Pentax XG-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III

Here is a thorough analysis of the Pentax XG-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Pentax and Ricoh. There is a considerable difference among the sensor resolutions of the XG-1 (16MP) and GR Digital III (10MP) and the XG-1 (1/2.3") and GR Digital III (1/1.7") use totally different sensor sizes.

Photography Glossary

The XG-1 was announced 5 years later than the GR Digital III and that is a fairly large difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras offer different body type with the Pentax XG-1 being a SLR-like (bridge) camera and the Ricoh GR Digital III being a Compact camera.

Before going through a detailed comparison, below is a short view of how the XG-1 scores against the GR Digital III with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Pentax XG-1 & Ricoh GR Digital III. The whole galleries are available at Pentax XG-1 Gallery & Ricoh GR Digital III Gallery.

When you are intending to carry your camera, you'll have to factor in its weight and size. The Pentax XG-1 features physical measurements of 119mm x 89mm x 98mm (4.7" x 3.5" x 3.9") along with a weight of 567 grams (1.25 lbs) while the Ricoh GR Digital III has specifications of 109mm x 59mm x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") having a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs).

Check out the Pentax XG-1 vs Ricoh GR Digital III in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is the front view overall size comparison of the XG-1 and the GR Digital III.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the XG-1 and GR Digital III is 66 and 92 respectively.

Generally, its difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor sizing only by looking through technical specs. The graphic underneath will offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the XG-1 and GR Digital III.

As you have seen, the two cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The XG-1 having a smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Pentax XG-1 will render greater detail with its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will allow you to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The more modern XG-1 is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.