Pursuing the ultimate in monochrome expression, the RICOH GR IV Monochrome is essentially a camera for photography, but nothing stops you from using it to shoot videos using its black-and-white sensor.

Ricoh started 2026 with the announcement of the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome, a dedicated black-and-white version of the compact GR IV camera. The launch also marks 30 years of the GR series, which began with the Ricoh GR1 film camera in 1996. This announcement follows the recently presented Ricoh GR IV HDF edition, which adds a built-in Highlight Diffusion Filter for a softer rendering of highlights at the press of a button.

The RICOH GR IV Monochrome fully and legitimately evolves the GR series’ fundamental concept–the essential values of a camera, including high image quality, quick response and portability. With the pursuit of the ultimate monochrome expression, the camera is newly equipped with an anti-aliasing (AA) filterless monochrome-dedicated CMOS image sensor of APS-C-equivalent size, capable of producing high-definition images with approximately 25.74 million effective pixels.

Unlike monochrome images produced using a general color image sensor–where each pixel receives light through one of red (R), green (G), or blue (B) color filters, the information is interpolated to generate a color image, and the result is then converted to monochrome–each pixel of the monochrome-dedicated sensor captures the subject’s brightness information. Because it directly takes in the light information entering through the lens without interpolation processing, it enables sharp monochrome rendering with rich tonal gradation, and also makes it possible to create works that emphasize grain effects by taking advantage of high-sensitivity performance. Together with the 18.3 mm f/2.8 GR lens, this is designed to deliver crisp detail and smooth tonal gradation.

A red filter that can be turned ON/OFF with a single operation is built into the lens unit. By allowing only red wavelengths of light to pass through, it enables dramatic rendering–for example, by darkening the tones of a blue sky to enhance contrast with white clouds, or by rendering red subjects brighter to make them stand out more clearly.

The camera features monochrome-dedicated Image Control options to enable a wide range of monochrome expressions. “Solid” uses a hard tonal curve to express a crisp, clean look and renders edges with refined clarity. “Grainy,” characterized by a strong grain effect, delivers a finish reminiscent of silver-halide prints and printed materials by avoiding complete highlight blowout and preventing shadows from being crushed to solid black, while producing grain that is clearly visible even on smart devices.

Alongside the mechanical shutter, the GR IV Monochrome adds an electronic shutter with speeds up to 1/16000 s. This makes it easier to shoot at wide apertures in bright light without an ND filter. The electronic shutter operates from 1/3200 s at f/2.8 and from 1/5000 s at f/5.6–16. The same electronic shutter feature is planned to be added to the standard GR IV via a firmware update after the Monochrome launch.

The camera design matches the monochrome concept, with a matte black magnesium-alloy body, a matte black shutter release button and ring cap, and a semi-gloss black GR logo on the front. The power button light is changed to white.

The GR IV Monochrome keeps the main GR IV platform features, including 5-axis image stabilization rated at 6 stops, 53 GB of internal memory (around 995 RAW images), and the 1800 mAh DB-120 battery rated for about 250 shots. Wireless connection and sharing are handled through the GR World app. Apart from the lack of an ND filter, other specifications match the standard Ricoh GR IV.

Although the GR IV Monochrome is a photographer’s camera, nothing stops you from shooting video with it, if you are comfortable with the limitations; it’s only Full HD (1920×1080), although it offers 60p/30p/24p. The camera has a built-in stereo microphone and recording time is up to 25 minutes or 4GB and, Ricoh notes, it “automatically stops recording if the internal temperature of the camera becomes high”. File format is MPEG4 AVC/H.264 (MOV) and… it glorious black and white!

The RICOH GR IV Monochrome will start to ship in February 2026. Recommended selling price is  $2,199, some $700 more than the regular Ricoh GR IV.