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Ricoh CX4 vs Sony a1

Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
34
Overall
34
Ricoh CX4 front
 
Sony Alpha a1 front
Portability
61
Imaging
82
Features
93
Overall
86

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony a1 Key Specs

Ricoh CX4
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-300mm (F3.5-5.6) lens
  • 205g - 102 x 59 x 29mm
  • Revealed August 2010
Sony a1
(Full Review)
  • 50MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Bump to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 7680 x 4320 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 737g - 129 x 97 x 70mm
  • Introduced January 2021
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Ricoh CX4 vs Sony a1 Overview

Lets look closer at the Ricoh CX4 vs Sony a1, one is a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Ricoh and Sony. There is a crucial difference between the sensor resolutions of the CX4 (10MP) and a1 (50MP) and the CX4 (1/2.3") and a1 (Full frame) posses different sensor sizing.

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The CX4 was announced 11 years before the a1 which is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Ricoh CX4 being a Compact camera and the Sony a1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving right into a in-depth comparison, here is a simple overview of how the CX4 scores vs the a1 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh CX4 over the Sony a1

 CX4 a1 

Reasons to pick Sony a1 over the Ricoh CX4

 a1 CX4 
IntroducedJanuary 2021August 2010Newer by 127 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1440k920kCrisper screen (+520k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Ricoh CX4 and Sony a1

 CX4 a1 
Focus manually More accurate focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurement
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony a1 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to travel with your camera often, you have to factor in its weight and dimensions. The Ricoh CX4 features outside measurements of 102mm x 59mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 205 grams (0.45 lbs) while the Sony a1 has dimensions of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") accompanied by a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs).

Examine the Ricoh CX4 vs Sony a1 in the latest Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are working with at that time. Here is a front view sizing comparison of the CX4 against the a1.

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony a1 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability grade of the CX4 and a1 is 92 and 61 respectively.

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony a1 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony a1 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its difficult to picture the difference between sensor dimensions simply by reading specs. The image here should give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the CX4 and a1.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras come with different megapixels and different sensor dimensions. The CX4 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting bokeh tougher and the Sony a1 will deliver greater detail with its extra 40MP. Higher resolution can also make it easier to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The more aged CX4 is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony a1 sensor size comparison

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony a1 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh CX4 vs Sony a1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Ricoh CX4
Portrait photography with Sony a1
27
you can focus manually
no manual control
no external flash support
low MP (10MP)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
89
has manual focus
high flash sync (1/400 seconds)
fantastic sensor resolution (50 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
provides face detection focus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Ricoh CX4 Street photography highlights
Sony a1 Street photography highlights
61
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (205 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
79
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
large sensor size (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
supports focus via touch
environment sealing
great high ISO (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Ricoh CX4
Sports photography with Sony a1
25
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow frames per second (5.0 fps)
no shutter priority
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
91
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent mode (1/32,000 seconds)
fast shooting (30.0 frames per second)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic sensor resolution (50 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
environment sealing
better than average battery (530 CIPA)
supports phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh CX4 Travel photography highlights
Sony a1 Travel photography highlights
66
lighter than competition (205g)
built-in flash
fairly wide (28mm)
very long zoom (300mm)
low MP (10 megapixels)
does not have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
74
better than average battery (530 shots)
environment sealing
connects via bluetooth
supports focus via touch
fantastic sensor resolution (50 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh CX4 Landscape photography details
Sony a1 Landscape photography details
42
you can focus manually
fairly wide (28mm)
nice screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
cannot swap lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
no manual control
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support
88
has manual focus
change lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
fantastic sensor resolution (50 megapixels)
large sensor size (Full frame)
great high ISO (32,000)
saves RAW formats
environment sealing
better than average battery (530 shots)
2 card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Ricoh CX4
Vlogging with Sony a1
30
fairly wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition (205 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
does not have a selfie friendly display
video quality not great (1280 x 720 resolution)
no external microphone support
37
screen is touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
provides face detection focus
high quality video (7680 x 4320 resolution)
comes with external mic support
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
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Ricoh CX4 vs Sony a1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh CX4 and Sony a1
 Ricoh CX4Sony Alpha a1
General Information
Brand Name Ricoh Sony
Model type Ricoh CX4 Sony Alpha a1
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2010-08-19 2021-01-26
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by Smooth Imaging Engine IV -
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 50 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 8640 x 5760
Maximum native ISO 3200 32000
Maximum boosted ISO - 102400
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW support
Minimum boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points - 759
Cross type focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 28-300mm (10.7x) -
Maximum aperture f/3.5-5.6 -
Macro focusing range 1cm -
Number of lenses - 133
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 920k dots 1,440k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 9,437k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.9x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/8000 secs
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 5.0 frames per sec 30.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.00 m no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/400 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 7680x4320 (30p, 25p, 23.98)
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 7680x4320
Video format Motion JPEG XAVC S, XAVC HS, H.264, H.265
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 205 gr (0.45 lbs) 737 gr (1.62 lbs)
Physical dimensions 102 x 59 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") 129 x 97 x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 530 shots
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID DB-100 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2, 10 or Custom) Yes
Time lapse shooting
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC card, Internal Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots (UHS-II supported)
Card slots 1 Two
Price at launch $211 $6,498