First Impressions: Living With the Ricoh GR IV vs Fuji

First Impressions: Living With the Ricoh GR IV vs Fuji
Trying out Cine Green for the first time on a cloudy weather

After weeks of waiting (and a bit of frustration with pre-order delays), the Ricoh GR IV is finally in my hands. I’ve only had a short time with it, but enough to form some early thoughts on how it fits into my everyday carry setup and how it compares to my Fujifilm cameras.

What I Miss: The Viewfinder

Coming from Fujifilm, I immediately noticed one thing missing — a viewfinder. I’ve always loved the tactile experience of bringing the X-E3 or X-T5 up to my eye, especially in bright light. With the GR IV, I find myself relying entirely on the rear LCD.

It takes some adjustment, but surprisingly, I’ve adapted faster than I thought thanks to another feature…

Touchscreen Focusing

The touchscreen focus is something I didn’t expect to use so much. Being able to quickly tap the screen to shift focus feels natural, especially for street or candid shots. It compensates for the lack of a viewfinder and keeps the shooting flow simple.

Portability and Everyday Carry

This is where the GR IV shines. It’s extremely compact — it slips into my small bag without effort, something my Fujifilm X-E3 (let alone the X-T5) could never quite achieve. This is the kind of camera you can truly take everywhere without thinking about it.

Autofocus: Almost Fuji-Level

I was pleasantly surprised by the autofocus. It’s not lightning fast like a flagship mirrorless, but it’s very close to what I get with Fuji. For street and everyday photography, it’s more than capable, and I haven’t felt held back so far.

Cine Green on a 1/8s shutter handheld

Shooting Experience

I haven’t had time yet to dive deep into custom film recipes, but I’ve been enjoying shooting in Program mode. The front and rear dials make it easy to adjust quickly, and the ergonomics are better than I expected for such a small camera.

Cine Green with High ISO 3200 1/30s f2.8

In low light, performance is respectable. It’s not on par with a larger APS-C Fuji body and lens combo, but it holds its own surprisingly well for a compact.

Early Verdict

The Ricoh GR IV already feels like it’s carving out a space in my daily life. It’s not replacing my X-T5, but it’s filling the everyday-carry gap I’ve been missing since letting go of the X-E3.

  • I miss the viewfinder, but touch focus is making up for it.
  • Its compact size is exactly what I wanted in an EDC camera.
  • Autofocus is nearly on par with Fuji — more than enough for my style of shooting.
  • Program mode + dials make shooting fast and intuitive.
  • Low light isn’t perfect, but it’s better than expected.

I’ll dive deeper into custom film simulation recipes soon, but for now, the GR IV is proving itself as the pocketable companion I was hoping for.