Best Flash for Ricoh GR IV
The Ricoh GR IV has no built-in flash. Ricoh’s own sheet is a hot shoe for a dedicated unit, flash output Auto / 1/1 / 1/4, and “PENTAX flash P-TTL auto discharge is not supported.” The shutter is a leaf in the 18.3 mm f/2.8; sync is every speed the camera will already give you — 1/2500 s at f/2.8, 1/4000 s from f/5.6. You do not buy High-Speed Sync to fill at noon. The 2026 on-camera kit is the Ricoh GF-2: 19 g, GN 3 (ISO 100, m), USB-C pack, rangefinder-linked Auto on this body. It is not a Godox TT350P sold as Pentax TTL.
Our Top Picks at a Glance
Reviewed August 2026 · Ricoh GR IV (no internal flash, no P-TTL, leaf-shutter sync)
The only auto conversation. GN 3, 19 g, stays in the pocket. ISO Auto Flash, not P-TTL.
Check Price at Amazon Read full review ↓GN 15, 7 steps (1/64–1/1), 2× AAA, 78 g. Center-pin fill with more reach than GN 3.
Check Price at Amazon Read full review ↓GN 12 @ 28 mm, 7 steps, 2× AAA. The calculator dial. Not cheaper than iM30 — buy the look.
Check Price at Amazon Read full review ↓Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate affiliate, we earn a small commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you.
Comparison Table
| Product | Best for | Talk to GR IV | Power / battery | Price | Buy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ricoh GF-2 | Default pocket auto | ISO Auto Flash / GN 1/1 1/4 | GN 3 · USB-C Li-ion · 19 g | ~$110–$120 | Check |
| Godox iM30 | Manual fill | Center pin | GN 15 · 2× AAA · 78 g | ~$30–$40 | Check |
| Godox Lux Junior | 28 mm dial / look | Center pin · flash-side A | GN 12 · 2× AAA · 130 g | ~$45–$65 | Check |
| Godox TT350P | Skip (P-TTL) | Pentax TTL — not this shoe | GN 36 · 2× AA | ~$70–$90 | Check |
| REFLX Lab Mini | Tiny / few steps | Center pin | Fixed-ish · USB-C | ~$25–$40 | Check |
How We Picked These Flashes
- What Ricoh published: GR IV (us.ricoh-imaging.com): no internal flash line. Hot shoe “compatible with dedicated flash”; modes Flash On, Flash On + red-eye, Slow-speed Sync, Slow Sync + red-eye; output AUTO, 1/1, 1/4. Explicit: “PENTAX flash P-TTL auto discharge is not supported.” Leaf shutter 1/4000–30 s, limited by aperture (f/2.8 to 1/2500 s; f/5.6 or higher to 1/4000 s). Clifton’s GR IV sheet: flash sync “all shutter speed values.” Body 262 g with DB-120. GF-2 sheet: GN 3 (ISO 100) / 6 (ISO 400), rangefinder-interlocked GN + manual 1/1 and 1/4, ~2 s recycle, ~270 full charges, USB-C (5 V, ≥0.1 A, ~2 h), 51 × 31 × 17 mm, 19 g. Coverage for 18 mm (28 mm equiv.); GW-4 wide converter is not supported.
- The shoe is not a Pentax body: P-TTL pre-flash on a TT350P / AF201FG is a Pentax conversation. This camera will not finish it. A single-pin / X-sync gun still pops — you set power, the leaf shutter does the rest. HSS exists to pulse a tube through a focal-plane slit. There is no slit here. Do not pay the TTL-foot tax for 1/8000 on a box.
- The box you actually buy: GF-2 for Auto on GR IV (GR III/IIIx need Ricoh’s GF-2 firmware and still are not this page). iM30 (Godox: GN ≈15 ISO 100 m, 7 steps, ~230 full-power on NiMH, ~3.6 s recycle, 78 g without cells, 6500 K ±200, S1/S2, 2.5 mm sync). Lux Junior (GN 12, 7 steps, 28 mm fixed, 130 g, 2× AAA, S1/S2). Skip TT350P as the automation pick. Skip a V1S-class head on 32.7 mm of camera. Skip REFLX if you need 7 recorded power steps — it is the tiny.
Best Flash for Ricoh GR IV: Detailed Reviews
Ricoh GF-2 View on Amazon View on B&H
| Model | Ricoh GF-2 · dedicated clip-on for GR IV |
|---|---|
| Output | GN 3 (ISO 100, m) · GN 6 (ISO 400) · Auto GN · manual 1/1 and 1/4 |
| Battery | Built-in Li-ion · USB-C · ~270 pops · ~2 s · ~2 h charge · not user-replaceable |
| On GR IV | ISO Auto Flash walks GN + ISO with distance. Fixed ISO walks GN only. Not P-TTL |
| Buy this listing | Ricoh GF-2. Not GF-1 folklore. Not a Pentax AF201FG “for GR” |
Why it fits the GR IV. This body deleted the pop-up and deleted P-TTL in the same generation. GF-2 is the replacement conversation: the rangefinder distance the camera already has, a 19 g brick that does not turn 109 × 61 × 33 mm into a speedlight, and a USB-C cell so the DB-120 is not feeding the tube. GN 3 is fill at conversation distance, not a reception. Daylight fill at f/2.8 still works because the leaf shutter will sync at 1/2500 — you are starving the sun with shutter, not with HSS. Leave the GW-4 in the bag; Ricoh already said the 21 mm frame vignettes this head. The cell is sealed. When it dies in five years you are buying another GF-2, not two AAs.
Skip this if you need GN 15 and will turn a dial — iM30. Skip it as a GR III default until that body’s GF-2 firmware is the reason you opened this tab (it is not).
- Only Auto that Ricoh admits on this shoe
- 19 g — the pocket still closes
- USB-C, own cell, ~270 pops
- GN 3 is close work
- Sealed battery · no GW-4 coverage
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Godox iM30 View on Amazon View on B&H
| Model | Godox iM30 iFlash mini · single-pin |
|---|---|
| Output | GN ≈15 (ISO 100, m) · 7 steps · 6500 K ±200 · ~3.6 s @ 1/1 · ~230 pops (NiMH) |
| Trigger | Hot shoe · 2.5 mm sync · optical S1 / S2 |
| On GR IV | X-sync pop. You set the dial. Leaf shutter still does 1/2500 at f/2.8 |
| SKU trap | iM22 / Lux Elf if you wanted 7 steps. TT350P if the listing says “TTL for Ricoh” |
Why it fits the GR IV. GN 15 versus GN 3 is not a rounding error. Street fill at a couple of metres, or a doorway at night, is why people leave GF-2 in the drawer. iM30 is still 78 g without cells — on 262 g of GR IV it is a second battery, not a handle. No bounce head. No radio master. NiMH AAA so you are not hunting a sealed Ricoh cell on a Sunday. S1/S2 is for a second cheap head, not a Godox X kit. 6500 K is cool; gel if the room is tungsten. Recycle at 1/1 is 3.6 s — Full Press Snap will outrun it; shoot at 1/16.
Skip this if you want the camera to pick GN — GF-2. Skip it if the 28 mm calculator face is the point — Lux Junior.
- GN 15 and 7 steps on a 78 g body
- Replaceable AAA
- Actually in stock next to every GR listing
- Manual only — not ISO Auto Flash
- No tilt / bounce
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Godox Lux Junior View on Amazon View on B&H
| Model | Godox Lux Junior retro · single-pin |
|---|---|
| Output | GN 12 (ISO 100, m) · 1/1–1/64 · 6000 K ±200 · 28 mm coverage |
| Face | Power + aperture + distance scale. Godox “A” auto is on the flash, not P-TTL |
| On GR IV | 28 mm equiv. native view matches the printed coverage. 130 g is half a GR |
| Price honesty | Often more than iM30. This row is the shell and the dial, not the discount |
Why it is on this list. The GR is a 28 mm camera. Lux Junior is a 28 mm flash with a scale that still teaches GN = aperture × distance. That is useful on a body that will not do P-TTL. S1/S2 and 2× AAA are the same story as iM30. You pay in grams (130 vs 78) and usually in dollars. Recycle at 1/1 is the slow one in this trio. Do not read Godox’s “A auto f/2.8 ISO 100” as Ricoh ISO Auto Flash — different brain.
Skip this if you want the most light per gram — iM30. Skip Lux Senior unless you already own that lithium family.
- 28 mm scale matches the GR
- Seven recorded steps, AAA, S1/S2
- Looks like it belongs on this camera
- Heavier and often pricier than iM30
- GN 12 vs iM30’s 15
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If You Need Something Else
These two are not cheaper GF-2 units. One is the Pentax-TTL listing this shoe will not finish. One is the tiny with almost no dial.
Godox TT350P View on Amazon View on B&H
| What the box sells | Pentax P-TTL · GN 36 @ 105 mm · 2× AA · tilt/swivel · 2.4 GHz X |
|---|---|
| What Ricoh printed | P-TTL auto discharge is not supported |
| What still works | Center-pin fire as a manual gun — you paid for a protocol and a bounce head the GR did not ask for |
The previous draft made TT350P Overall because “the shoe is Pentax.” The GR IV sheet is the opposite sentence. A TT350P will sit in the shoe and dump a pop. It will not meter like a K-3. HSS on that foot is a Pentax feature; this leaf shutter does not need it. Same skip: Pentax AF201FG, Nissin P-TTL, any “Ricoh/Pentax TTL” Amazon title. If you already own a TT350P, use it in manual and stop buying a second one for “auto.”
Skip this if the camera is a GR IV and you do not already own the flash.
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REFLX Lab Mini Flash View on Amazon View on B&H
| Why it shows up | SD-card marketing next to a 262 g camera |
|---|---|
| What you get | USB-C cell, single-pin, little or no power ladder |
| On GR IV | A click of fill. Not ISO Auto. Not seven Godox clicks |
Buy this only if the pocket is already full and you refuse two AAA. iM30 is the mini with a dial. GF-2 is the mini with Auto. REFLX is the when both of those are “too much flash.” Listings vary; if the title cannot say a GN or a step count, treat it as a toy pop.
Skip this if you will change power more than once a night — iM30.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does the GR IV have a built-in flash?
No. GR II did. GR III and GR IV do not. The old version of this page was wrong. The shoe is the flash.
Will a Pentax P-TTL flash auto-expose on GR IV?
Ricoh: no. P-TTL auto discharge is not supported. The gun may still fire on the X-sync contact. You set power.
Do I need HSS for daylight fill?
No. The leaf shutter syncs at every speed the lens already allows — 1/2500 s at f/2.8, 1/4000 s from f/5.6. That is the fill trick. HSS is for a focal-plane slit.
Can I use GF-2 with the GW-4 21 mm converter?
Ricoh says no — vignetting from the converter frame. Native 28 mm (and in-camera 35 / 50 crops) are the GF-2 coverage story.
Final Verdict
For a GR IV that never shipped a pop-up and will not speak P-TTL, buy a Ricoh GF-2 and use ISO Auto Flash. Want more than GN 3 and you will turn a dial? iM30. Want the 28 mm calculator shell? Lux Junior. Skip TT350P as the automation pick. Skip HSS. Sync is already every shutter speed the leaf will give you. The shoe is the flash.