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Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S980

Portability
92
Imaging
35
Features
47
Overall
39
Ricoh GR Digital IV front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980 front
Portability
94
Imaging
34
Features
17
Overall
27

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S980 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
  • Superseded the Ricoh GR Digital III
Sony S980
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • 1280 x 720 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 S980 Overview

Its time to look a little more in depth at the Ricoh GR Digital IV versus Sony S980, both Small Sensor Compact cameras by manufacturers Ricoh and Sony. The sensor resolution of the GR Digital IV (10MP) and the S980 (12MP) is fairly close but the GR Digital IV (1/1.7") and S980 (1/2.3") provide different sensor measurements.

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The GR Digital IV was brought out 2 years after the S980 which is a fairly serious difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras feature the same body design (Compact).

Before delving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a brief highlight of how the GR Digital IV matches up versus the S980 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh GR Digital IV over the Sony S980

 GR Digital IV S980 
LaunchedSeptember 2011February 2009Newer by 32 months
Display size3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution1230k230kCrisper display (+1000k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony S980 over the Ricoh GR Digital IV

 S980 GR Digital IV 

Common features in the Ricoh GR Digital IV and Sony S980

 GR Digital IV S980 
Focus manually Very precise focusing
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen Neither offers selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither offers Touch friendly display

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S980 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to travel with your camera regularly, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Ricoh GR Digital IV offers physical dimensions of 109mm x 59mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.3" x 1.3") along with a weight of 190 grams (0.42 lbs) whilst the Sony S980 has dimensions of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") and a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Contrast the Ricoh GR Digital IV versus Sony S980 in our brand new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Keep in mind, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at the time. Underneath is a front view size comparison of the GR Digital IV vs the S980.

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S980 size comparison

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GR Digital IV and S980 is 92 and 94 respectively.

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S980 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S980 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very hard to visualize the contrast in sensor dimensions only by viewing a spec sheet. The pic underneath should provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the GR Digital IV and S980.

Clearly, the two cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The GR Digital IV due to its larger sensor is going to make achieving bokeh less difficult and the Sony S980 will render greater detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also enable you to crop images a good deal more aggressively. The fresher GR Digital IV should have a benefit when it comes to sensor innovation.

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S980 sensor size comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S980 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S980 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV Portrait photography advice
Sony S980 Portrait photography advice
41
manual focus
exports RAW formats
low MP (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
27
focusing manually
lack of manual exposure
no external flash support
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Street Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV as a Street photography camera
Sony S980 as a Street photography camera
65
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
fixed screen
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
47
fixed screen
no image stabilization
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Sports photography with Ricoh GR Digital IV
Sports photography with Sony S980
34
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
great battery power (390 per charge)
can't change focal length (28mm)
low MP (10 megapixels)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
lack of phase detect autofocus
17
continuous shooting slow (1.0 fps)
lack of shutter priority mode
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12MP)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV Travel photography highlights
Sony S980 Travel photography highlights
67
great battery power (390 CIPA)
has built in flash
very good max aperture (f1.9)
low MP (10MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
51
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse recording
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
wide angle not the best (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV Landscape photography features
Sony S980 Landscape photography features
53
manual focus
very good max aperture (f1.9)
pretty good screen size (3 inch)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
exports RAW formats
great battery power (390 per charge)
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
can't change focal length (28mm)
low MP (10MP)
sensor size is tiny (1/1.7")
27
focusing manually
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
wide angle not the best (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
tiny screen (2.7 inches)
lack of manual exposure
no image stabilization
sensor resolution low (12 megapixels)
small sensor (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW format
does not have Time Lapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh GR Digital IV as a Vlogging camera
Sony S980 as a Vlogging camera
29
very good max aperture (f1.9)
has image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
low res video (640 x 480 pixels)
lack of external mic port
22
wide angle not the best (33mm)
slow maximum aperture (f3.3)
doesn't posses selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
low video resolution (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have mic support
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Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony S980 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh GR Digital IV and Sony S980
 Ricoh GR Digital IVSony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
General Information
Company Ricoh Sony
Model type Ricoh GR Digital IV Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980
Category Small Sensor Compact Small Sensor Compact
Introduced 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 dimensions 7.44 x 5.58mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 41.5mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 10 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 3648 x 2736 4000 x 3000
Max native ISO 3200 3200
Minimum native ISO 80 80
RAW files
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
AF continuous
Single AF
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection focusing
Contract detection focusing
Phase detection focusing
Total focus points - 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 28mm (1x) 33-132mm (4.0x)
Max aperture f/1.9 f/3.3-5.2
Macro focusing distance 1cm 10cm
Focal length multiplier 4.8 5.8
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen sizing 3" 2.7"
Resolution of screen 1,230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (optional) None
Features
Lowest shutter speed 1 secs 2 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/2000 secs 1/1600 secs
Continuous shooting rate - 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation Yes -
Change WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.00 m 3.50 m
Flash modes Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, Manual Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye reduction, Slow Sync
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 640 x 480 (30, 15 fps), 320 x 240 (30, 15 fps) 1280 x 720 (30 fps) 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Max video resolution 640x480 1280x720
Video file format Motion JPEG Motion JPEG
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 190 gr (0.42 lb) 167 gr (0.37 lb)
Physical 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 All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 390 shots -
Battery style Battery Pack -
Battery ID 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 cost $599 $300