October 2026 will mark the 30th anniversary of the Ricoh GR camera line

TOKYO, April 17, 2026 — Ricoh Imaging Company, Ltd. is pleased to announce that in October 2026, it will mark the 30th anniversary of the launch of the film compact camera “RICOH GR1,” the origin of the GR series, now developed as a brand mainly for high-end compact digital cameras.

We would like to once again express our sincere gratitude to all customers who have used and supported the RICOH GR series over the years. Going forward, we will place even greater emphasis than ever on providing products, services, and communications that convey the appeal and depth of photography, including snapshot photography, so that we may continue to meet the expectations of an even broader community of fans of the GR series.

Since the launch of the film camera “RICOH GR1” (equipped with a 28mm F2.8 GR lens) in October 1996, the GR series has earned the support of a great many users, particularly professionals and advanced amateur photographers.

In 2005, as digital imaging became the mainstream, we launched the “RICOH GR DIGITAL,” the first digital camera in the GR series, featuring a 1/1.8-inch CCD image sensor with approximately 8.13 effective megapixels.

In 2025, we launched the “RICOH GR IV,” the latest model in the GR series, and this February we launched the “RICOH GR IV Monochrome,” based on the “RICOH GR IV” and equipped with a monochrome-dedicated CMOS image sensor equivalent in size to APS-C, with approximately 25.74 effective megapixels. In this way, the GR series has continued to evolve in many ways over the years.

At the same time, GR’s essential values—its unwavering commitment to high image quality, quick response, and portability, and its determination to keep pursuing the ultimate snapshooter—have been passed down unchanged, regardless of advances in technology or the changing times.

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the series, we will introduce the message “Forever a Snapshooter,” expressing GR’s vision of continuing to evolve and deepen its identity in pursuit of the ultimate snapshooter, and an anniversary logo. These will be used in 2026 as communication assets to further strengthen our bond with fans of the GR series around the world. In addition, we are currently preparing to launch special items commemorating the 30th anniversary and to hold fan events worldwide around this autumn. We hope you will look forward to them.