Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony A7R III
92 Imaging
34 Features
47 Overall
39


63 Imaging
77 Features
93 Overall
83
Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony A7R III Key Specs
(Full Review)
- 10MP - 1/1.7" Sensor
- 3" Fixed Screen
- ISO 80 - 3200
- Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
- 640 x 480 video
- 28mm (F1.9) lens
- 190g - 109 x 59 x 33mm
- Revealed September 2011
- Superseded the Ricoh GR Digital III
(Full Review)
- 42MP - Full frame Sensor
- 3" Tilting Screen
- ISO 100 - 32000 (Increase to 102400)
- Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
- No Anti-Alias Filter
- 1/8000s Max Shutter
- 3840 x 2160 video
- Sony E Mount
- 657g - 127 x 96 x 74mm
- Announced October 2017
- Older Model is Sony A7R II
- Updated by Sony A7R IV

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony A7R III Overview
Lets look a bit more closely at the Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony A7R III, one being a Small Sensor Compact and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by competitors Ricoh and Sony. There is a huge difference between the image resolutions of the GR Digital IV (10MP) and A7R III (42MP) and the GR Digital IV (1/1.7") and A7R III (Full frame) posses totally different sensor sizing.

The GR Digital IV was unveiled 7 years earlier than the A7R III and that is quite a significant gap as far as tech is concerned. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Ricoh GR Digital IV being a Compact camera and the Sony A7R III being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.
Before getting right into a complete comparison, here is a simple summation of how the GR Digital IV grades versus the A7R III with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony A7R III Gallery
The following is a preview of the gallery photos for Ricoh GR Digital IV and Sony Alpha A7R III. The full galleries are available at Ricoh GR Digital IV Gallery and Sony A7R III Gallery.
Reasons to pick Ricoh GR Digital IV over the Sony A7R III
GR Digital IV | A7R III |
---|
Reasons to pick Sony A7R III over the Ricoh GR Digital IV
A7R III | GR Digital IV | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Announced | October 2017 | ![]() | September 2011 | Fresher by 74 months |
Screen type | Tilting | ![]() | Fixed | Tilting screen |
Screen resolution | 1440k | ![]() | 1230k | Clearer screen (+210k dot) |
Touch screen | ![]() | Quickly navigate |
Common features in the Ricoh GR Digital IV and Sony A7R III
GR Digital IV | A7R III | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Focus manually | ![]() | Dial accurate focus | ||
Screen size | 3" | ![]() | 3" | Same screen measurement |
Selfie screen | ![]() | Absent selfie screen |
Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony A7R III Physical Comparison
When you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you will need to factor in its weight and proportions. The Ricoh GR Digital IV features external measurements of 109mm x 59mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.3") having a weight of 190 grams (0.42 lbs) whilst the Sony A7R III has measurements of 127mm x 96mm x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") accompanied by a weight of 657 grams (1.45 lbs).
Contrast the Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony A7R III in the latest Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.
Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are employing at that time. The following is a front view over all size comparison of the GR Digital IV against the A7R III.

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the GR Digital IV and A7R III is 92 and 63 respectively.

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony A7R III Sensor Comparison
Usually, it is very tough to visualise the gap between sensor sizing just by reading through technical specs. The graphic below may offer you a much better sense of the sensor measurements in the GR Digital IV and A7R III.
As you can tell, both the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The GR Digital IV having a tinier sensor will make shooting shallower depth of field tougher and the Sony A7R III will give you greater detail having an extra 32 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also allow you to crop photographs a good deal more aggressively. The older GR Digital IV is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony A7R III Screen and ViewFinder


Photography Type Scores
Portrait Comparison

Street Comparison

Sports Comparison

Travel Comparison

Landscape Comparison

Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony A7R III Specifications
Ricoh GR Digital IV | Sony Alpha A7R III | |
---|---|---|
General Information | ||
Company | Ricoh | Sony |
Model type | Ricoh GR Digital IV | Sony Alpha A7R III |
Type | Small Sensor Compact | Pro Mirrorless |
Revealed | 2011-09-15 | 2017-10-25 |
Physical type | Compact | SLR-style mirrorless |
Sensor Information | ||
Powered by | - | Bionz X |
Sensor type | CCD | BSI-CMOS |
Sensor size | 1/1.7" | Full frame |
Sensor dimensions | 7.44 x 5.58mm | 35.9 x 24mm |
Sensor area | 41.5mm² | 861.6mm² |
Sensor resolution | 10MP | 42MP |
Anti alias filter | ||
Aspect ratio | 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 | 3:2 and 16:9 |
Max resolution | 3648 x 2736 | 7952 x 5304 |
Max native ISO | 3200 | 32000 |
Max enhanced ISO | - | 102400 |
Min native ISO | 80 | 100 |
RAW files | ||
Min enhanced ISO | - | 50 |
Autofocusing | ||
Focus manually | ||
Touch focus | ||
Continuous AF | ||
AF single | ||
Tracking AF | ||
Selective AF | ||
Center weighted AF | ||
AF multi area | ||
AF live view | ||
Face detection AF | ||
Contract detection AF | ||
Phase detection AF | ||
Total focus points | - | 425 |
Lens | ||
Lens mount type | fixed lens | Sony E |
Lens zoom range | 28mm (1x) | - |
Maximum aperture | f/1.9 | - |
Macro focusing range | 1cm | - |
Number of lenses | - | 121 |
Crop factor | 4.8 | 1 |
Screen | ||
Screen type | Fixed Type | Tilting |
Screen size | 3 inch | 3 inch |
Resolution of screen | 1,230 thousand dots | 1,440 thousand dots |
Selfie friendly | ||
Liveview | ||
Touch friendly | ||
Viewfinder Information | ||
Viewfinder | Optical (optional) | Electronic |
Viewfinder resolution | - | 3,686 thousand dots |
Viewfinder coverage | - | 100% |
Viewfinder magnification | - | 0.78x |
Features | ||
Min shutter speed | 1 seconds | 30 seconds |
Max shutter speed | 1/2000 seconds | 1/8000 seconds |
Continuous shutter rate | - | 10.0fps |
Shutter priority | ||
Aperture priority | ||
Expose Manually | ||
Exposure compensation | Yes | Yes |
Custom WB | ||
Image stabilization | ||
Inbuilt flash | ||
Flash distance | 3.00 m | no built-in flash |
Flash options | Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Manual | Off, Auto, Fill-flash, Slow Sync, Rear Sync, Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync |
External flash | ||
AEB | ||
White balance 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) | 3840 x 2160 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1920 x 1080 (60p, 60i, 24p), 1440 x 1080 (30p), 640 x 480 (30p) |
Max video resolution | 640x480 | 3840x2160 |
Video data format | Motion JPEG | MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC S |
Mic support | ||
Headphone support | ||
Connectivity | ||
Wireless | None | Built-In |
Bluetooth | ||
NFC | ||
HDMI | ||
USB | USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) | USB 3.1 Gen 1(5 GBit/sec) |
GPS | None | None |
Physical | ||
Environment sealing | ||
Water proofing | ||
Dust proofing | ||
Shock proofing | ||
Crush proofing | ||
Freeze proofing | ||
Weight | 190 grams (0.42 lb) | 657 grams (1.45 lb) |
Physical dimensions | 109 x 59 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.3") | 127 x 96 x 74mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.9") |
DXO scores | ||
DXO Overall rating | not tested | 100 |
DXO Color Depth rating | not tested | 26.0 |
DXO Dynamic range rating | not tested | 14.7 |
DXO Low light rating | not tested | 3523 |
Other | ||
Battery life | 390 pictures | 650 pictures |
Battery style | Battery Pack | Battery Pack |
Battery ID | DB65 | NP-FZ100 |
Self timer | Yes (2 or 10 sec) | Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures)) |
Time lapse recording | ||
Type of storage | SD/SDHC, Internal | Two SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II support on one) |
Card slots | 1 | 2 |
Cost at release | $599 | $2,800 |