Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony a5100

Below is a extensive assessment of the Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony a5100, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by competitors Ricoh and Sony. There is a sizable difference between the resolutions of the GR Digital III (10MP) and a5100 (24MP) and the GR Digital III (1/1.7") and a5100 (APS-C) posses different sensor measurements.

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The GR Digital III was revealed 6 years before the a5100 and that is quite a significant difference as far as tech is concerned. Both of the cameras feature different body design with the Ricoh GR Digital III being a Compact camera and the Sony a5100 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go straight to a full comparison, here is a quick overview of how the GR Digital III scores versus the a5100 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery images for Ricoh GR Digital III & Sony Alpha a5100. The full galleries are provided at Ricoh GR Digital III Gallery & Sony a5100 Gallery.

In case you're intending to lug around your camera regularly, you'll need to factor its weight and dimensions. The Ricoh GR Digital III has got outer dimensions of 109mm x 59mm x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") having a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) while the Sony a5100 has dimensions of 110mm x 63mm x 36mm (4.3" x 2.5" x 1.4") along with a weight of 283 grams (0.62 lbs).

Examine the Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony a5100 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have during that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the GR Digital III against the a5100.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability score of the GR Digital III and a5100 is 92 and 89 respectively.

Usually, it can be hard to imagine the gap between sensor measurements only by looking at specs. The graphic here will provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the GR Digital III and a5100.

As you can plainly see, the 2 cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The GR Digital III with its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Sony a5100 will resolve greater detail because of its extra 14MP. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop shots way more aggressively. The older GR Digital III is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.