Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A35

On this page, we will be matching up the Ricoh GR Digital III versus Sony A35, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Ricoh and Sony. There is a significant difference between the image resolutions of the GR Digital III (10MP) and A35 (16MP) and the GR Digital III (1/1.7") and A35 (APS-C) provide totally different sensor measurements.

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The GR Digital III was revealed 3 years earlier than the A35 and that is quite a sizable gap as far as tech is concerned. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Ricoh GR Digital III being a Compact camera and the Sony A35 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving straight to a step-by-step comparison, here is a short summation of how the GR Digital III scores versus the A35 in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony SLT-A35. The full galleries are available at Ricoh GR Digital III Gallery and Sony A35 Gallery.

When you are looking to lug around your camera, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Ricoh GR Digital III comes with 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) whilst the Sony A35 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") and a weight of 415 grams (0.91 lbs).

Look at the Ricoh GR Digital III versus Sony A35 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Keep in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will differ dependant on the lens you are employing during that time. Below is a front view dimensions comparison of the GR Digital III and the A35.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability rating of the GR Digital III and A35 is 92 and 69 respectively.

Generally, its hard to envision the contrast between sensor measurements merely by reading specs. The visual below might give you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the GR Digital III and A35.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The GR Digital III having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallower DOF harder and the Sony A35 will offer you more detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older GR Digital III is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor innovation.