Panasonic FS15 vs Ricoh GR Digital III

Below, we will be contrasting the Panasonic FS15 and Ricoh GR Digital III, one being a Ultracompact and the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by rivals Panasonic and Ricoh. The sensor resolution of the FS15 (12MP) and the GR Digital III (10MP) is relatively well matched but the FS15 (1/2.3") and GR Digital III (1/1.7") use different sensor sizing.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The FS15 was released 6 months before the GR Digital III which means that they are both of a similar generation. Both of these cameras come with different body type with the Panasonic FS15 being a Ultracompact camera and the Ricoh GR Digital III being a Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a in depth comparison, below is a simple summary of how the FS15 scores versus the GR Digital III in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 and Ricoh GR Digital III. The complete galleries are provided at Panasonic FS15 Gallery and Ricoh GR Digital III Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera often, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Panasonic FS15 provides external dimensions of 97mm x 54mm x 22mm (3.8" x 2.1" x 0.9") having a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Ricoh GR Digital III has measurements of 109mm x 59mm x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") and a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Examine the Panasonic FS15 and Ricoh GR Digital III in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are utilizing at that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the FS15 against the GR Digital III.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the FS15 and GR Digital III is 95 and 92 respectively.

Quite often, it is very difficult to picture the gap between sensor measurements purely by looking at specifications. The visual underneath may provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the FS15 and GR Digital III.

To sum up, both cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The FS15 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF more challenging and the Panasonic FS15 will resolve extra detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively.