Ricoh’s black-and-white-only camera launches in February for $2,200

The Ricoh GR IV Monochrome now has a price and is already up for preorder. The dedicated black-and-white camera, based on the standard GR IV with a fixed 28mmm-equivalent lens, will cost $2,199.95 — a $700 premium over the GR IV. Ricoh first announced the GR IV Monochrome was being made back in October, and it was due for launch in the spring. But it’s apparently coming in mid-February, with retailers like B&H Photo already taking orders.

The GR IV Monochrome is a rare breed, offering a compact camera with a large APS-C sensor that lacks a color filter — only capturing black and white. This should afford the camera slightly increased sharpness and higher ISO levels, now ranging from ISO 160 to a wildly high 409,600.

While most of the GR IV Monochrome’s specs match the regular GR IV, like its 26-megapixel resolution and microSD card slot supported by 53GB of internal storage, the Monochrome has a built-in red filter. Just as in black-and-white film photography, shooting through a red filter naturally deepens contrast, and in the GR IV Monochrome it also doubles as a two-stop ND filter. Aesthetically, the GR IV Monochrome has a blacked-out GR logo, matte finish, and white LED power light instead of the usual green.

This is easily my most anticipated camera of 2026, as I’m a big fan of black-and-white-only digital cameras like Leica’s Monochrom lines. Spending some significant coin on a camera that can’t shoot color is of course only for the most passionate (or foolhardy) fans of black and white photography. But while the GR IV Monochrome carries a high price for a Ricoh, it’s a pittance compared to the $7,790 of Leica’s latest Q3 Monochrom or the $10,160 of the M11 Monochrom (before even buying a lens). Even at $2,200, the GR IV is much more attainable, and early hands-on impressions from some trusted compatriots look promising.