Ricoh has released firmware version 1.11 for the GR IV and GR IV HDF, and the headline feature is significant: the standard GR IV now has an electronic shutter capable of speeds up to 1/16,000 of a second. This was previously exclusive to the GR IV HDF and the upcoming GR IV Monochrome. Ricoh promised this update when the HDF launched in January, and they delivered it within weeks.
The timing matters because the GR IV has been nearly impossible to buy since its release. Retailers across multiple markets show the camera backordered, and street prices have drifted above MSRP in some regions. Adding a meaningful feature via firmware — rather than reserving it for a hardware refresh — is the kind of decision that builds loyalty with the people who managed to get their hands on one.
What the electronic shutter actually solves
The GR IV's mechanical lens shutter tops out at 1/4,000s, but that speed is only available at f/5.6 and slower. At wide open — f/2.8, where most GR shooters want to be — the mechanical shutter maxes out at 1/2,500s. That creates a real exposure problem in bright sunlight. Shooting at f/2.8 on a sunny day at ISO 100 requires roughly 1/8,000s to get proper exposure. Without that speed available, you are either stopping down (losing the shallow depth of field that makes the GR compelling) or engaging the built-in ND filter (which cuts two stops but adds a slight shift to the rendering).
The electronic shutter eliminates this constraint entirely. At f/2.8, the camera now automatically switches to the electronic shutter for speeds above 1/2,500s, all the way up to 1/16,000s. You can shoot wide open in direct sunlight without the ND filter and without compromising exposure. For a camera whose entire identity revolves around fast, instinctive shooting at wide apertures, this is not a minor addition.
The aperture-dependent switchover
Ricoh implemented the electronic shutter as an automatic system, not a user-selectable mode. The camera decides when to use it based on the combination of aperture and required shutter speed. The switchover points vary by aperture: at f/2.8 through f/4.0, the mechanical shutter handles everything up to 1/2,500s and the electronic shutter takes over above that. At f/4.5 through f/5.0, the crossover moves to 1/3,200s. At f/5.6 and narrower, the mechanical shutter handles up to 1/4,000s before the electronic shutter engages.
This tiered approach is sensible engineering. The mechanical shutter is preferable when its speed range is sufficient because it avoids rolling shutter artifacts entirely. The electronic shutter only activates when the mechanical shutter physically cannot achieve the required speed. You do not get to force the electronic shutter at slower speeds — which means you cannot use it to achieve completely silent shooting at normal shutter speeds.
Rolling shutter: the tradeoff
Ricoh's own release notes include a warning about rolling shutter effects when using the electronic shutter. Fast-moving subjects can appear slanted or distorted because the sensor reads out line by line rather than capturing the entire frame simultaneously. This is a real limitation, not a theoretical one. Trains, cars, hand gestures during conversation, even walking pace subjects shot from close range — all of these can show visible distortion at the faster electronic shutter speeds.
For the way most people shoot a GR — street scenes, environmental portraits, travel, daily documentation — rolling shutter is unlikely to be a practical problem. You are generally not photographing subjects moving fast enough to trigger visible artifacts. But if you are using the GR IV at sporting events or from a moving vehicle, be aware that the electronic shutter's artifacts will be more pronounced than what you would see from cameras with faster sensor readout speeds.
The GR IV HDF question
The electronic shutter was originally introduced on the GR IV HDF because that model replaced the standard GR IV's built-in ND filter with a Highlight Diffusion Filter. Without the ND filter, the HDF had no way to manage bright-light exposure at wide apertures — the electronic shutter was a necessity, not a luxury. The standard GR IV still has its ND filter, so you now have two tools for the same problem: the ND filter for a two-stop reduction with no rolling shutter risk, or the electronic shutter for unlimited speed headroom with the rolling shutter tradeoff.
Whether this changes the buying calculus between the ,499 GR IV and the ,599 GR IV HDF depends entirely on whether you want the diffusion filter aesthetic. The electronic shutter is no longer a differentiator. The HDF's value proposition is now purely about its signature soft-highlight rendering — which is either exactly what you want or completely irrelevant to your work.
How to get the update
Firmware 1.11 is available now from Ricoh's support page. The update requires a fully charged battery and applies to both the GR IV and GR IV HDF. Once applied, you cannot revert to a previous firmware version. The update also includes unspecified general stability improvements alongside the electronic shutter addition.
For the roughly ,500 that the GR IV costs, getting a meaningful feature expansion via firmware — one that directly addresses a practical shooting limitation — is exactly the kind of post-purchase support that justifies the premium compact camera price point. Ricoh said they would do it, and they did.