The Ricoh GR IV 30th Anniversary Edition Kit lands this week. Ricoh Imaging built it to mark 30 years since the GR1 film camera arrived in October 1996, and only 6,000 kits exist worldwide. Ricoh Imaging Japan lists the release date as Wednesday, October 21, 2026. If you have been chasing a GR since the GR IV launched, this is the version collectors will be hunting for years.
What makes it different
Under the skin this is the GR IV that arrived in September 2025: the same 28mm equivalent f/2.8 GR lens, the same 25.7 megapixel APS-C (Advanced Photo System type-C) sensor and the same slim magnesium body. Ricoh says every camera spec matches the standard model. The changes are all a tribute to the GR1.
- The shutter button and rear buttons are finished in a dark silver accent modeled on the plated buttons of the original GR1.
- A GN-3 (30th) ring cap with a diamond-cut finish echoes the area around the GR1's lens. Ricoh designed it so the cut faces catch the light only when the lens is retracted, and stay out of your pictures when you shoot.
- A 30th anniversary graphic shows up when you switch the camera off. On its Japanese 30th anniversary site, Ricoh says the design draws on the grip patterns of past GR models.
What comes in the box
The kit adds three extras you will not get with a regular GR IV. There is a genuine leather GS-4 (30th) finger strap with "30th ANNIVERSARY" engraved on the reverse, and a steel gray GK-2 (30th) metal hot shoe cover with the anniversary logo on the front and "RICOH GR" on the back. Then there is the fun part: a set of 16 pin badges. Fourteen of them represent past GR models, from the GR1 and GR21 film cameras through the GR DIGITAL line to the GR IIIx and GR IV, and the last two are a kit-only 30th anniversary logo badge and a GR logo badge. A standard black GN-3 ring cap is in the box too, if you want the regular look on a given day.
How to get one
Here is the honest part. In Japan, Ricoh sold the kit by lottery through the Ricoh Imaging Store, open only to residents of Japan. Entries closed September 24, the first winners' cameras ship October 21, and Ricoh has scheduled second and third rounds for unclaimed units running into November. In the United States, the Ricoh USA product page lists the kit, but as we write this it shows the kit as not in stock, with a Keep Me Informed sign-up in place of a buy button. Sign up there now so you hear the moment orders open. With 6,000 kits for the whole world, do not expect a second chance.
Want the look without the kit
Ricoh is also selling some of the anniversary pieces on their own while supplies last: the GS-4 (30th) finger strap, the GK-2 (30th) hot shoe cover for the GR IV, a GK-1 (30th) hot shoe cover for the GR III and GR IIIx, and a set of all 14 past-model pin badges. The 30th anniversary logo and GR logo badges stay kit only. If you already shoot a GR III or GR IV, that is the easiest way into the anniversary.
Our call
This one is Surfacing. The GR has been one of the hardest cameras to find for a while now, and this is the most collectible version Ricoh has made of it, with a story that goes back to the film camera that started the line. If you shoot street or travel and want a GR anyway, get on the Ricoh USA list today. If you just want a great pocket camera, the standard GR IV takes identical pictures.
Comparing pocket cameras? Start with our best compact cameras guide. If the GR1 story has you thinking about film, see our list of film cameras you can still buy new, and for instant prints, our take on the Fujifilm instax SQUARE 2.
Ricoh USA product page · GR 30th anniversary site · Ricoh announcement
