Olympus SZ-16 iHS vs Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro

Lets look much closer at the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced Mirrorless by companies Olympus and Ricoh. There is a big difference among the resolutions of the SZ-16 iHS (16MP) and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro (12MP) and the SZ-16 iHS (1/2.3") and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro (APS-C) provide totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The SZ-16 iHS was introduced 3 years later than the GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Olympus SZ-16 iHS being a Compact camera and the Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a in depth comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the SZ-16 iHS scores versus the GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Here is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro. The whole galleries are viewable at Olympus SZ-16 iHS Gallery and Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro Gallery.

If you're planning to lug around your camera regularly, you should factor in its weight and dimensions. The Olympus SZ-16 iHS has got outer measurements of 108mm x 70mm x 40mm (4.3" x 2.8" x 1.6") having a weight of 226 grams (0.50 lbs) whilst the Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro has dimensions of 114mm x 70mm x 77mm (4.5" x 2.8" x 3.0") and a weight of 453 grams (1.00 lbs).

See the Olympus SZ-16 iHS and Ricoh GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you use at the time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the SZ-16 iHS versus the GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the SZ-16 iHS and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro is 89 and 77 respectively.

Generally, it is very difficult to envision the gap in sensor measurements just by checking out technical specs. The photograph underneath should offer you a far better sense of the sensor sizing in the SZ-16 iHS and GXR A12 50mm F2.5 Macro.

As you can tell, the two cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The SZ-16 iHS using its smaller sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Olympus SZ-16 iHS will provide more detail using its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also enable you to crop photos a good deal more aggressively. The more modern SZ-16 iHS is going to have an advantage in sensor tech.