Ricoh CX3 vs Sony a5000

Its time to look much closer at the Ricoh CX3 and Sony a5000, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by brands Ricoh and Sony. There exists a large gap between the resolutions of the CX3 (10MP) and a5000 (20MP) and the CX3 (1/2.3") and a5000 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor measurements.

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The CX3 was revealed 4 years earlier than the a5000 which is quite a serious difference as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Ricoh CX3 being a Compact camera and the Sony a5000 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going right into a complete comparison, here is a simple summary of how the CX3 grades versus the a5000 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Here is a sample of the gallery pics for Ricoh CX3 & Sony Alpha a5000. The full galleries are available at Ricoh CX3 Gallery & Sony a5000 Gallery.

For anybody who is looking to travel with your camera often, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Ricoh CX3 has got external dimensions 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 a5000 has sizing of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") with a weight of 269 grams (0.59 lbs).

See the Ricoh CX3 and Sony a5000 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an ILC will differ dependant on the lens you choose at that time. Following is a front view overall size comparison of the CX3 versus the a5000.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the CX3 and a5000 is 92 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, it is hard to see the contrast between sensor dimensions only by going over a spec sheet. The picture here may give you a far better sense of the sensor sizes in the CX3 and a5000.

As you can see, each of these cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The CX3 using its tinier sensor will make shooting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony a5000 will offer you greater detail because of its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will help you crop pics more aggressively. The more aged CX3 is going to be behind in sensor innovation.