Ricoh CX1 vs Sony W550

Below is a extensive comparison of the Ricoh CX1 and Sony W550, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Ricoh and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the CX1 (9MP) and W550 (14MP) but both cameras provide the identical sensor measurements (1/2.3").

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The CX1 was launched 3 years before the W550 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Ricoh CX1 being a Compact camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving into a in depth comparison, here is a concise view of how the CX1 scores against the W550 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

The following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Ricoh CX1 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550. The complete galleries are provided at Ricoh CX1 Gallery & Sony W550 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera regularly, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Ricoh CX1 enjoys physical measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 180 grams (0.40 lbs) while the Sony W550 has sizing of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") having a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Check out the Ricoh CX1 and Sony W550 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the CX1 against the W550.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the CX1 and W550 is 93 and 96 respectively.

Often, it is very hard to visualize the gap between sensor measurements simply by looking at a spec sheet. The visual here will provide you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the CX1 and W550.

As you can see, each of the cameras feature the identical sensor size but different MP. You can anticipate the Sony W550 to resolve more detail utilizing its extra 5MP. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images way more aggressively. The older CX1 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.