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Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A7

Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
35
Overall
34
Ricoh CX5 front
 
Sony Alpha A7 front
Portability
78
Imaging
71
Features
80
Overall
74

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A7 Key Specs

Ricoh CX5
(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
  • Announced July 2011
Sony A7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 50 - 25600
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 474g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Introduced January 2014
  • Replacement is Sony A7 II
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Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A7 Overview

Below is a in-depth assessment of the Ricoh CX5 and Sony A7, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Ricoh and Sony. There exists a significant gap between the sensor resolutions of the CX5 (10MP) and A7 (24MP) and the CX5 (1/2.3") and A7 (Full frame) use totally different sensor size.

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The CX5 was announced 3 years earlier than the A7 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as technology is concerned. Each of the cameras offer different body type with the Ricoh CX5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A7 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight into a thorough comparison, below is a quick summation of how the CX5 scores against the A7 in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh CX5 over the Sony A7

 CX5 A7 

Reasons to pick Sony A7 over the Ricoh CX5

 A7 CX5 
IntroducedJanuary 2014July 2011More recent by 30 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1230k920kSharper screen (+310k dot)

Common features in the Ricoh CX5 and Sony A7

 CX5 A7 
Focus manually Very accurate focus
Screen sizing3"3"Equivalent screen size
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch screen Neither includes Touch screen

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A7 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera frequently, you're going to have to take into account its weight and volume. The Ricoh CX5 features exterior dimensions 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 A7 has sizing of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") and a weight of 474 grams (1.04 lbs).

Check the Ricoh CX5 and Sony A7 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 vary dependant on the lens you have at the time. Underneath is the front view measurements comparison of the CX5 compared to the A7.

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A7 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the CX5 and A7 is 92 and 78 respectively.

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A7 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A7 Sensor Comparison

More often than not, it's hard to see the gap between sensor measurements only by going over specifications. The visual here will give you a clearer sense of the sensor sizes in the CX5 and A7.

Plainly, each of the cameras offer different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The CX5 with its tinier sensor will make shooting shallow DOF more difficult and the Sony A7 will offer you extra detail with its extra 14 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop photographs a little more aggressively. The older CX5 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A7 sensor size comparison

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A7 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Ricoh CX5
Portrait photography with Sony A7
28
focusing manually
no external flash support
megapixel count low (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
82
you can focus manually
MP count good (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
supports face detection autofocus
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Ricoh CX5 as a Street photography camera
Sony A7 as a Street photography camera
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors (205g)
no moving screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
79
tilting screen
sensor size is large (Full frame)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
lighter than competitors (474g)
good ISO range (25,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh CX5 as a Sports photography camera
Sony A7 as a Sports photography camera
25
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
max frames per second very slow (5.0 fps)
no shutter priority
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no phase detect autofocus
66
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
MP count good (24 megapixels)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
weather sealing
sensor has phase detect autofocus
slow continuous shooting (5.0 fps)
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery pack (340 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Ricoh CX5
Travel photography with Sony A7
66
lighter than competitors (205 grams)
flash built-in
reasonably wide (28mm)
great reach (300mm)
megapixel count low (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
69
lighter than competitors (474 grams)
weather sealing
MP count good (24 megapixels)
terrible battery pack (340 shots)
does not contain selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh CX5 as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A7 as a Landscape photography camera
45
focusing manually
reasonably wide (28mm)
pretty good screen size (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
megapixel count low (10MP)
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
76
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3 inch)
MP count good (24MP)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
good ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
weather sealing
lack of image stabilization
terrible battery pack (340 per charge)
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh CX5 as a Vlogging camera
Sony A7 as a Vlogging camera
30
reasonably wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competitors (205 grams)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 resolution)
doesn't have microphone socket
36
supports face detection autofocus
high quality video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
includes external microphone jack
lighter than competitors (474g)
does not contain selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
Photography Glossary

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh CX5 and Sony A7
 Ricoh CX5Sony Alpha A7
General Information
Company Ricoh Sony
Model Ricoh CX5 Sony Alpha A7
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Pro Mirrorless
Announced 2011-07-19 2014-01-22
Body design Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Chip Smooth Imaging Engine IV Bionz X
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.9mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 855.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 24 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 3200 25600
Min native ISO 100 50
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 117
Cross focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 28-300mm (10.7x) -
Max aperture f/3.5-5.6 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 121
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3" 3"
Display resolution 920 thousand dot 1,230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Display tech - Xtra Fine LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Min shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/8000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed 5.0fps 5.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 4.00 m no built-in flash
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync no built-in flash
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/250 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p)
Highest video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 205g (0.45 lb) 474g (1.04 lb)
Dimensions 102 x 59 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 90
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.8
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 14.2
DXO Low light score not tested 2248
Other
Battery life - 340 photographs
Battery format - Battery Pack
Battery model DB-100 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2, 10 or Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse feature With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Price at release $399 $798