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Ricoh CX4 vs Sony NEX-5

Portability
92
Imaging
33
Features
34
Overall
33
Ricoh CX4 front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-5 front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
58
Overall
55

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony NEX-5 Key Specs

Ricoh CX4
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-300mm (F3.5-5.6) lens
  • 205g - 102 x 59 x 29mm
  • Introduced August 2010
Sony NEX-5
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 287g - 111 x 59 x 38mm
  • Revealed June 2010
  • Later Model is Sony NEX-5N
Photography Glossary

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony NEX-5 Overview

Let's look closer at the Ricoh CX4 and Sony NEX-5, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Ricoh and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the image resolutions of the CX4 (10MP) and NEX-5 (14MP) and the CX4 (1/2.3") and NEX-5 (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The CX4 was released 3 months later than the NEX-5 so they are both of a similar age. Each of these cameras have different body design with the Ricoh CX4 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a in-depth comparison, here is a brief summary of how the CX4 grades vs the NEX-5 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh CX4 over the Sony NEX-5

 CX4 NEX-5 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-5 over the Ricoh CX4

 NEX-5 CX4 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display

Common features in the Ricoh CX4 and Sony NEX-5

 CX4 NEX-5 
RevealedAugust 2010June 2010Similar age
Focus manually More exact focusing
Display dimensions3"3"Equal display sizing
Display resolution920k920kThe same display resolution
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither has Touch friendly display

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony NEX-5 Physical Comparison

If you are intending to carry your camera, you're going to have to think about its weight and dimensions. The Ricoh CX4 has exterior measurements of 102mm x 59mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") with a weight of 205 grams (0.45 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-5 has dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") and a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Contrast the Ricoh CX4 and Sony NEX-5 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you are using during that time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the CX4 against the NEX-5.

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony NEX-5 size comparison

Using size and weight, the portability grade of the CX4 and NEX-5 is 92 and 89 respectively.

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony NEX-5 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony NEX-5 Sensor Comparison

Often, it is very tough to picture the gap between sensor sizing simply by looking at a spec sheet. The photograph below may give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the CX4 and NEX-5.

As you can see, both of these cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The CX4 due to its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field trickier and the Sony NEX-5 will give you more detail as a result of its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images more aggressively.

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony NEX-5 sensor size comparison

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony NEX-5 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Ricoh CX4
Portrait photography with Sony NEX-5
26
has manual focus
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
low megapixels (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
72
you can focus manually
good resolution (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Ricoh CX4 Street photography info
Sony NEX-5 Street photography info
60
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (205 grams)
screen is fixed
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
76
has a tilting screen
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh CX4 Sports photography advice
Sony NEX-5 Sports photography advice
24
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
very slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority mode
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
52
good resolution (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
does not have image stabilization
lack of phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Ricoh CX4
Travel photography with Sony NEX-5
66
lighter than competition in class (205 grams)
has built in flash
really wide (28mm)
long reach (300mm)
low megapixels (10MP)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
59
good resolution (14MP)
missing Timelapse mode
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh CX4 Landscape photography advice
Sony NEX-5 Landscape photography advice
42
has manual focus
really wide (28mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
manual mode not available
low megapixels (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
lacks RAW files
68
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
good resolution (14 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
exports RAW files
does not have image stabilization
missing Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh CX4 Vlogging highlights
Sony NEX-5 Vlogging highlights
30
really wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (205 grams)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
lack of external microphone socket
28
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
display isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
missing microphone port
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Ricoh CX4 vs Sony NEX-5 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh CX4 and Sony NEX-5
 Ricoh CX4Sony Alpha NEX-5
General Information
Brand Ricoh Sony
Model Ricoh CX4 Sony Alpha NEX-5
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level Mirrorless
Introduced 2010-08-19 2010-06-07
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip Smooth Imaging Engine IV Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 14MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 3648 x 2736 4592 x 3056
Highest native ISO 3200 12800
Min native ISO 100 200
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 25
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 28-300mm (10.7x) -
Largest aperture f/3.5-5.6 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 920 thousand dot 920 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch function
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 8s 30s
Highest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/4000s
Continuous shooting speed 5.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 4.00 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Highest flash sync - 1/160s
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG AVCHD
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 205g (0.45 lbs) 287g (0.63 lbs)
Physical dimensions 102 x 59 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") 111 x 59 x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 69
DXO Color Depth score not tested 22.2
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.2
DXO Low light score not tested 796
Other
Battery life - 330 shots
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model DB-100 NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2, 10 or Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 images))
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $211 $599