Olympus VG-160 vs Ricoh GR II

Its time to take a deeper look at the Olympus VG-160 versus Ricoh GR II, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Ricoh. The sensor resolution of the VG-160 (14MP) and the GR II (16MP) is relatively comparable but the VG-160 (1/2.3") and GR II (APS-C) posses different sensor sizes.

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The VG-160 was introduced 4 years before the GR II and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both of the cameras have different body design with the Olympus VG-160 being a Compact camera and the Ricoh GR II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise summary of how the VG-160 scores versus the GR II in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus VG-160 and Ricoh GR II. The whole galleries are provided at Olympus VG-160 Gallery and Ricoh GR II Gallery.

In case you're looking to carry your camera, you should consider its weight and measurements. The Olympus VG-160 comes with external measurements of 96mm x 57mm x 19mm (3.8" x 2.2" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 125 grams (0.28 lbs) while the Ricoh GR II has proportions of 117mm x 63mm x 35mm (4.6" x 2.5" x 1.4") with a weight of 251 grams (0.55 lbs).

Look at the Olympus VG-160 versus Ricoh GR II in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is a front view dimension comparison of the VG-160 and the GR II.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VG-160 and GR II is 96 and 89 respectively.

Typically, it is hard to imagine the difference in sensor sizing merely by seeing technical specs. The visual here will give you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the VG-160 and GR II.

As you can tell, both of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The VG-160 with its smaller sensor is going to make shooting bokeh harder and the Ricoh GR II will show more detail using its extra 2MP. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures a bit more aggressively. The older VG-160 will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor technology.