Ricoh G900 vs Sony A550

Its time to look much closer at the Ricoh G900 vs Sony A550, former is a Waterproof while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Ricoh and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the G900 (20MP) and A550 (14MP) and the G900 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) offer different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The G900 was launched 8 years after the A550 which is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Ricoh G900 being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before diving straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick view of how the G900 grades versus the A550 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Ricoh G900 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The complete galleries are provided at Ricoh G900 Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.

For anyone who is looking to travel with your camera regularly, you'll need to factor in its weight and volume. The Ricoh G900 offers outer measurements of 118mm x 66mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.6" x 1.3") and a weight of 247 grams (0.54 lbs) while the Sony A550 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Take a look at the Ricoh G900 vs Sony A550 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you select at that time. Underneath is a front view sizing comparison of the G900 against the A550.

Taking into consideration size and weight, the portability score of the G900 and A550 is 89 and 63 respectively.

Generally, it can be tough to picture the difference between sensor dimensions only by reading specs. The pic below will provide you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the G900 and A550.

All in all, the 2 cameras have different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The G900 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower DOF harder and the Ricoh G900 will offer more detail utilizing its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also allow you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The younger G900 should have a benefit with regard to sensor innovation.