Nikon Coolpix S3600 vs. Ricoh GR Digital IV: An In-Depth Comparison for Discerning Photographers

When deciding between two compact cameras like the Nikon Coolpix S3600 and the Ricoh GR Digital IV, you’re looking at two very different design philosophies aimed at distinct users - yet both belong in the “small sensor compact” category. Having spent over 15 years shooting with and reviewing cameras across the spectrum, I’m excited to share a comprehensive, hands-on comparison of these two. We will break down everything from image quality to ergonomics, real-world performance across objectives like portraiture and street shooting, right through to value for money. You’ll find hard data, practical insights, and taking into account the kind of user you are helps steer you to the right choice.

A Tale of Two Compacts: Who Are They For?

Before delving into technical specs, let’s understand what these cameras are about.

• The Nikon Coolpix S3600 is a straightforward, budget-friendly compact camera boasting a 20MP CCD sensor with a versatile 25-200mm equivalent zoom. It’s clearly designed for casual users or first-timers prioritizing ease of use and affordability.
• The Ricoh GR Digital IV, on the other hand, is a premium compact with a 10MP CCD sensor and a fixed 28mm F1.9 lens, intended for enthusiasts and professionals who want high image quality and manual controls in a pocketable form.

While both cameras share small sensors and compact bodies, their approach to photography couldn’t be more different. Here’s a detailed comparison.

Design and Handling: When Size and Controls Matter

Looking at physicality, the Nikon S3600 is incredibly slim and lightweight (97x58x20 mm, 125g), making it highly portable for travel or street shooting. Its minimalist design means there are few physical control buttons, and no viewfinder, limiting manual input.

Contrast this with the Ricoh GR Digital IV, which is larger and heavier (109x59x33 mm, 190g). But bigger often means better ergonomics here: dedicated dials for shutter speed and aperture, custom buttons, and a more tactile grip that supports manual focus and exposure adjustments. It also offers an optional optical viewfinder attachment - a rarity in compacts but a gem for precise framing in bright light.

Personally, I find the GR’s manual controls and grip more satisfying for deliberate shooting, especially in street or documentary contexts. The Nikon’s simplicity is nice if you want a pocket camera with little fuss, though.

Sensor Size, Resolution, and Image Quality: Pixels Tell a Story

The Nikon S3600 sports a 1/2.3" CCD sensor with 20 megapixels - a high count packed into a small sensor. The Ricoh GR Digital IV uses a larger 1/1.7" CCD sensor with 10 megapixels, roughly double the sensor area (42mm² vs 28mm²). Sensor size matters critically for image quality and low-light performance.

From testing, the bigger sensor and fast F1.9 lens on the Ricoh produce noticeably better image quality: richer tonality, smoother gradations, and less noise at higher ISOs. The Nikon’s higher megapixel count doesn't compensate for its smaller sensor area; images can appear noisier, especially beyond ISO 400, and due to the small pixels, highlight rolloff and shadow detail suffer.

Additionally, the Ricoh supports RAW shooting, allowing greater post-processing flexibility, whereas the Nikon only saves JPEGs. RAW shooting and a larger sensor are huge advantages for enthusiasts who like to fine-tune files or print larger.

Screen and Viewfinder: Composing the Shot

Both cameras have fixed LCD screens, but the Ricoh’s 3.0-inch screen is significantly higher resolution (1230k dots vs 230k dots on the Nikon). This makes a visible difference when reviewing images and setting manual exposure.

While neither camera provides electronic viewfinders, the Ricoh stands out with its optional optical viewfinder accessory. This is invaluable when working in bright daylight or wanting a more stable shooting stance.

The Nikon’s lack of a viewfinder and lower resolution screen means you might struggle a bit with composition under harsh lighting or when focusing on finer details.

Autofocus Performance: Speed, Accuracy, and Tracking

The Nikon S3600 features a contrast-detection autofocus system with 99 selectable focus points and face detection; it also supports continuous autofocus. However, due to the small sensor and relatively slow lens, AF speed is modest - fine for casual snapshots but less effective for fast-moving subjects.

The Ricoh GR Digital IV uses contrast detection AF as well, but with fewer focus points and no face detection or continuous AF tracking. Manual focus is available and precise, supported by a digital split-image scale that aids critical focus.

In practice, the Nikon is better at quickly locking focus on faces and general subjects in auto mode - a helpful feature for beginner photographers chasing convenience. The Ricoh demands more active user involvement but rewards it with superbly crisp results once focused, especially helpful in street or macro photography where precision is key.

Versatility of Lens and Zoom Range

You can’t talk Nikon Coolpix S3600 without acknowledging its 25-200mm (8x) zoom lens, offering flexibility for landscapes, portraits, telephoto shots, and moderate macro (down to 2cm).

The Ricoh GR Digital IV has a fixed 28mm prime lens (equivalent), rigid but ultra-sharp and fast (F1.9 maximum aperture). It can get as close to subject as 1cm, great for detail-rich macro work.

So you have a choice of either:

• Nikon S3600: Versatility through zoom, useful for travel photography, casual wildlife, and events.
• Ricoh GR: Precision and image quality with superior low light capability, ideal for street, landscape, and intimate portraits.

For many enthusiasts, prime lenses improve creativity and image fidelity, but zooms add convenience - it boils down to priorities.

Image Stabilization and Low Light Shooting

Both cameras incorporate optical image stabilization, but the Ricoh uses sensor-shift stabilization, which tends to be more effective at reducing blur at slower shutter speeds. The Nikon’s system is good for casual use but less dependable when pushing ISO or shooting telephoto.

Low-light shooting highlights their sensor and lens differences markedly. The Ricoh’s larger sensor and F1.9 aperture enable usable results down to ISO 800 and beyond with relatively low noise. The Nikon’s combination struggles past ISO 400 with noise and softness becoming intrusive, especially with its smaller lens aperture (F3.7-6.6).

In practice, if shooting indoors, twilight, or astro shots interests you - the Ricoh provides more latitude, despite the lower megapixel count.

Video Capabilities: Not the Main Attraction

Video is a minor consideration here.

• Nikon S3600 records 720p video at 30fps.
• Ricoh GR Digital IV maxes out at 640x480 resolution in Motion JPEG.

Neither is suited for serious video work. Lack of 1080p or 4K video, no microphone input, and basic codec options limit their use. The Nikon is slightly better for casual family videos due to higher resolution.

If you want good video, look elsewhere - these boxes focus on still image quality.

Battery Life and Storage

The Ricoh GR Digital IV takes the crown for endurance, rated for 390 shots per charge vs Nikon's 230. This matters if you’re shooting a full day or traveling where recharging options are limited. Both cameras accept SD cards, but Ricoh adds internal storage - handy for emergencies.

USB 2.0 is standard on both, with Ricoh additionally offering HDMI output - a plus if you want to review images on an HDTV.

Special Features and Build

Neither camera is weather sealed or ruggedized, so take care with moisture or dust. Both have built-in flashes, with Ricoh offering more flash modes, including manual control and external flash compatibility - useful for creative lighting.

The Nikon has a self-timer and face detection, while the Ricoh adds timelapse recording, which enthusiasts may appreciate. Neither supports wireless connectivity or Bluetooth, so file transfers remain traditional.

Real-World Shooting Across Photography Genres

To give actionable perspective, here’s how each camera performs by popular photography types:

Portraits

• Ricoh GR Digital IV: Wins hands-down with accurate skin tones, beautiful bokeh from the fast f/1.9 lens, and fine control over exposure and focus allowing expressive portraits.
• Nikon S3600: Adequate for casual portraits, face detection helps though limited lens aperture and small sensor limits background blur and depth.

Landscape

• Ricoh GR: Larger sensor provides richer color, impressive dynamic range, and the 28mm focal length suits wide vistas perfectly.
• Nikon S3600: Zoom range covers landscape versatility but smaller sensor and noisy shadows limit overall image quality.

Wildlife

• Nikon S3600 is better here with its 200mm zoom lens and continuous AF, though burst rate is only 1fps - slow for fast action.
• Ricoh GR lacks zoom and continuous focus, making it unsuitable for wildlife.

Sports

Both cameras fall short with slow shooting speeds and no robust AF tracking. Nikon’s continuous AF is a mild plus but 1fps shooting rate severely limits capturing action sequences.

Street Photography

• Ricoh GR: Pocketable enough, excellent image quality, silent shutter mode and manual controls make it ideal for street.
• Nikon S3600: Larger zoom may be obtrusive, and slower autofocus less forgiving for candid shots.

Macro

The Ricoh edges out with 1cm focusing distance and sharper lens. Nikon’s zoom gives versatility but at lower optical quality.

Night/Astro

Ricoh’s larger sensor and ISO performance make it usable for night shots; Nikon struggles due to noise. Neither supports bulb mode or advanced astro features.

Video

Neither are recommended - Nikon has a slight edge with 720p HD video.

Travel

Nikon wins on zoom versatility and compactness; Ricoh offers better image quality but bulkier size.

Professional Work

Ricoh, with RAW support and manual controls, suits professional workflows better. Nikon is too basic for serious work.

Ergonomics and User Interface

The Nikon S3600’s interface is beginner-friendly but limited. Menus are basic, with no aperture or shutter priority modes, restricting creative control. Fixed touchscreen is absent.

Ricoh GR Digital IV caters to users who want tactile dials, exposure compensation, manual focus, and quick access to ISO and white balance - features I personally gravitate towards in a carry-everywhere camera.

Such control translates to faster, more deliberate shooting and is a big factor in why many enthusiasts still prefer Ricoh GR series for street and travel photography.

Image Samples: Seeing is Believing

Nikon S3600 front Nikon S3600 screen back Ricoh GR Digital IV front Ricoh GR Digital IV screen back

Looking at side-by-side comparisons - Ricoh’s images exhibit sharper details, more natural colors, and better highlight retention, despite lower megapixels.

Nikon delivers respectable images in bright daylight and with the zoom lens fully extended, but struggles in dynamic range and noise control.

Overall Ratings Summary

Here’s a high-level view of how these cameras stack up across key categories:

Who Should Buy Which Camera?

Choose the Nikon Coolpix S3600 if:

• You want an ultra-compact, easy to use point-and-shoot with big zoom range for casual snapshots or travel.
• You prefer simple automation without fuss.
• Your budget is tight (~$200).
• Video recording at HD resolution matters somewhat.
• You’re not too bothered by image quality compromises in low light or large prints.

Choose the Ricoh GR Digital IV if:

• Image quality trumps zoom versatility; you want sharp, rich photos with manual control.
• You’re an enthusiast or professional needing RAW files and exposure modes.
• You enjoy street, landscape, or macro shooting where detail and control matter.
• Battery life and more elaborate flash options are important.
• You have a higher budget (~$600) and appreciate a premium compact lens and build.

Final Thoughts: Personal Take and Experience

I’ve enjoyed shooting with both cameras over months to understand their nuances. The Nikon S3600 appeals as a grab-and-go everyday camera - small, affordable, decent in bright conditions. But it feels limited in creative freedom and image fidelity for serious photographers.

The Ricoh GR Digital IV remains my pick for anyone craving that perfect street or travel camera with superior optics and manual control, even at the cost of zoom flexibility. It rewards your attention with crisp results and solid ergonomics, defining what a “premium compact” can be despite its sensor age.

Neither camera is cutting-edge by today’s standards, yet they hold value for specific niches. Ultimately, your choice should reflect your photography style and whether you prioritize convenience and zoom or control and image quality.

Happy shooting!

Thanks for reading this detailed comparison. If you found it useful, be sure to check out my hands-on video reviews linked above for real-world frames and workflow insights!