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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony NEX-7

Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
35
Overall
34
Ricoh GR Digital III front
 
Sony Alpha NEX-7 front
Portability
84
Imaging
63
Features
71
Overall
66

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony NEX-7 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
  • Launched July 2009
  • Successor is Ricoh GR Digital IV
Sony NEX-7
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 400g - 120 x 67 x 43mm
  • Launched December 2011
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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony NEX-7 Overview

Here, we will be reviewing the Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony NEX-7, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Advanced Mirrorless by rivals Ricoh and Sony. There exists a considerable gap among the image resolutions of the GR Digital III (10MP) and NEX-7 (24MP) and the GR Digital III (1/1.7") and NEX-7 (APS-C) boast different sensor dimensions.

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The GR Digital III was announced 3 years prior to the NEX-7 which is a fairly large difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Ricoh GR Digital III being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-7 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a complete comparison, here is a quick view of how the GR Digital III grades against the NEX-7 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh GR Digital III over the Sony NEX-7

 GR Digital III NEX-7 

Reasons to pick Sony NEX-7 over the Ricoh GR Digital III

 NEX-7 GR Digital III 
LaunchedDecember 2011July 2009Newer by 28 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution921k920kCrisper screen (+1k dot)

Common features in the Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony NEX-7

 GR Digital III NEX-7 
Focus manually More accurate focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen sizing
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch friendly screen No Touch friendly screen

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony NEX-7 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to travel with your camera often, you should think about its weight and volume. The Ricoh GR Digital III features outside measurements of 109mm x 59mm x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") having a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) and the Sony NEX-7 has sizing of 120mm x 67mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7") along with a weight of 400 grams (0.88 lbs).

Take a look at the Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony NEX-7 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you choose at that moment. Here is a front view dimensions comparison of the GR Digital III compared to the NEX-7.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony NEX-7 size comparison

Using dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GR Digital III and NEX-7 is 92 and 84 respectively.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony NEX-7 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony NEX-7 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it's tough to picture the gap in sensor dimensions simply by looking through a spec sheet. The picture below will help give you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the GR Digital III and NEX-7.

As you can see, the 2 cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The GR Digital III having a smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh tougher and the Sony NEX-7 will result in greater detail with its extra 14 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The more aged GR Digital III will be behind when it comes to sensor tech.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony NEX-7 sensor size comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony NEX-7 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Portrait photography features
Sony NEX-7 Portrait photography features
40
has manual focus
delivers RAW files
MP count low (10 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
77
focusing manually
MP count good (24MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detect autofocus
supports RAW files
Photography Glossary

Street Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Street photography information
Sony NEX-7 Street photography information
55
delivers RAW files
screen is fixed
does not have image stabilization
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
76
has a tilting screen
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III as a Sports photography camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Sports photography camera
17
fixed focal length (28mm)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
lack of phase detect AF
61
MP count good (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
great battery pack (430 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III as a Travel photography camera
Sony NEX-7 as a Travel photography camera
63
flash built-in
very good maximum aperture (f1.9)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
screen isn't selfie friendly
70
great battery pack (430 per charge)
MP count good (24 megapixels)
has built in flash
doesn't have Time Lapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Landscape photography information
Sony NEX-7 Landscape photography information
45
has manual focus
very good maximum aperture (f1.9)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
delivers RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
fixed focal length (28mm)
does not have image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
72
focusing manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
MP count good (24 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW files
great battery pack (430 CIPA)
lack of image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Vlogging advice
Sony NEX-7 Vlogging advice
25
very good maximum aperture (f1.9)
screen isn't selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
video quality not great (640 x 480 pxls)
lack of external microphone port
35
includes face detect autofocus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
comes with mic port
display isn't selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony NEX-7 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony NEX-7
 Ricoh GR Digital IIISony Alpha NEX-7
General Information
Brand Name Ricoh Sony
Model Ricoh GR Digital III Sony Alpha NEX-7
Category Small Sensor Compact Advanced Mirrorless
Launched 2009-07-27 2011-12-13
Body design Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Processor Chip GR engine III Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 41.5mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 6000 x 4000
Max native ISO 1600 16000
Min native ISO 64 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
Continuous AF
Single AF
AF tracking
Selective AF
AF center weighted
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 28mm (1x) -
Maximum aperture f/1.9 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Total lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 4.8 1.5
Screen
Range of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 920 thousand dot 921 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 1 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/2000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter speed - 10.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.00 m 6.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Max flash sync - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 24 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video format - MPEG-4, AVCHD
Mic jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Eye-Fi Connected
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 208g (0.46 lb) 400g (0.88 lb)
Physical dimensions 109 x 59 x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") 120 x 67 x 43mm (4.7" x 2.6" x 1.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 81
DXO Color Depth score not tested 24.1
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.4
DXO Low light score not tested 1016
Other
Battery life - 430 photos
Battery form - Battery Pack
Battery model - NPFW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10sec (3 or 5 images))
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots Single Single
Retail price $399 $699