Ricoh CX3 vs Sony A390

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Ricoh CX3 vs Sony A390, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Ricoh and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the image resolutions of the CX3 (10MP) and A390 (14MP) and the CX3 (1/2.3") and A390 (APS-C) have totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The CX3 was manufactured at a similar time to the A390 so they are of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Ricoh CX3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A390 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a more detailed comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the CX3 grades versus the A390 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Ricoh CX3 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A390. The entire galleries are available at Ricoh CX3 Gallery & Sony A390 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you'll need to think about its weight and proportions. The Ricoh CX3 features exterior measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") accompanied by a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) whilst the Sony A390 has measurements of 128mm x 97mm x 86mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 3.4") along with a weight of 549 grams (1.21 lbs).

See the Ricoh CX3 vs Sony A390 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached during that time. Underneath is a front view measurement comparison of the CX3 and the A390.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability rating of the CX3 and A390 is 92 and 66 respectively.

Often, it can be difficult to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by researching specifications. The picture here will help give you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the CX3 and A390.

Plainly, both of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The CX3 due to its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow DOF trickier and the Sony A390 will provide you with more detail due to its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop images more aggressively.