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Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II

Portability
95
Imaging
36
Features
34
Overall
35
Olympus VH-515 front
 
Ricoh GR II front
Portability
89
Imaging
59
Features
55
Overall
57

Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II Key Specs

Olympus VH-515
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 1600
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 26-130mm (F2.8-6.5) lens
  • 152g - 102 x 60 x 21mm
  • Released August 2012
Ricoh GR II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28mm (F2.8-16.0) lens
  • 251g - 117 x 63 x 35mm
  • Introduced June 2015
  • Previous Model is Ricoh GR
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Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II Overview

In this write-up, we will be analyzing the Olympus VH-515 versus Ricoh GR II, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Olympus and Ricoh. There exists a large gap between the image resolutions of the VH-515 (12MP) and GR II (16MP) and the VH-515 (1/2.3") and GR II (APS-C) possess different sensor sizes.

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The VH-515 was released 3 years earlier than the GR II which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Olympus VH-515 being a Compact camera and the Ricoh GR II being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a concise summary of how the VH-515 matches up vs the GR II when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Olympus VH-515 over the Ricoh GR II

 VH-515 GR II 
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Reasons to pick Ricoh GR II over the Olympus VH-515

 GR II VH-515 
IntroducedJune 2015August 2012Newer by 34 months
Manually focus More precise focusing
Screen resolution1230k460kSharper screen (+770k dot)

Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Ricoh GR II

 VH-515 GR II 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II Physical Comparison

If you are going to travel with your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Olympus VH-515 has exterior dimensions of 102mm x 60mm x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") and a weight of 152 grams (0.34 lbs) and the Ricoh GR II has dimensions of 117mm x 63mm x 35mm (4.6" x 2.5" x 1.4") and a weight of 251 grams (0.55 lbs).

Check the Olympus VH-515 versus Ricoh GR II in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you have chosen at that moment. Underneath is the front view size comparison of the VH-515 vs the GR II.

Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the VH-515 and GR II is 95 and 89 respectively.

Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II top view buttons comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II Sensor Comparison

Normally, its difficult to imagine the difference between sensor dimensions simply by reading through specs. The pic underneath will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the VH-515 and GR II.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras offer different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The VH-515 because of its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Ricoh GR II will give greater detail as a result of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also help you crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more aged VH-515 is going to be behind with regard to sensor tech.

Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II sensor size comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II Screen and ViewFinder

Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Portrait photography factors
Ricoh GR II Portrait photography factors
27
includes face detection focus
no manual focus
manual mode not available
external flash not possible
MP count low (12MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
75
has manual focus
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with face detect focus
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Street photography details
Ricoh GR II Street photography details
62
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes touch to focus
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
74
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
lighter than competitors in class (251g)
very good ISO range (25,600)
no moving screen
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Sports photography highlights
Ricoh GR II Sports photography highlights
32
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes tracking autofocus
very slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
no shutter priority mode
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
50
good MP (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with tracking focus
focal length is fixed (28mm)
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames per second)
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Travel photography camera
Ricoh GR II as a Travel photography camera
62
includes touch to focus
flash built-in
reasonably wide (26mm)
lack of Time Lapse function
MP count low (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
67
lighter than competitors in class (251g)
good MP (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
lack of Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Olympus VH-515 Landscape photography information
Ricoh GR II Landscape photography information
37
reasonably wide (26mm)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
manual mode not available
MP count low (12 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
lack of Time Lapse function
59
has manual focus
screen size is good (3")
good MP (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
very good ISO range (25,600)
exports RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
focal length is fixed (28mm)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not have image stabilization
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-515 as a Vlogging camera
Ricoh GR II as a Vlogging camera
35
reasonably wide (26mm)
built-in touchscreen
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pxls)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
lack of external mic port
32
comes with face detect focus
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than competitors in class (251 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
lack of microphone port
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Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Olympus VH-515 and Ricoh GR II
 Olympus VH-515Ricoh GR II
General Information
Manufacturer Olympus Ricoh
Model Olympus VH-515 Ricoh GR II
Class Small Sensor Compact Large Sensor Compact
Released 2012-08-21 2015-06-17
Body design Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor TruePic III+ GR Engine V
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.7 x 15.7mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 372.1mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2
Maximum resolution 4608 x 3456 4928 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 1600 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 26-130mm (5.0x) 28mm (1x)
Largest aperture f/2.8-6.5 f/2.8-16.0
Macro focus distance 5cm 10cm
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display diagonal 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460 thousand dot 1,230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT Color LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (optional)
Features
Lowest shutter speed 4 secs 300 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 2.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.70 m 3.00 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in Auto, Flash On, Flash Synchro., Manual Flash, Red-Eye Flash Auto, Red-Eye Flash On, Red-Eye Flash Synchro, Wireless
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30,15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 180 (30,15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p, 24p)
Maximum video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 152 gr (0.34 pounds) 251 gr (0.55 pounds)
Dimensions 102 x 60 x 21mm (4.0" x 2.4" x 0.8") 117 x 63 x 35mm (4.6" x 2.5" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 80
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.6
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.7
DXO Low light score not tested 1078
Other
Battery life - 320 photographs
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model LI-50B DB-65
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC/SDXC
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $648 $599