Panasonic LF1 vs Ricoh WG-50

Its time to look more closely at the Panasonic LF1 vs Ricoh WG-50, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Waterproof by companies Panasonic and Ricoh. There exists a huge gap between the sensor resolutions of the LF1 (12MP) and WG-50 (16MP) and the LF1 (1/1.7") and WG-50 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The LF1 was introduced 4 years before the WG-50 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go through a full comparison, below is a short summation of how the LF1 matches up vs the WG-50 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-LF1 and Ricoh WG-50. The whole galleries are provided at Panasonic LF1 Gallery and Ricoh WG-50 Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Panasonic LF1 enjoys exterior dimensions of 103mm x 62mm x 28mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs) while the Ricoh WG-50 has dimensions of 123mm x 62mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") along with a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

Compare the Panasonic LF1 vs Ricoh WG-50 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ depending on the lens you have attached at that moment. Underneath is the front view dimensions comparison of the LF1 versus the WG-50.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the LF1 and WG-50 is 92 and 91 respectively.

Typically, its difficult to visualise the difference between sensor sizing only by checking a spec sheet. The graphic here might give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the LF1 and WG-50.

Clearly, the two cameras posses different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The LF1 with its bigger sensor will make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Ricoh WG-50 will give more detail using its extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots somewhat more aggressively. The older LF1 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.