Canon SX230 HS vs Ricoh WG-5 GPS

On this page, we will be comparing the Canon SX230 HS versus Ricoh WG-5 GPS, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Waterproof by brands Canon and Ricoh. There is a huge difference between the resolutions of the SX230 HS (12MP) and WG-5 GPS (16MP) but both cameras offer the same sensor size (1/2.3").

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The SX230 HS was introduced 4 years prior to the WG-5 GPS and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a brief overview of how the SX230 HS matches up vs the WG-5 GPS in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Canon PowerShot SX230 HS and Ricoh WG-5 GPS. The whole galleries are provided at Canon SX230 HS Gallery and Ricoh WG-5 GPS Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera often, you will want to take into account its weight and volume. The Canon SX230 HS has external dimensions of 106mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.2" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 223 grams (0.49 lbs) while the Ricoh WG-5 GPS has sizing of 125mm x 65mm x 32mm (4.9" x 2.6" x 1.3") with a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Check out the Canon SX230 HS versus Ricoh WG-5 GPS in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you are working with at that moment. The following is a front view size comparison of the SX230 HS against the WG-5 GPS.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the SX230 HS and WG-5 GPS is 91 and 90 respectively.

Oftentimes, its difficult to envision the gap between sensor measurements purely by reading specifications. The graphic below may offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the SX230 HS and WG-5 GPS.

To sum up, both the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You should expect the Ricoh WG-5 GPS to deliver greater detail using its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older SX230 HS is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.