Ricoh Is Officially Developing the GR IVx With a 40mm Equivalent Lens

Ricoh is adding another variant to the very popular GR IV. The company has officially announced the development of the GR IVx, a new model that will feature a longer 40mm equivalent focal length lens.

The upcoming GR IVx will feature an entirely new GR lens, which should be great news for Ricoh fans looking for a different perspective from the existing GR IV.

New 40mm Equivalent GR Lens

According to Ricoh, the GR IVx will be equipped with a newly developed lens designed to expand the creative possibilities of the GR IV while retaining the core characteristics of the GR series.

“The Ricoh GR IVx will be equipped with a newly developed GR lens to further expand the expressive capabilities of the RICOH GR IV, which fully advances the fundamental concept behind the GR Series: incorporating the essential values of a camera, including high image quality, quick response, and portability,” Ricoh shared.

The new lens has a 26.1mm focal length, giving it an approximately 40mm equivalent field of view on full frame. The optical design consists of eight elements in six groups, including three aspherical elements.

Ricoh says the longer focal length offers a different perspective from the standard GR IV.

“With a 40mm-equivalent focal length in the 35mm format, the RICOH GR IVx offers an angle of view close to the effective field of human vision. This distinct perspective, which differs from the 28mm-equivalent wide-angle lens of the Ricoh GR IV, creates new possibilities for snapshot photography,” Ricoh wrote.

The 40mm focal length is a classic choice for street photography and is also well suited to environmental portraits, travel, and everyday photography.

Built-In ND Filter

According to Ricoh, the GR IVx will also have a built-in two-stop ND filter, allowing photographers to shoot with the lens wide open in bright daytime conditions.

Ricoh may even introduce additional GR IVx variants with different filter options in the future, although there is no official confirmation of such models at this point.

More Details Are Coming

Ricoh has not revealed many additional details about the GR IVx yet.

We can reasonably expect the camera to share much of its internal hardware and functionality with the current GR IV, with the newly developed 40mm equivalent lens being the primary difference. However, Ricoh has not officially confirmed the full specifications.

The GR IVx gives Ricoh an interesting way to expand the GR series without abandoning its compact fixed-lens concept. The longer 40mm equivalent perspective should appeal to photographers who find the 28mm equivalent GR IV too wide, particularly for street photography and more natural-looking everyday images.

Pricing and Availability

There is currently no official information on the pricing or announcement date for the Ricoh GR IVx. However, we can reasonably expect the camera to arrive soon, particularly as Ricoh is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the GR series.

B&H Photo already has a page for the GR IVx where customers can sign up for notifications when the camera becomes available.