Clicky

Pentax MX-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III

Portability
84
Imaging
37
Features
60
Overall
46
Pentax MX-1 front
 
Ricoh GR Digital III front
Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
35
Overall
34

Pentax MX-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Key Specs

Pentax MX-1
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-112mm (F1.8-2.5) lens
  • 391g - 122 x 61 x 51mm
  • Announced July 2013
Ricoh GR Digital III
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 28mm (F1.9) lens
  • 208g - 109 x 59 x 26mm
  • Revealed July 2009
  • Replacement is Ricoh GR Digital IV
Photography Glossary

Pentax MX-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Overview

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Pentax MX-1 and Ricoh GR Digital III, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by rivals Pentax and Ricoh. The resolution of the MX-1 (12MP) and the GR Digital III (10MP) is pretty well matched and they feature the exact same sensor sizes (1/1.7").

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The MX-1 was brought out 3 years after the GR Digital III which is quite a big gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting through a in-depth comparison, below is a concise overview of how the MX-1 grades against the GR Digital III in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month
	
	

Reasons to pick Pentax MX-1 over the Ricoh GR Digital III

 MX-1 GR Digital III 
RevealedJuly 2013July 2009More modern by 48 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Reasons to pick Ricoh GR Digital III over the Pentax MX-1

 GR Digital III MX-1 

Common features in the Pentax MX-1 and Ricoh GR Digital III

 MX-1 GR Digital III 
Manual focus More exact focusing
Screen dimension3"3"Identical screen dimensions
Screen resolution920k920kSame screen resolution
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch screen Lack of Touch screen

Pentax MX-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Physical Comparison

If you are aiming to carry around your camera regularly, you will have to think about its weight and proportions. The Pentax MX-1 offers external measurements of 122mm x 61mm x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") accompanied by a weight of 391 grams (0.86 lbs) while the Ricoh GR Digital III has measurements of 109mm x 59mm x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Take a look at the Pentax MX-1 and Ricoh GR Digital III in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you use during that time. Underneath is the front view proportions comparison of the MX-1 and the GR Digital III.

Pentax MX-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the MX-1 and GR Digital III is 84 and 92 respectively.

Pentax MX-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III top view buttons comparison

Pentax MX-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is tough to see the difference between sensor sizes merely by looking at specifications. The pic below should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the MX-1 and GR Digital III.

To sum up, the two cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements albeit not the same MP. You should expect the Pentax MX-1 to give more detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will enable you to crop pictures somewhat more aggressively. The more recent MX-1 is going to have an edge in sensor innovation.

Pentax MX-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III sensor size comparison

Pentax MX-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Screen and ViewFinder

Pentax MX-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Pentax MX-1 as a Portrait photography camera
Ricoh GR Digital III as a Portrait photography camera
42
you can focus manually
includes face detect autofocus
exports RAW formats
no external flash support
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
40
manual focus
exports RAW formats
MP count low (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/1.7")
Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

Street Comparison

Street photography with Pentax MX-1
Street photography with Ricoh GR Digital III
65
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
very small sensor (1/1.7")
heavier than competition (391 grams)
55
exports RAW formats
no articulating screen
lack of image stabilization
sensor size is small (1/1.7")
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Sports Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Sports photography highlights
Ricoh GR Digital III Sports photography highlights
43
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000s)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes tracking focus
good battery power (290 shots)
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames per second)
sensor resolution not great (12 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
lacks phase detect autofocus
17
can't change focal length (28mm)
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/1.7")
lacks phase detect autofocus
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Travel Comparison

Pentax MX-1 as a Travel photography camera
Ricoh GR Digital III as a Travel photography camera
61
good battery power (290 per charge)
flash built-in
really wide (28mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
no Time Lapse function
heavier than competition (391 grams)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
63
flash built-in
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Landscape Comparison

Pentax MX-1 as a Landscape photography camera
Ricoh GR Digital III as a Landscape photography camera
55
you can focus manually
really wide (28mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
screen size is decent (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
good battery power (290 CIPA)
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
sensor resolution not great (12MP)
very small sensor (1/1.7")
no Time Lapse function
45
manual focus
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
exports RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
can't change focal length (28mm)
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
sensor size is small (1/1.7")
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Vlogging Comparison

Pentax MX-1 Vlogging details
Ricoh GR Digital III Vlogging details
33
really wide (28mm)
fast max aperture (f1.8)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen is not selfie friendly
no mic socket
heavier than competition (391 grams)
25
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low quality video (640 x 480 pxls)
missing external mic jack
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Pentax MX-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Pentax MX-1 and Ricoh GR Digital III
 Pentax MX-1Ricoh GR Digital III
General Information
Brand Pentax Ricoh
Model type Pentax MX-1 Ricoh GR Digital III
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Announced 2013-07-01 2009-07-27
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by - GR engine III
Sensor type CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/1.7"
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 7.44 x 5.58mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 41.5mm²
Sensor resolution 12 megapixel 10 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2
Highest resolution 4000 x 3000 3648 x 2736
Highest native ISO 12800 1600
Lowest native ISO 100 64
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 25 -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28-112mm (4.0x) 28mm (1x)
Maximum aperture f/1.8-2.5 f/1.9
Macro focusing distance 1cm 1cm
Focal length multiplier 4.8 4.8
Screen
Display type Tilting Fixed Type
Display size 3 inch 3 inch
Display resolution 920k dot 920k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Display technology TFT LCD with AR coating -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Optical (optional)
Features
Lowest shutter speed 30 secs 1 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/8000 secs 1/2000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0fps -
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 12.00 m 3.00 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Fill-in, Slow Speed sync, Trailing Curtain sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Manual
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (60, 30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video data format MPEG-4, H.264 -
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Eye-Fi Connected None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 391g (0.86 pounds) 208g (0.46 pounds)
Dimensions 122 x 61 x 51mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 2.0") 109 x 59 x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 49 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 20.4 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 11.3 not tested
DXO Low light rating 208 not tested
Other
Battery life 290 photos -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery ID D-Li-106 -
Self timer Yes (2 or 12 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC SD/SDHC, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Pricing at launch $400 $399