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Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony RX100

Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
47
Overall
39
Ricoh GR Digital IV front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 front
Portability
91
Imaging
50
Features
68
Overall
57

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony RX100 Key Specs

Ricoh GR Digital IV
(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
  • Introduced September 2011
  • Succeeded the Ricoh GR Digital III
Sony RX100
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - 1" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-100mm (F1.8-4.9) lens
  • 240g - 102 x 58 x 36mm
  • Launched August 2012
  • Updated by Sony RX100 II
Photography Glossary

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony RX100 Overview

Lets look a little more in depth at the Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony RX100, former is a Small Sensor Compact while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by competitors Ricoh and Sony. There is a considerable difference among the resolutions of the GR Digital IV (10MP) and RX100 (20MP) and the GR Digital IV (1/1.7") and RX100 (1") have totally different sensor dimensions.

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The GR Digital IV was announced 11 months prior to the RX100 so they are of a similar age. Both the cameras feature different body design with the Ricoh GR Digital IV being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight to a thorough comparison, here is a concise overview of how the GR Digital IV grades versus the RX100 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh GR Digital IV over the Sony RX100

 GR Digital IV RX100 
Display resolution1230k1229kCrisper display (+1k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony RX100 over the Ricoh GR Digital IV

 RX100 GR Digital IV 
LaunchedAugust 2012September 2011More modern by 11 months

Common features in the Ricoh GR Digital IV and Sony RX100

 GR Digital IV RX100 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display size3"3"Same display sizing
Selfie screen Neither includes selfie screen
Touch display Neither includes Touch display

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony RX100 Physical Comparison

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera frequently, you will want to think about its weight and size. The Ricoh GR Digital IV features outer measurements of 109mm x 59mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 190 grams (0.42 lbs) whilst the Sony RX100 has specifications of 102mm x 58mm x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 240 grams (0.53 lbs).

Take a look at the Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony RX100 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are working with at the time. Here is a front view size comparison of the GR Digital IV vs the RX100.

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony RX100 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the GR Digital IV and RX100 is 92 and 91 respectively.

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony RX100 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony RX100 Sensor Comparison

Usually, it can be hard to envision the gap in sensor sizes only by viewing technical specs. The picture here might offer you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the GR Digital IV and RX100.

As you have seen, the two cameras feature different resolutions and different sensor sizes. The GR Digital IV with its smaller sensor will make shooting shallow depth of field harder and the Sony RX100 will render extra detail with its extra 10 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also help you crop images way more aggressively. The more aged GR Digital IV will be behind with regard to sensor innovation.

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony RX100 sensor size comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony RX100 Screen and ViewFinder

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

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV Portrait photography highlights
Sony RX100 Portrait photography highlights
41
has manual focus
delivers RAW files
low MP (10MP)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
64
has manual focus
high flash sync speed (1/2,000s)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
comes with face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
external flash not possible
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Ricoh GR Digital IV
Street photography with Sony RX100
65
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW files
fixed screen
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
79
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor size is good (1")
delivers RAW formats
lighter than average (240g)
above average high ISO (25,600)
screen is fixed
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV Sports photography factors
Sony RX100 Sports photography factors
34
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good battery life (390 CIPA)
can't change focal length (28mm)
low MP (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
lack of phase detect AF
65
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20 megapixels)
sensor size is good (1")
comes with tracking focus
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV Travel photography details
Sony RX100 Travel photography details
67
good battery life (390 shots)
has built in flash
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
low MP (10 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
79
lighter than average (240g)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
has built in flash
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV Landscape photography highlights
Sony RX100 Landscape photography highlights
53
has manual focus
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
pretty good screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
delivers RAW files
good battery life (390 per charge)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
can't change focal length (28mm)
low MP (10 megapixels)
very small sensor size (1/1.7")
74
has manual focus
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
screen is a decent size (3 inches)
has image stabilization (Optical)
sensor resolution is decent (20MP)
sensor size is good (1")
above average high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV Vlogging information
Sony RX100 Vlogging information
29
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
does not contain selfie friendly screen
video resolution low (640 x 480 pixels)
missing mic jack
38
reasonably wide (28mm)
fast maximum aperture (f1.8)
has image stabilization (Optical)
comes with face detect focusing
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average (240 grams)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have microphone socket
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Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony RX100 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh GR Digital IV and Sony RX100
 Ricoh GR Digital IVSony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
General Information
Brand Ricoh Sony
Model type Ricoh GR Digital IV Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100
Type Small Sensor Compact Large Sensor Compact
Introduced 2011-09-15 2012-08-28
Physical type Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/1.7" 1"
Sensor measurements 7.44 x 5.58mm 13.2 x 8.8mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 116.2mm²
Sensor resolution 10MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Highest Possible resolution 3648 x 2736 5472 x 3648
Maximum native ISO 3200 25600
Minimum native ISO 80 100
RAW photos
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Autofocus center weighted
Autofocus multi area
Live view autofocus
Face detection focus
Contract detection focus
Phase detection focus
Total focus points - 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28mm (1x) 28-100mm (3.6x)
Highest aperture f/1.9 f/1.8-4.9
Macro focusing distance 1cm 5cm
Crop factor 4.8 2.7
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 3"
Resolution of screen 1,230 thousand dots 1,229 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen tech - WhiteMagic TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 1s 30s
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000s 1/2000s
Continuous shutter rate - 10.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.00 m -
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Manual Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/2000s
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 fps), 1440 x 1080 (30 fps), 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Maximum video resolution 640x480 1920x1080
Video format Motion JPEG MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone 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 proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 190g (0.42 lb) 240g (0.53 lb)
Physical dimensions 109 x 59 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.3") 102 x 58 x 36mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.4")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating not tested 66
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 22.6
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 12.4
DXO Low light rating not tested 390
Other
Battery life 390 images 330 images
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID DB65 NP-BX1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 sec) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse shooting With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC, Internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 1
Price at release $599 $448