I have the older GRIII already (in GRIIIx form), and it is brilliant. The new GRIV is, too, but it’s really damn pricey.
The strongest reaction to Ricoh’s new GRIV camera comes, mostly, from those who already own the six-year-old GRIII. Compared to that incredible little thing, the GRIV’s improvements seem incremental.
But, really, they only seem that way.
But… take a look here 👇
I think it’s pretty clear that the changes are more significant than folks originally gave it credit for.
It’s true that they’re all small changes individually, but they all add up to a proper generational change. It’s just that people expect bigger leaps in sensor size, or a new design, or a lower f number, etc – and, to be fair, brands like Sony have given people cause to expect changes like that.
But, when you’ve got a camera this small, and when that combination of compact build and incredible capability is the whole point, there’s less you can do to make breathtaking improvements without impacting its size.
Weather sealing and an articulated screen have both been discussed a lot, but it’d have to be a bigger camera to make those features work, and no GR owner wants it getting bigger.
So… is the GRIV a worthy upgrade from the GRIII?
It depends.
(‘It depends’ always seems like a copout, but, sorry, it depends.)
If you already own a GRIII, and especially if you’re happy with it, then the GRIV likely isn’t worth grabbing unless you have a really badass disposable income and some serious GAS.
(I have it far worse: serious GAS without the budget to support it 😂)
But if you don’t have one already, and you’ve got the budget for a new GRIII – as opposed to used, but they’re not exactly losing a lot of value as they enter the used market – then I reckon you should stretch to the IV’s price.
I would.
But, okay, why is it so expensive?
I’m no economist, but it seems simple enough. The GRIII was US$899 in 2019. Without knowing exactly what goes into pricing a new product (unless you’re the expert that I’m not), let’s consider: $899 in 2019 is about $1150 today.
Add the orange buffoon’s 15% tariff and you get $1322.
(Indeed, it’s a little cheaper in Australia. Here it’s $2200 AUD, whereas $1499 USD converts to $2335 AUD. That includes Australia’s 10% ‘goods and service tax’.)
The rest, well… you can probably put that down to a business seeing what it can get away with – just like any other. Let’s not pretend Ricoh is unique in this way! But, it could also be factoring for potential tariff increases, volatility in the supply chain and currencies, and so on.
These are the sorts of things most people don’t think about when they first see a price they weren’t expecting – although, given that all new cameras lately have been a lot more expensive than their previous generations, I don’t know why anybody is surprised.
Remember, the best price is always whatever the market will bear. If the GRIV sells well, there’s no issue. Capitalism, baby!