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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A37

Portability
92
Imaging
34
Features
35
Overall
34
Ricoh GR Digital III front
 
Sony SLT-A37 front
Portability
67
Imaging
57
Features
65
Overall
60

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A37 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
  • Released July 2009
  • Successor is Ricoh GR Digital IV
Sony A37
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 2.6" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 506g - 124 x 92 x 85mm
  • Revealed May 2012
  • Replaced the Sony A35
Photography Glossary

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A37 Overview

Here, we will be matching up the Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony A37, former being a Small Sensor Compact while the latter is a Entry-Level DSLR by brands Ricoh and Sony. There is a large difference between the resolutions of the GR Digital III (10MP) and A37 (16MP) and the GR Digital III (1/1.7") and A37 (APS-C) offer different sensor size.

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The GR Digital III was introduced 3 years earlier than the A37 and that is quite a serious 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 A37 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving into a thorough comparison, here is a concise highlight of how the GR Digital III matches up versus the A37 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh GR Digital III over the Sony A37

 GR Digital III A37 
Screen size3"2.6"Bigger screen (+0.4")
Screen resolution920k230kCrisper screen (+690k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony A37 over the Ricoh GR Digital III

 A37 GR Digital III 
RevealedMay 2012July 2009Fresher by 34 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen

Common features in the Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony A37

 GR Digital III A37 
Focus manually Very precise focus
Selfie screen Absent selfie screen
Touch screen Neither features Touch screen

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A37 Physical Comparison

When you are intending to carry your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Ricoh GR Digital III enjoys 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 A37 has dimensions of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 506 grams (1.12 lbs).

Check the Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony A37 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you are utilising during that time. Following is a front view over all size comparison of the GR Digital III vs the A37.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A37 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the GR Digital III and A37 is 92 and 67 respectively.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A37 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A37 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it is tough to picture the contrast between sensor sizing only by reading technical specs. The graphic below will offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the GR Digital III and A37.

As you have seen, each of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The GR Digital III having a tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A37 will deliver extra detail using its extra 6 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop pictures a good deal more aggressively. The older GR Digital III is going to be behind in sensor tech.

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A37 sensor size comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A37 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A37 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Portrait photography advice
Sony A37 Portrait photography advice
40
manual focus
delivers RAW formats
MP count low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
74
has manual focus
resolution is good (16MP)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
provides face detect focusing
supports RAW files
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Ricoh GR Digital III
Street photography with Sony A37
55
delivers RAW formats
screen does not articulate
lack of image stabilization
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
77
screen tilts
image stabilization (Sensor based)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
supports RAW files
above average ISO range (25,600)
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Sports photography information
Sony A37 Sports photography information
17
focal length is fixed (28mm)
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
doesn't have phase detect auto focus
61
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
comes with phase detect AF
painfully slow continuous shooting (6.0 fps)
terrible battery pack (500 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III Travel photography details
Sony A37 Travel photography details
63
has built in flash
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
MP count low (10 megapixels)
display is not selfie friendly
54
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
flash built-in
does not have Time Lapse function
terrible battery pack (500 shots)
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III as a Landscape photography camera
Sony A37 as a Landscape photography camera
45
manual focus
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
good sized screen (3 inch)
delivers RAW formats
can't swap lens (fixed lens mount)
focal length is fixed (28mm)
lack of image stabilization
MP count low (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
64
has manual focus
switch lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
image stabilization (Sensor based)
resolution is good (16 megapixels)
sensor size is decent (APS-C)
above average ISO range (25,600)
supports RAW files
tiny screen (2.6")
terrible battery pack (500 shots)
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital III as a Vlogging camera
Sony A37 as a Vlogging camera
25
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
display is not selfie friendly
lack of image stabilization
low quality video (640 x 480 pxls)
no mic jack
35
image stabilization (Sensor based)
provides face detect focusing
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does have mic socket
does not offer selfie friendly display
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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A37 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh GR Digital III and Sony A37
 Ricoh GR Digital IIISony SLT-A37
General Information
Brand Ricoh Sony
Model Ricoh GR Digital III Sony SLT-A37
Type Small Sensor Compact Entry-Level DSLR
Released 2009-07-27 2012-05-16
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Processor GR engine III -
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixels 16 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 4912 x 3264
Maximum native ISO 1600 25600
Minimum native ISO 64 100
RAW support
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points - 15
Cross focus points - 3
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 28mm (1x) -
Largest aperture f/1.9 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Available lenses - 143
Crop factor 4.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display diagonal 3" 2.6"
Resolution of display 920k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 1,440k dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.73x
Features
Min shutter speed 1 secs 30 secs
Max shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter rate - 6.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash range 3.00 m 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1920 x 1080 (60, 29.97 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30fps), 640 x 424 (29.97 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video data format - MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic port
Headphone port
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
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 208 gr (0.46 lb) 506 gr (1.12 lb)
Physical dimensions 109 x 59 x 26mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.0") 124 x 92 x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 75
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.3
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 12.9
DXO Low light score not tested 799
Other
Battery life - 500 images
Type of battery - Battery Pack
Battery model - NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, 10 sec 3 or 5 images)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $399 $522