Canon SD4500 IS vs Ricoh WG-20

Below is a extended assessment of the Canon SD4500 IS versus Ricoh WG-20, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Waterproof by companies Canon and Ricoh. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the SD4500 IS (10MP) and WG-20 (14MP) but both cameras posses the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SD4500 IS was introduced 3 years before the WG-20 and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the SD4500 IS grades against the WG-20 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS and Ricoh WG-20. The whole galleries are available at Canon SD4500 IS Gallery and Ricoh WG-20 Gallery.

When you are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you will want to factor in its weight and size. The Canon SD4500 IS offers physical dimensions of 101mm x 59mm x 22mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 0.9") with a weight of 190 grams (0.42 lbs) whilst the Ricoh WG-20 has specifications of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 164 grams (0.36 lbs).

Look at the Canon SD4500 IS versus Ricoh WG-20 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have attached at that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the SD4500 IS against the WG-20.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the SD4500 IS and WG-20 is 94 and 93 respectively.

Often, its difficult to visualise the difference between sensor measurements merely by reading through specs. The graphic below will help offer you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the SD4500 IS and WG-20.

All in all, each of the cameras provide the same sensor dimensions but not the same MP. You should anticipate the Ricoh WG-20 to resolve greater detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop pics more aggressively. The older SD4500 IS is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.