Pentax K-500 vs Ricoh GR Digital III

The following is a extended review of the Pentax K-500 and Ricoh GR Digital III, one is a Entry-Level DSLR and the other is a Small Sensor Compact by competitors Pentax and Ricoh. There is a big difference among the sensor resolutions of the K-500 (16MP) and GR Digital III (10MP) and the K-500 (APS-C) and GR Digital III (1/1.7") possess totally different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The K-500 was announced 4 years after the GR Digital III which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Each of these cameras come with different body type with the Pentax K-500 being a Compact SLR camera and the Ricoh GR Digital III being a Compact camera.

Before getting in to a more detailed comparison, below is a brief view of how the K-500 scores against the GR Digital III with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pics for Pentax K-500 and Ricoh GR Digital III. The whole galleries are viewable at Pentax K-500 Gallery and Ricoh GR Digital III Gallery.

If you're planning to travel with your camera frequently, you should factor its weight and measurements. The Pentax K-500 has got external dimensions of 130mm x 97mm x 71mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 646 grams (1.42 lbs) while the Ricoh GR Digital III has proportions of 109mm x 59mm x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") accompanied by a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Check out the Pentax K-500 and Ricoh GR Digital III in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are using at that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the K-500 against the GR Digital III.

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the K-500 and GR Digital III is 64 and 92 respectively.

Generally, it is hard to see the difference in sensor dimensions simply by looking through specs. The pic here may give you a more clear sense of the sensor dimensions in the K-500 and GR Digital III.

As you can plainly see, both the cameras posses different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The K-500 using its larger sensor will make getting bokeh less difficult and the Pentax K-500 will result in extra detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop photos somewhat more aggressively. The younger K-500 will have an edge in sensor tech.