Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A7

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.

Here is a preview of the gallery images for Ricoh CX5 and Sony Alpha A7. The whole galleries are viewable at Ricoh CX5 Gallery and Sony A7 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.