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Nikon AW100 vs Ricoh GR Digital III

Portability
93
Imaging
39
Features
28
Overall
34
Nikon Coolpix AW100 front
 
Ricoh GR Digital III front
Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
35
Overall
34

Nikon AW100 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Key Specs

Nikon AW100
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 3200
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.9-4.8) lens
  • 178g - 110 x 65 x 23mm
  • Launched August 2011
  • Successor is Nikon AW110
Ricoh GR Digital III
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 28mm (F1.9) lens
  • 208g - 109 x 59 x 26mm
  • Released July 2009
  • Renewed by Ricoh GR Digital IV
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Nikon AW100 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Overview

On this page, we are reviewing the Nikon AW100 versus Ricoh GR Digital III, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Nikon and Ricoh. There is a sizable difference among the image resolutions of the AW100 (16MP) and GR Digital III (10MP) and the AW100 (1/2.3") and GR Digital III (1/1.7") have different sensor measurements.

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The AW100 was unveiled 2 years later than the GR Digital III and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have the same body design (Compact).

Before going into a in depth comparison, here is a concise overview of how the AW100 scores vs the GR Digital III in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Nikon AW100 over the Ricoh GR Digital III

 AW100 GR Digital III 
ReleasedAugust 2011July 2009More recent by 26 months

Reasons to pick Ricoh GR Digital III over the Nikon AW100

 GR Digital III AW100 
Manually focus Very accurate focus
Display resolution920k460kSharper display (+460k dot)

Common features in the Nikon AW100 and Ricoh GR Digital III

 AW100 GR Digital III 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display measurements
Selfie screen Neither features selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither features Touch friendly display

Nikon AW100 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Physical Comparison

When you are aiming to lug around your camera often, you should take into account its weight and dimensions. The Nikon AW100 enjoys exterior measurements of 110mm x 65mm x 23mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 0.9") along with a weight of 178 grams (0.39 lbs) and the Ricoh GR Digital III has dimensions of 109mm x 59mm x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") having a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Take a look at the Nikon AW100 versus Ricoh GR Digital III in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you select at that time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the AW100 against the GR Digital III.

Nikon AW100 vs Ricoh GR Digital III size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability score of the AW100 and GR Digital III is 93 and 92 respectively.

Nikon AW100 vs Ricoh GR Digital III top view buttons comparison

Nikon AW100 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is tough to imagine the difference in sensor measurements only by seeing specs. The graphic underneath may provide you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the AW100 and GR Digital III.

All in all, both of the cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The AW100 having a smaller sensor is going to make getting bokeh harder and the Nikon AW100 will provide more detail having an extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop photos more aggressively. The more modern AW100 should have an advantage with regard to sensor technology.

Nikon AW100 vs Ricoh GR Digital III sensor size comparison

Nikon AW100 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Screen and ViewFinder

Nikon AW100 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Nikon AW100 Portrait photography advice
Ricoh GR Digital III Portrait photography advice
30
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
lack of manual focus
manual mode not possible
cannot use external flash
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
40
has manual focus
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10MP)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
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Street Comparison

Nikon AW100 as a Street photography camera
Ricoh GR Digital III as a Street photography camera
55
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
55
supports RAW formats
no articulating screen
does not have image stabilization
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Nikon AW100
Sports photography with Ricoh GR Digital III
33
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
environment sealing
slow frames per second (3.0 frames per second)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
17
focal length is fixed (28mm)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Nikon AW100 as a Travel photography camera
Ricoh GR Digital III as a Travel photography camera
67
environment sealing
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
pretty wide (28mm)
no Time Lapse recording
does not feature selfie friendly screen
sluggish max aperture (f3.9)
63
flash built-in
great maximum aperture (f1.9)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Nikon AW100 Landscape photography information
Ricoh GR Digital III Landscape photography information
41
pretty wide (28mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
environment sealing
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.9)
manual mode not possible
no image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
no Time Lapse recording
45
has manual focus
great maximum aperture (f1.9)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
supports RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
focal length is fixed (28mm)
does not have image stabilization
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
sensor is tiny (1/1.7")
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Nikon AW100
Vlogging with Ricoh GR Digital III
29
pretty wide (28mm)
good video quality (1920 x 1080 resolution)
sluggish max aperture (f3.9)
does not feature selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
no external mic jack
25
great maximum aperture (f1.9)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
does not have image stabilization
video res low (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of microphone support
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Nikon AW100 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Nikon AW100 and Ricoh GR Digital III
 Nikon Coolpix AW100Ricoh GR Digital III
General Information
Make Nikon Ricoh
Model type Nikon Coolpix AW100 Ricoh GR Digital III
Class Waterproof Small Sensor Compact
Launched 2011-08-24 2009-07-27
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - GR engine III
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/1.7"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 10 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio - 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 3200 1600
Minimum native ISO 125 64
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) 28mm (1x)
Largest aperture f/3.9-4.8 f/1.9
Macro focusing range - 1cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 4.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 920 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Screen tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (optional)
Features
Min shutter speed 4 seconds 1 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/2000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 3.0 frames per second -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance - 3.00 m
Flash options - Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Manual
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080, 1280 x 720 (60 fps),640 x 480 (120 fps), 320 x 240 (240 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 178 grams (0.39 lbs) 208 grams (0.46 lbs)
Physical dimensions 110 x 65 x 23mm (4.3" x 2.6" x 0.9") 109 x 59 x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery ID EN-EL12 -
Self timer - Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD / SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Card slots Single Single
Price at release $299 $399