Ricoh CX3 vs Sony WX500

Let's examine more closely at the Ricoh CX3 and Sony WX500, both Small Sensor Superzoom digital cameras by brands Ricoh and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the image resolutions of the CX3 (10MP) and WX500 (18MP) but they possess the same exact sensor sizing (1/2.3").

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The CX3 was announced 5 years prior to the WX500 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a quick summation of how the CX3 matches up versus the WX500 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Ricoh CX3 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX500. The whole galleries are available at Ricoh CX3 Gallery & Sony WX500 Gallery.

For anyone who is going to lug around your camera often, you have to factor its weight and size. The Ricoh CX3 has external measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) while the Sony WX500 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs).

Take a look at the Ricoh CX3 and Sony WX500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that time. Following is the front view proportions comparison of the CX3 against the WX500.

Using size and weight, the portability rating of the CX3 and WX500 is 92 and 91 respectively.

Often, its difficult to envision the gap between sensor measurements purely by looking at specs. The graphic below may give you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the CX3 and WX500.

As you can plainly see, both of these cameras enjoy the same exact sensor sizing albeit not the same resolution. You can count on the Sony WX500 to give you greater detail with its extra 8MP. Higher resolution will allow you to crop photographs far more aggressively. The older CX3 is going to be behind with regard to sensor innovation.