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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Samsung HZ15W

Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
35
Overall
34
Ricoh GR Digital III front
 
Samsung HZ15W front
Portability
90
Imaging
34
Features
31
Overall
32

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Samsung HZ15W Key Specs

Ricoh GR Digital III
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 28mm (F1.9) lens
  • 208g - 109 x 59 x 26mm
  • Revealed July 2009
  • Renewed by Ricoh GR Digital IV
Samsung HZ15W
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 24-240mm (F3.3-5.8) lens
  • 249g - 105 x 61 x 37mm
  • Launched February 2009
  • Other Name is WB550
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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Samsung HZ15W Overview

The following is a extended review of the Ricoh GR Digital III and Samsung HZ15W, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by companies Ricoh and Samsung. The sensor resolution of the GR Digital III (10MP) and the HZ15W (12MP) is fairly close but the GR Digital III (1/1.7") and HZ15W (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor measurements.

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The GR Digital III was released 6 months after the HZ15W which means that they are of a similar generation. The two cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before we go through a in depth comparison, below is a simple summation of how the GR Digital III scores against the HZ15W with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh GR Digital III over the Samsung HZ15W

 GR Digital III HZ15W 
Display resolution920k460kSharper display (+460k dot)

Reasons to pick Samsung HZ15W over the Ricoh GR Digital III

 HZ15W GR Digital III 

Common features in the Ricoh GR Digital III and Samsung HZ15W

 GR Digital III HZ15W 
LaunchedJuly 2009February 2009Same generation
Manual focus Very precise focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurements
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither contains Touch friendly display

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Samsung HZ15W Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to travel with your camera, you'll have to factor its weight and size. The Ricoh GR Digital III has got outer measurements of 109mm x 59mm x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") along with a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) while the Samsung HZ15W has specifications of 105mm x 61mm x 37mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.5") and a weight of 249 grams (0.55 lbs).

Check the Ricoh GR Digital III and Samsung HZ15W in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are using at the time. Following is the front view size comparison of the GR Digital III versus the HZ15W.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Samsung HZ15W size comparison

Considering dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GR Digital III and HZ15W is 92 and 90 respectively.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Samsung HZ15W top view buttons comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Samsung HZ15W Sensor Comparison

More often than not, its tough to visualise the gap in sensor dimensions merely by looking through a spec sheet. The picture underneath will help provide you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the GR Digital III and HZ15W.

As you can see, each of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The GR Digital III featuring a larger sensor will make getting shallow DOF easier and the Samsung HZ15W will result in more detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop images much more aggressively.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Samsung HZ15W sensor size comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Samsung HZ15W Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Samsung HZ15W Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Portrait photography highlights
Samsung HZ15W Portrait photography highlights
40
you can focus manually
supports RAW formats
resolution not great (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
31
you can focus manually
includes face detection focus
no manual control
can't use external flash
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III as a Street photography camera
Samsung HZ15W as a Street photography camera
55
supports RAW formats
no moving screen
lack of image stabilization
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
52
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no moving screen
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
heavier than average (249g)
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III as a Sports photography camera
Samsung HZ15W as a Sports photography camera
17
fixed focal length (28mm)
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
has no phase detect auto focus
27
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no shutter priority mode
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Ricoh GR Digital III
Travel photography with Samsung HZ15W
63
flash built-in
good max aperture (f1.9)
resolution not great (10MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
54
built-in flash
relatively wide (24mm)
missing Time Lapse recording
heavier than average (249 grams)
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Landscape photography factors
Samsung HZ15W Landscape photography factors
45
you can focus manually
good max aperture (f1.9)
nice screen size (3")
supports RAW formats
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
fixed focal length (28mm)
lack of image stabilization
resolution not great (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
40
you can focus manually
relatively wide (24mm)
good sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
no manual control
sensor resolution low (12MP)
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
missing Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Vlogging highlights
Samsung HZ15W Vlogging highlights
25
good max aperture (f1.9)
does not feature selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 pixels)
doesn't have microphone jack
28
relatively wide (24mm)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detection focus
sluggish max aperture (f3.3)
display is not selfie friendly
low video resolution (1280 x 720 resolution)
missing external mic jack
heavier than average (249 grams)
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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Samsung HZ15W Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh GR Digital III and Samsung HZ15W
 Ricoh GR Digital IIISamsung HZ15W
General Information
Make Ricoh Samsung
Model type Ricoh GR Digital III Samsung HZ15W
Otherwise known as - WB550
Type Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Revealed 2009-07-27 2009-02-23
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Powered by GR engine III -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/2.3"
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.08 x 4.56mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 27.7mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 16:9, 4:3 and 3:2
Maximum resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Maximum native ISO 1600 3200
Lowest native ISO 64 80
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28mm (1x) 24-240mm (10.0x)
Maximum aperture f/1.9 f/3.3-5.8
Macro focusing range 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 4.8 5.9
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 920k dot 460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch friendly
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 1 secs 16 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/2000 secs
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.00 m 4.70 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Manual Auto, Auto & Red-eye reduction, Fill-in flash, Slow sync, Flash off, Red eye fix
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1280 x 720 (30, 15 fps), 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (60, 30, 15 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video file format - Motion JPEG
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 208 gr (0.46 lb) 249 gr (0.55 lb)
Dimensions 109 x 59 x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") 105 x 61 x 37mm (4.1" x 2.4" x 1.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (10 sec, 2 sec, Double, Motion Timer)
Time lapse shooting
Storage media SD/SDHC, Internal SC/SDHC/MMC/MMCplus, internal
Storage slots One One
Cost at launch $399 $330