Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A7S

Let's look closer at the Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A7S, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Ricoh and Sony. The resolution of the GR Digital III (10MP) and the A7S (12MP) is fairly well matched but the GR Digital III (1/1.7") and A7S (Full frame) offer totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The GR Digital III was launched 5 years prior to the A7S and that is quite a serious gap as far as tech is concerned. Each of the cameras have different body design with the Ricoh GR Digital III being a Compact camera and the Sony A7S being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight to a detailed comparison, here is a simple overview of how the GR Digital III matches up versus the A7S with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Below is a sample of the gallery pictures for Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony Alpha A7S. The complete galleries are viewable at Ricoh GR Digital III Gallery and Sony A7S Gallery.

When you are planning to lug around your camera, you need to think about its weight and proportions. The Ricoh GR Digital III comes with outside dimensions of 109mm x 59mm x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") and a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) while the Sony A7S has measurements of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") with a weight of 489 grams (1.08 lbs).

Check the Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A7S in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary based on the lens you have chosen at that time. The following is a front view size comparison of the GR Digital III compared to the A7S.

Considering size and weight, the portability score of the GR Digital III and A7S is 92 and 77 respectively.

Generally, it is very difficult to visualise the contrast between sensor measurements simply by looking at a spec sheet. The graphic underneath should provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the GR Digital III and A7S.

As you can see, both of these cameras provide different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The GR Digital III featuring a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF tougher and the Sony A7S will give you extra detail utilizing its extra 2MP. Greater resolution will allow you to crop images more aggressively. The older GR Digital III is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.