cameras, the Gr1s (1998) and the Gr1v (2001), with added functions but always the same recipe, in both body design and use: simplicity, customization, minimalism. They are simple and enjoyable to use. They allow full manual control if needed. They became mythical, but still for a select few. Also because alternatives were many, very many, and very good.

Then came digital. Many brands revised their strategies, canceled old lines, or tried to evolve them with new technologies without success. Ricoh launched the GR Digital in 2005. The philosophy was the same as the film cameras: small and slim body, retractable fixed wide-angle lens, fast handling for reportage or street photos. The sensor was small by today’s standards, a 1/1.8” CCD, but it allowed for great depth of field — meaning almost everything was in focus, something photojournalists and street shooters liked. The lens was slightly brighter (f/2.4) and the camera lost its optical viewfinder: you composed directly from the rear screen. Today that model is still used and sought after because it produces black-and-white images with a unique flavor, high-contrast and close to the feel of film. Three other “GR Digital” models followed, evolving functions and sensors, while maintaining the same philosophy, with a lens that reached remarkable brightness (f/1.9): in those years ISO scales were still anchored to film values, not the astronomical numbers of today, so that 1.9 was particularly precious for shooting in low light.

In 2013, Ricoh made a leap forward. The first Ricoh GR with an APS-C sensor was released, a format just slightly smaller than 35mm film: huge for a pocket camera. It marked the beginning of a new phase, bringing into a GR body the photographic quality you could find in an SLR, also thanks to the move to a CMOS sensor. This was followed by the GR II (2015), the GR III (2019) with in-body stabilization and a new processing engine, and the GR IIIx (2021), with a lens closer to a normal focal length, equivalent to a 40mm, designed for those seeking a more intimate perspective.

In recent years, a solid community of photographers, professionals, and enthusiasts has grown around the GR. While traditional digital compacts have practically disappeared, the GR has remained, faithful to its philosophy of simplicity, discretion, and quality. On Reddit, the group dedicated to the Ricoh Gr is very active. A unicum, with the only real comparison being the great success of the Fujifilm X100 series, a fixed-lens digital compact launched in 2010 that also became a cult, update after update — we are now at the sixth version! — so much so that it is often sold out.

Ricoh’s strategy has always been to update the Gr line without rushing. It is also worth noting that on the second-hand market, an original GR costs more or less the same as the second or third model. And the GR Digitals also have very high quotations: it is a camera that does not age. In addition, Ricoh has focused heavily on limited editions in the last decade, such as the “Urban Edition” or the Hdf version. But a refresh was necessary, also given the strong comeback of the compact camera. In August 2025 Ricoh announced the new GR IV, with a new sensor but still APS-C format, improved stabilization, and the “same” lens, but completely redesigned. The body remains compact and minimalist, slightly slimmer, but the hardware introduces long-awaited improvements, such as larger internal memory and updated connectivity. The flash is missing, as in the previous model, but there is a very small and elegant one that can be attached when needed. Expectations, as always, are high: the GR IV fits into a line that for nearly thirty years has kept its recipe intact, evolving it without ever overturning it. Meanwhile, the GR IV is already sold out.