Ricoh GR Digital III vs Samsung HZ15W

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.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Ricoh GR Digital III and Samsung HZ15W. The complete galleries are viewable at Ricoh GR Digital III Gallery and Samsung HZ15W Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.