Panasonic FP3 vs Ricoh GR Digital IV

Lets take a closer look at the Panasonic FP3 and Ricoh GR Digital IV, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by manufacturers Panasonic and Ricoh. There is a big difference between the resolutions of the FP3 (14MP) and GR Digital IV (10MP) and the FP3 (1/2.3") and GR Digital IV (1/1.7") feature totally different sensor sizing.

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The FP3 was introduced 20 months prior to the GR Digital IV which makes the cameras a generation apart from each other. The two cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FP3 being a Ultracompact camera and the Ricoh GR Digital IV being a Compact camera.

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a quick view of how the FP3 grades versus the GR Digital IV for portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FP3 and Ricoh GR Digital IV. The whole galleries are viewable at Panasonic FP3 Gallery and Ricoh GR Digital IV Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera frequently, you will want to factor its weight and volume. The Panasonic FP3 features outside dimensions of 99mm x 59mm x 19mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.7") and a weight of 155 grams (0.34 lbs) whilst the Ricoh GR Digital IV has sizing of 109mm x 59mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.3") and a weight of 190 grams (0.42 lbs).

See the Panasonic FP3 and Ricoh GR Digital IV in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you have chosen at that moment. The following is the front view size comparison of the FP3 compared to the GR Digital IV.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the FP3 and GR Digital IV is 95 and 92 respectively.

In many cases, it is very hard to visualise the gap between sensor measurements only by reading through specifications. The graphic here may provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the FP3 and GR Digital IV.

Plainly, the 2 cameras have got different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FP3 with its tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF more difficult and the Panasonic FP3 will resolve more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures much more aggressively. The older FP3 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.