Olympus E-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital IV

On this page, we will be reviewing the Olympus E-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital IV, one being a Pro DSLR and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Olympus and Ricoh. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the E-1 (5MP) and GR Digital IV (10MP) and the E-1 (Four Thirds) and GR Digital IV (1/1.7") provide different sensor sizing.

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The E-1 was introduced 8 years prior to the GR Digital IV and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-1 being a Large SLR camera and the Ricoh GR Digital IV being a Compact camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a quick view of how the E-1 grades against the GR Digital IV for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Olympus E-1 and Ricoh GR Digital IV. The whole galleries are available at Olympus E-1 Gallery and Ricoh GR Digital IV Gallery.

For those who are aiming to lug around your camera regularly, you are going to need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus E-1 enjoys exterior dimensions of 141mm x 104mm x 81mm (5.6" x 4.1" x 3.2") with a weight of 735 grams (1.62 lbs) while the Ricoh GR Digital IV has dimensions of 109mm x 59mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 190 grams (0.42 lbs).

Check out the Olympus E-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital IV in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are using at that moment. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the E-1 vs the GR Digital IV.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the E-1 and GR Digital IV is 59 and 92 respectively.

More often than not, it can be tough to visualize the gap between sensor measurements only by looking at specs. The visual here may offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the E-1 and GR Digital IV.

All in all, both of those cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The E-1 with its bigger sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF less difficult and the Ricoh GR Digital IV will give you greater detail using its extra 5 Megapixels. Higher resolution will enable you to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The older E-1 is going to be disadvantaged with regard to sensor tech.