Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A850

The following is a extensive overview of the Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A850, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Advanced DSLR by manufacturers Ricoh and Sony. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the CX4 (10MP) and A850 (25MP) and the CX4 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) have different sensor sizing.

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The CX4 was released 5 months after the A850 so they are of a similar generation. Both cameras have different body design with the Ricoh CX4 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before going straight to a in depth comparison, here is a quick summary of how the CX4 scores versus the A850 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Ricoh CX4 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The complete galleries are viewable at Ricoh CX4 Gallery and Sony A850 Gallery.

If you're aiming to travel with your camera, you should factor in its weight and measurements. The Ricoh CX4 comes with outer dimensions of 102mm x 59mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 205 grams (0.45 lbs) while the Sony A850 has proportions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") having a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Check the Ricoh CX4 vs Sony A850 in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ based on the lens you are using at the time. Underneath is a front view over all size comparison of the CX4 against the A850.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the CX4 and A850 is 92 and 54 respectively.

Quite often, its tough to picture the difference between sensor dimensions just by looking at specs. The image underneath may give you a stronger sense of the sensor sizes in the CX4 and A850.

All in all, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The CX4 due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony A850 will give you extra detail as a result of its extra 15 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop images more aggressively.