Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A300

Below is a thorough assessment of the Ricoh CX5 and Sony A300, one being a Small Sensor Superzoom and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Ricoh and Sony. The sensor resolution of the CX5 (10MP) and the A300 (10MP) is very well matched but the CX5 (1/2.3") and A300 (APS-C) boast totally different sensor sizing.

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The CX5 was launched 3 years later than the A300 and that is quite a large gap as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Ricoh CX5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A300 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going straight to a in depth comparison, here is a short view of how the CX5 matches up versus the A300 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Ricoh CX5 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A300. The complete galleries are viewable at Ricoh CX5 Gallery and Sony A300 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to lug around your camera frequently, you are going to need to take into account its weight and measurements. The Ricoh CX5 enjoys physical measurements of 102mm x 59mm x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 205 grams (0.45 lbs) whilst the Sony A300 has proportions of 131mm x 99mm x 75mm (5.2" x 3.9" x 3.0") along with a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

See the Ricoh CX5 and Sony A300 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Don't forget, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you have attached at that time. Following is a front view measurement comparison of the CX5 vs the A300.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the CX5 and A300 is 92 and 64 respectively.

Typically, it can be hard to visualise the difference between sensor measurements purely by looking at a spec sheet. The visual here might give you a stronger sense of the sensor measurements in the CX5 and A300.

As you can see, the 2 cameras have the same megapixel count but not the same sensor measurements. The CX5 includes the tinier sensor which is going to make obtaining shallower depth of field trickier. The younger CX5 is going to have an edge when it comes to sensor tech.