For many photographers like myself, black-and-white photography is our first love. There is just something magical and pure about black-and-white photos. This is something camera makers like Leica and Ricoh know. And Ricoh has just launched the GR IV Monochrome!
Based on the GR IV, this Monochrome version comes with a 25.7-megapixel (MP) backside-illuminated APS-C image sensor but without the colour filter array. According to Ricoh, by eliminating the colour filters, the camera is able to fully draw out the capabilities of the high-performance GR lens, delivering refined rendering and rich tonal gradation. In other words, it delivers much better image quality.
In addition, the built-in red filter enables more distinctive monochrome photography, while newly developed Image Control options dedicated to monochrome imaging provide deep and diverse monochrome expressions. Furthermore, to “evoke the primitive essential world of black-and-white photography”, Ricoh has the cameras’s magnesium-alloy body, as well as the shutter release button and ring cap in matte black (just what I like!). It retains the 28mm f/2.8 lens of the original.
Official local pricing and availability of the Ricoh GR IV Monochrome has yet to be announced. But it goes for US$2,199 in the US, which means it will be more expensive than the original version (US$1,499).