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Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S950

Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
47
Overall
39
Ricoh GR Digital IV front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950 front
Portability
94
Imaging
33
Features
17
Overall
26

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S950 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
  • Released September 2011
  • Previous Model is Ricoh GR Digital III
Sony S950
(Full Review)
  • 10MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • 33-132mm (F3.3-5.2) lens
  • 167g - 93 x 56 x 24mm
  • Launched February 2009
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Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S950 Overview

Here is a comprehensive review of the Ricoh GR Digital IV and Sony S950, both Small Sensor Compact digital cameras by manufacturers Ricoh and Sony. The image resolution of the GR Digital IV (10MP) and the S950 (10MP) is pretty well matched but the GR Digital IV (1/1.7") and S950 (1/2.3") enjoy different sensor dimensions.

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The GR Digital IV was manufactured 2 years later than the S950 and that is quite a sizable difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer the identical body type (Compact).

Before getting through a comprehensive comparison, below is a concise synopsis of how the GR Digital IV scores against the S950 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Ricoh GR Digital IV over the Sony S950

 GR Digital IV S950 
LaunchedSeptember 2011February 2009Fresher by 32 months
Screen sizing3"2.7"Bigger screen (+0.3")
Screen resolution1230k230kClearer screen (+1000k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S950 over the Ricoh GR Digital IV

 S950 GR Digital IV 

Common features in the Ricoh GR Digital IV and Sony S950

 GR Digital IV S950 
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch screen No Touch screen

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S950 Physical Comparison

If you are looking to carry your camera frequently, you will want to take into account its weight and volume. The Ricoh GR Digital IV provides outside dimensions of 109mm x 59mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.3") with a weight of 190 grams (0.42 lbs) while the Sony S950 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

See the Ricoh GR Digital IV and Sony S950 in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary depending on the lens you are utilizing during that time. Below is the front view size comparison of the GR Digital IV vs the S950.

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S950 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability rating of the GR Digital IV and S950 is 92 and 94 respectively.

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S950 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S950 Sensor Comparison

Generally, its tough to visualize the contrast between sensor sizing purely by reading through specifications. The photograph below may give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the GR Digital IV and S950.

To sum up, both the cameras enjoy the same exact resolution albeit different sensor sizing. The GR Digital IV provides the bigger sensor which will make getting shallow DOF less difficult. The more recent GR Digital IV provides an edge when it comes to sensor technology.

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S950 sensor size comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S950 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S950 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV Portrait photography information
Sony S950 Portrait photography information
41
you can focus manually
supports RAW formats
sensor resolution low (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
26
you can focus manually
no manual control
external flash not possible
low megapixels (10MP)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Ricoh GR Digital IV
Street photography with Sony S950
65
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
screen is fixed
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
56
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
no moving screen
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV Sports photography factors
Sony S950 Sports photography factors
34
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
better than average battery pack (390 shots)
can't change focal length (28mm)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
no phase detect AF
24
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
slow fps (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV as a Travel photography camera
Sony S950 as a Travel photography camera
67
better than average battery pack (390 shots)
flash built-in
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
sensor resolution low (10 megapixels)
does not contain selfie friendly display
50
has built in flash
missing Timelapse function
low megapixels (10MP)
does not have a selfie friendly screen
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV Landscape photography advice
Sony S950 Landscape photography advice
53
you can focus manually
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
pretty good screen size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
supports RAW formats
better than average battery pack (390 shots)
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
can't change focal length (28mm)
sensor resolution low (10MP)
tiny sensor size (1/1.7")
31
you can focus manually
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not great (33mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
screen is small (2.7 inch)
no manual control
low megapixels (10 megapixels)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
missing Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV Vlogging details
Sony S950 Vlogging details
29
good maximum aperture (f1.9)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
does not contain selfie friendly display
low res video (640 x 480 pxls)
lack of mic jack
9
no video
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Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S950 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh GR Digital IV and Sony S950
 Ricoh GR Digital IVSony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
General Information
Company Ricoh Sony
Model Ricoh GR Digital IV Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S950
Class Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Released 2011-09-15 2009-02-17
Physical type Compact Compact
Sensor Information
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 10MP 10MP
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Lowest native ISO 80 80
RAW data
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Autofocus center weighted
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Number of focus points - 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28mm (1x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Max aperture f/1.9 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focus distance 1cm 10cm
Crop factor 4.8 5.8
Screen
Type of screen Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 2.7"
Screen resolution 1,230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (optional) None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 1 secs 2 secs
Fastest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shutter rate - 1.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes -
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt 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) -
Max video resolution 640x480 None
Video data format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Microphone port
Headphone port
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 sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 190g (0.42 lbs) 167g (0.37 lbs)
Dimensions 109 x 59 x 33mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.3") 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
Battery life 390 shots -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery model DB65 -
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
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $599 $130