Ricoh CX3 vs Sony A55

Below, we are contrasting the Ricoh CX3 versus Sony A55, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Ricoh and Sony. There is a sizable difference among the resolutions of the CX3 (10MP) and A55 (16MP) and the CX3 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) possess different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The CX3 was launched 2 months prior to the A55 and they are both of a similar age. Both cameras come with different body type with the Ricoh CX3 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving in to a comprehensive comparison, below is a short synopsis of how the CX3 scores vs the A55 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Ricoh CX3 & Sony SLT-A55. The complete galleries are provided at Ricoh CX3 Gallery & Sony A55 Gallery.

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Ricoh CX3 offers external measurements of 102mm x 58mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 206 grams (0.45 lbs) while the Sony A55 has measurements of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") with a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Ricoh CX3 versus Sony A55 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the CX3 vs the A55.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability score of the CX3 and A55 is 92 and 67 respectively.

Often, it can be hard to picture the difference in sensor sizing just by seeing technical specs. The photograph below may offer you a clearer sense of the sensor measurements in the CX3 and A55.

As you have seen, the two cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The CX3 because of its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A55 will provide extra detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images much more aggressively.