According to the latest rumors, Ricoh is working on a new Ricoh GR IV digital compact camera. The fourth generation model is expected to arrive in 2021. The camera might feature a brand new 23mm or 26mm F2.8 lens.
According to a patent applicaiton the new lenses are to be APS-C compatible and possibly designed for a new Ricoh GR camera. As per rumors, the Ricoh GR IV will be Ricoh’s first APS-C compact camera to record 4K videos.
When we look at the patented lenses, both have a focal length of 23mm and 28mm with a maximum aperture of f/2.8. The lenses will be compatible with the APS-C sensor format and will be used in a compact camera. In this case the question of what the camera model will be comes to mind, and in this case we can make an opinion that this will be the next iteration of the premium compacts of the GR series.
The Ricoh GR III features an 18.3mm f/2.8 lens, which translates to a roughly 28mm lens in 35mm film terms. The focal lengths laid out in the patent relate to actual focal length, so when taking the APS-C crop factor into account (1.5x) the resulting settings of 34.5 (let’s say 35mm) and 42mm are a bit long for a GR IV. The Ricoh GR III currently costs $1,196.95, first available at B&H Photo.
