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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony RX100 VA

Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
35
Overall
34
Ricoh GR Digital III front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A) front
Portability
89
Imaging
54
Features
77
Overall
63

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony RX100 VA Key Specs

Ricoh GR Digital III
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 28mm (F1.9) lens
  • 208g - 109 x 59 x 26mm
  • Revealed July 2009
  • New Model is Ricoh GR Digital IV
Sony RX100 VA
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 125 - 12800 (Expand to 25600)
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • 24-70mm (F1.8-2.8) lens
  • 299g - 102 x 58 x 41mm
  • Revealed July 2018
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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony RX100 VA Overview

Lets look much closer at the Ricoh GR Digital III versus Sony RX100 VA, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Ricoh and Sony. There exists a substantial gap among the sensor resolutions of the GR Digital III (10MP) and RX100 VA (20MP) and the GR Digital III (1/1.7") and RX100 VA (1") feature totally different sensor sizing.

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The GR Digital III was released 10 years prior to the RX100 VA and that is a fairly big difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Ricoh GR Digital III being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 VA being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going in to a more detailed comparison, below is a concise summary of how the GR Digital III grades vs the RX100 VA in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh GR Digital III over the Sony RX100 VA

 GR Digital III RX100 VA 

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 VA over the Ricoh GR Digital III

 RX100 VA GR Digital III 
RevealedJuly 2018July 2009Fresher by 109 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1229k920kSharper display (+309k dot)
Selfie screen Easy selfies

Common features in the Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony RX100 VA

 GR Digital III RX100 VA 
Manually focus Very exact focusing
Display sizing3"3"Equivalent display measurement
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony RX100 VA Physical Comparison

For anybody who is looking to carry your camera often, you need to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Ricoh GR Digital III features outside 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) whilst the Sony RX100 VA has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") accompanied by a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Check out the Ricoh GR Digital III versus Sony RX100 VA in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you use during that time. Below is the front view over all size comparison of the GR Digital III against the RX100 VA.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony RX100 VA size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GR Digital III and RX100 VA is 92 and 89 respectively.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony RX100 VA top view buttons comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony RX100 VA Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be difficult to see the contrast in sensor sizing simply by seeing a spec sheet. The photograph underneath will provide you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the GR Digital III and RX100 VA.

As you can see, each of the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The GR Digital III because of its smaller sensor will make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Sony RX100 VA will show extra detail as a result of its extra 10MP. Greater resolution will enable you to crop photos a little more aggressively. The older GR Digital III will be behind in sensor innovation.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony RX100 VA sensor size comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony RX100 VA Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony RX100 VA Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Portrait photography details
Sony RX100 VA Portrait photography details
40
manual focus
supports RAW files
sensor resolution not great (10 megapixels)
sensor is small (1/1.7")
66
focusing manually
flash sync is higher than normal (1/2,000s)
decent MP (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
supports face detect focus
saves RAW files
no external flash support
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Street Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Street photography advice
Sony RX100 VA Street photography advice
55
supports RAW files
no moving screen
no image stabilization
sensor is small (1/1.7")
86
screen tilts up and down
image stabilization (Optical)
nice sensor size (1")
saves RAW files
lighter than competition (299g)
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Sports photography highlights
Sony RX100 VA Sports photography highlights
17
fixed focal length (28mm)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
sensor is small (1/1.7")
has no phase detect AF
70
silent shooting (1/32,000 seconds)
max fps high (24.0 frames/s)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
nice sensor size (1")
supports tracking focus
comes with phase detect auto focus
low battery (220 CIPA)
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Travel photography features
Sony RX100 VA Travel photography features
63
built-in flash
great max aperture (f1.9)
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
76
lighter than competition (299 grams)
decent MP (20MP)
has built in flash
screen is selfie friendly
rather wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
lack of Timelapse recording
low battery (220 shots)
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III as a Landscape photography camera
Sony RX100 VA as a Landscape photography camera
45
manual focus
great max aperture (f1.9)
screen size is good (3 inches)
supports RAW files
cannot change lenses (fixed lens mount)
fixed focal length (28mm)
no image stabilization
sensor resolution not great (10MP)
sensor is small (1/1.7")
66
focusing manually
rather wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
image stabilization (Optical)
decent MP (20MP)
nice sensor size (1")
saves RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
low battery (220 per charge)
lack of Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III as a Vlogging camera
Sony RX100 VA as a Vlogging camera
25
great max aperture (f1.9)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
video resolution low (640 x 480 pixels)
missing mic support
81
rather wide (24mm)
very good maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is selfie friendly
image stabilization (Optical)
supports face detect focus
good video quality (3840 x 2160 resolution)
lighter than competition (299g)
lack of microphone port
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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony RX100 VA Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony RX100 VA
 Ricoh GR Digital IIISony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A)
General Information
Manufacturer Ricoh Sony
Model Ricoh GR Digital III Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A)
Class Small Sensor Compact Large Sensor Compact
Revealed 2009-07-27 2018-07-13
Body design Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor GR engine III Bionz X
Sensor type CCD BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1"
Sensor measurements 7.44 x 5.58mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor area 41.5mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 20MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Max native ISO 1600 12800
Max boosted ISO - 25600
Min native ISO 64 125
RAW photos
Min boosted ISO - 80
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points - 315
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28mm (1x) 24-70mm (2.9x)
Maximum aperture f/1.9 f/1.8-2.8
Macro focus distance 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 4.8 2.7
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inches 3 inches
Screen resolution 920 thousand dot 1,229 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.59x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 1s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Maximum silent shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting speed - 24.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.00 m 10.20 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Manual Auto, Flash On, Slow Synchro, Rear Sync, Flash Off
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/2000s
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) 3840 x 2160 @ 30p / 100 Mbps, XAVC S, MP4, H.264, Linear PCM
Max video resolution 640x480 3840x2160
Video file format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) NP-BX1 lithium-ion battery & USB charger
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 208 grams (0.46 lbs) 299 grams (0.66 lbs)
Dimensions 109 x 59 x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") 102 x 58 x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life - 220 shots
Form of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC, Internal SD/ SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch cost $399 $998