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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony S980

Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
35
Overall
34
Ricoh GR Digital III front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony S980 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
  • Introduced July 2009
  • Successor is Ricoh GR Digital IV
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Released February 2009
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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony S980 Overview

Lets examine more closely at the Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony S980, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by companies Ricoh and Sony. The resolution of the GR Digital III (10MP) and the S980 (12MP) is fairly well matched but the GR Digital III (1/1.7") and S980 (1/2.3") enjoy totally different sensor size.

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The GR Digital III was released 6 months after the S980 which means that they are of a similar age. Both cameras come with the identical body type (Compact).

Before going in to a in-depth comparison, below is a short summation of how the GR Digital III scores vs the S980 in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh GR Digital III over the Sony S980

 GR Digital III S980 
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kSharper display (+690k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Ricoh GR Digital III

 S980 GR Digital III 

Common features in the Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony S980

 GR Digital III S980 
ReleasedJuly 2009February 2009Similar age
Focus manually Dial exact focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch display Neither offers Touch display

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

For those who are looking to carry around your camera regularly, you will want to take into account its weight and size. The Ricoh GR Digital III offers physical measurements of 109mm x 59mm x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") and a weight of 208 grams (0.46 lbs) and the Sony S980 has specifications of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") accompanied by a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Analyze the Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony S980 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at that time. The following is the front view measurement comparison of the GR Digital III vs the S980.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony S980 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the GR Digital III and S980 is 92 and 94 respectively.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Sometimes, its hard to see the gap between sensor sizes purely by reading through specifications. The picture here may offer you a far better sense of the sensor measurements in the GR Digital III and S980.

Plainly, each of the cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The GR Digital III featuring a larger sensor will make getting shallower DOF less difficult and the Sony S980 will give you greater detail as a result of its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also make it easier to crop pics much more aggressively.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Portrait photography with Ricoh GR Digital III
Portrait photography with Sony S980
40
has manual focus
exports RAW files
low resolution (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
27
has manual focus
lack of manual mode
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Street Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Street photography factors
Sony S980 Street photography factors
55
exports RAW files
fixed screen
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
47
screen does not articulate
no image stabilization
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Sports photography features
Sony S980 Sports photography features
17
fixed focal length (28mm)
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
lacks phase detect autofocus
17
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Travel photography information
Sony S980 Travel photography information
63
built-in flash
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
low resolution (10MP)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
51
has built in flash
no Timelapse mode
sensor resolution low (12MP)
does not feature selfie friendly display
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Landscape photography highlights
Sony S980 Landscape photography highlights
45
has manual focus
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
exports RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
fixed focal length (28mm)
lack of image stabilization
low resolution (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
27
has manual focus
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7")
lack of manual mode
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor size (1/2.3")
has no RAW support
no Timelapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Vlogging information
Sony S980 Vlogging information
25
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
doesn't contain selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
low res video (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of external mic jack
22
wide angle not great (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
does not feature selfie friendly display
no image stabilization
low quality video (1280 x 720 resolution)
no microphone port
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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony S980
 Ricoh GR Digital IIISony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Manufacturer Ricoh Sony
Model Ricoh GR Digital III Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 2009-07-27 2009-02-17
Body design Compact Compact
Sensor Information
Processor Chip GR engine III -
Sensor type CCD CCD
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor area 41.5mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Highest native ISO 1600 3200
Minimum native ISO 64 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Manual focus
AF touch
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detect AF
Contract detect AF
Phase detect AF
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28mm (1x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Maximal aperture f/1.9 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus range 1cm 10cm
Crop factor 4.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inches 2.7 inches
Resolution of display 920 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (optional) None
Features
Min shutter speed 1s 2s
Max shutter speed 1/2000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter speed - 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.00 m 3.50 m
Flash options Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video data format - Motion JPEG
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 208 grams (0.46 lbs) 167 grams (0.37 lbs)
Dimensions 109 x 59 x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") 93 x 56 x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC, Internal Memory Stick Duo / Pro Duo, Internal
Storage slots 1 1
Retail price $399 $300