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Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A55

Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
35
Overall
34
Ricoh CX5 front
 
Sony SLT-A55 front
Portability
67
Imaging
56
Features
80
Overall
65

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A55 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
  • Introduced July 2011
Sony A55
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fully Articulated Display
  • ISO 100 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 500g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Revealed August 2010
  • Refreshed by Sony A57
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Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A55 Overview

Here, we are matching up the Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A55, former being a Small Sensor Superzoom while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by manufacturers Ricoh and Sony. There is a noticeable difference between the sensor resolutions of the CX5 (10MP) and A55 (16MP) and the CX5 (1/2.3") and A55 (APS-C) provide different sensor measurements.

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The CX5 was announced 11 months later than the A55 and they are both of a similar age. Each of the cameras feature different body design with the Ricoh CX5 being a Compact camera and the Sony A55 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going right into a step-by-step comparison, here is a brief view of how the CX5 matches up versus the A55 for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh CX5 over the Sony A55

 CX5 A55 
RevealedJuly 2011August 2010Fresher by 11 months

Reasons to pick Sony A55 over the Ricoh CX5

 A55 CX5 
Display typeFully ArticulatedFixed Fully Articulating display
Display resolution921k920kClearer display (+1k dot)
Selfie screen Take selfies

Common features in the Ricoh CX5 and Sony A55

 CX5 A55 
Manual focus Very exact focus
Display size3"3"Same display measurements
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A55 Physical Comparison

For those who are intending to carry your camera, you need 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") having a weight of 205 grams (0.45 lbs) while the Sony A55 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Analyze the Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A55 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you are utilizing at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the CX5 vs the A55.

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A55 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the CX5 and A55 is 92 and 67 respectively.

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A55 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A55 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it's difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizing purely by reading through specs. The graphic underneath will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the CX5 and A55.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras feature different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The CX5 with its tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field more difficult and the Sony A55 will give more detail with its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will also make it easier to crop pics way more aggressively. The more modern CX5 provides an edge when it comes to sensor tech.

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A55 sensor size comparison

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A55 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A55 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Ricoh CX5
Portrait photography with Sony A55
28
manual focus
cannot use external flash
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
73
you can focus manually
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports face detect autofocus
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Ricoh CX5 as a Street photography camera
Sony A55 as a Street photography camera
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (205 grams)
screen does not articulate
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
77
fully articulated screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Ricoh CX5
Sports photography with Sony A55
25
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
painfully slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
no shutter priority
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect AF
68
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect autofocus
not so great battery (380 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh CX5 Travel photography info
Sony A55 Travel photography info
66
lighter than competition in class (205 grams)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
long reach (300mm)
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
62
good resolution (16MP)
flash built-in
selfie friendly display
lack of Timelapse function
not so great battery (380 CIPA)
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Ricoh CX5 Landscape photography details
Sony A55 Landscape photography details
45
manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
screen is a decent size (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
can't swap lenses (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
67
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
not so great battery (380 CIPA)
lack of Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh CX5 Vlogging info
Sony A55 Vlogging info
30
reasonably wide (28mm)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
lighter than competition in class (205 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
video resolution low (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external microphone port
78
selfie friendly display
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
supports face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
comes with microphone support
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Ricoh CX5 vs Sony A55 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh CX5 and Sony A55
 Ricoh CX5Sony SLT-A55
General Information
Brand Name Ricoh Sony
Model type Ricoh CX5 Sony SLT-A55
Class Small Sensor Superzoom Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2011-07-19 2010-08-24
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor Smooth Imaging Engine IV Bionz
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 16 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4912 x 3264
Max native ISO 3200 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points - 15
Cross type focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 28-300mm (10.7x) -
Largest aperture f/3.5-5.6 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Fully Articulated
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 920k dots 921k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,150k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 8 seconds 30 seconds
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shooting rate 5.0fps 10.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash distance 4.00 m 10.00 m (@ ISO 100)
Flash settings Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Max video resolution 1280x720 1920x1080
Video file format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None BuiltIn
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 205 gr (0.45 lb) 500 gr (1.10 lb)
Physical dimensions 102 x 59 x 29mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.1") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 73
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 23.0
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 816
Other
Battery life - 380 photographs
Battery style - Battery Pack
Battery ID DB-100 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2, 10 or Custom) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC card, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Cost at launch $399 $800