Panasonic SZ5 vs Ricoh WG-50

Lets look a bit more in depth at the Panasonic SZ5 and Ricoh WG-50, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Waterproof by rivals Panasonic and Ricoh. The image resolution of the SZ5 (14MP) and the WG-50 (16MP) is pretty close and both cameras have the identical sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The SZ5 was introduced 5 years prior to the WG-50 and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before we go into a in depth comparison, here is a concise introduction of how the SZ5 scores versus the WG-50 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ5 & Ricoh WG-50. The whole galleries are available at Panasonic SZ5 Gallery & Ricoh WG-50 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to carry your camera, you're going to have to take into account its weight and size. The Panasonic SZ5 has got external dimensions of 104mm x 58mm x 21mm (4.1" x 2.3" x 0.8") with a weight of 136 grams (0.30 lbs) whilst the Ricoh WG-50 has specifications of 123mm x 62mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") along with a weight of 193 grams (0.43 lbs).

See the Panasonic SZ5 and Ricoh WG-50 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are utilising at that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the SZ5 compared to the WG-50.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the SZ5 and WG-50 is 95 and 91 respectively.

More often than not, it's hard to see the gap in sensor sizing purely by looking through a spec sheet. The visual below will help give you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the SZ5 and WG-50.

As you can see, each of the cameras feature the identical sensor size albeit not the same MP. You can expect the Ricoh WG-50 to result in extra detail using its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots way more aggressively. The older SZ5 will be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.