RICOH GR IV HDF gets a filter for nostalgic photography

The Highlight Diffusion Filter in the new camera diffuses light into a soft, gentle look that also pairs well with “Cinema” options, to create mellow, diffused expression in highlighted areas.

While inheriting the fundamental merits of the base model such as exceptional image quality, this new model also incorporates the RICOH-original HDF (Highlight Diffusion Filter), which lets the user, instantly and with a single action, capture mellow, soft images with diffused highlight areas, in addition to the clear, sharply focused images made famous by its base model.

This creative versatility, which expands the visual expression boundaries of snapshot photography, is appreciated by many photographers. The Highlight Diffusion Filter (HDF) soft filter developed by Ricoh enables a softer expression that emphasizes the light. By diffusing incoming light, the filter reduces overall image contrast and blurs whites in bright areas, giving the image a soft, fluffy appearance. This realizes nostalgic photography like that in film photography and movies.

The HDF (Highlight Diffusion Filter) is an optical filter built into the camera that can be switched on and off instantly, by default via the Fn button. When activated, it gently diffuses bright areas and adds a subtle blur towards the edges of the frame, creating a mellow, cinematic look reminiscent of classic film photography. With HDF off, photographers still get the crisp, high‑contrast rendering the GR series is known for – effectively two distinct visual styles in one pocket camera.

Based on the GR IV, the GR IV HDF keeps the newly developed 18.3 mm F2.8 GR lens (28 mm equivalent), APS‑C CMOS sensor of approx. 25.74 megapixels, GR ENGINE 7 processor and 5‑axis Shake Reduction with up to 6 stops of compensation, all in a slim magnesium body designed for everyday carry. Start‑up is around 0.6 seconds, autofocus is fast and precise, and the camera offers around 53 GB of internal memory, Bluetooth/Wi‑Fi connectivity and support for the new GR WORLD app.

Compared to the standard GR IV, the HDF version replaces the ND filter with the new Highlight Diffusion Filter, adds a grey‑silver shutter button and assigns HDF on/off as the default Fn function for instant creative control.

The camera also includes a high-speed electronic shutter with a top speed of 1/16,000 second for shooting at extremely bright locations in addition to a conventional mechanical shutter unit. The electronically controlled shutter mechanism allows the user to intentionally raise the shutter speed up to 1/16,000 second, making it possible to capture images at extremely bright locations while still setting a larger aperture. This mechanism can also be installed on the RICOH GR IV using new function expansion firmware (scheduled to be released following the launch of the RICOH GR IV HDF).

The Highlight Diffusion Filter, which was first introduced in the RICOH GR III HDF and RICOH GR IIIx HDF models, in 2024, is born from Ricoh’s experience with inkjet printing technology, applied here to develop a soft filter (a filter that bleeds light and softens the mood of a photograph), to expand the depictive representation possible without sacrificing the quick photographing, which is a key point for the GR cameras.

By combining the optical technology and inkjet (IJ) printing technology of Ricoh the company developed inkjet manufacturing technology for a thin optical filter. To reduce the thickness of the filter, Ricoh developed the technology to place structures that perform the desired optical functions on the surface of a filter, rather than inside the filter.

IJ printing technology made a great contribution to this development, as it enables detailed and highly precise drawing on a wide variety of media. IJ printing also does not require an original plate for the printing, so it has the benefit that the filter effect can be fine-tuned through the production of a large number of prototypes, even when the research and development period is short. By reducing the thickness of the filter, Ricoh was able to minimize the change in the imaging performance of the photographic lens system when the filter is inserted or removed.

The RICOH GR IV HDF debuts today at the GR SPACE in Tokyo, Shanghai, Beijing and Brisbane; in all these locations, visitors can try out this new model firsthand. The new GR HDF will start to ship in January 2026, with a suggested retail price of $1600.