Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II
95 Imaging
36 Features
34 Overall
35


89 Imaging
59 Features
55 Overall
57
Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II Key Specs
(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
(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

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.

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.

Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II Gallery
Here is a preview of the gallery photos for Olympus VH-515 & Ricoh GR II. The complete galleries are available at Olympus VH-515 Gallery & Ricoh GR II Gallery.
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 | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Introduced | June 2015 | ![]() | August 2012 | Newer by 34 months |
Manually focus | ![]() | More precise focusing | ||
Screen resolution | 1230k | ![]() | 460k | Sharper screen (+770k dot) |
Common features in the Olympus VH-515 and Ricoh GR II
VH-515 | GR II | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Screen type | Fixed | ![]() | Fixed | Fixed screen |
Screen sizing | 3" | ![]() | 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.
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.

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 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 Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Olympus VH-515 vs Ricoh GR II Specifications
Olympus VH-515 | Ricoh 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 |