Ricoh CX3 vs Sony A33

The following is a thorough assessment of the Ricoh CX3 vs Sony A33, former is a Small Sensor Superzoom while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Ricoh and Sony. There is a substantial difference among the sensor resolutions of the CX3 (10MP) and A33 (14MP) and the CX3 (1/2.3") and A33 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor dimensions.

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The CX3 was revealed 2 months prior to the A33 and they are of a similar age. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Ricoh CX3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A33 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a thorough comparison, here is a brief overview of how the CX3 scores versus the A33 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Ricoh CX3 & Sony SLT-A33. The full galleries are available at Ricoh CX3 Gallery & Sony A33 Gallery.

In case you're intending to travel with your camera frequently, you will want to consider its weight and size. The Ricoh CX3 provides exterior dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") and a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) while the Sony A33 has specifications of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

See the Ricoh CX3 vs Sony A33 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use during that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the CX3 against the A33.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the CX3 and A33 is 92 and 67 respectively.

Usually, it's difficult to envision the difference in sensor dimensions simply by viewing specifications. The image underneath should provide you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the CX3 and A33.

To sum up, both of those cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The CX3 using its smaller sensor will make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A33 will render more detail because of its extra 4MP. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs more aggressively.