Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony A33

On this page, we are evaluating the Ricoh GR Digital IV versus Sony A33, one is a Small Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by rivals Ricoh and Sony. There is a sizeable difference among the sensor resolutions of the GR Digital IV (10MP) and A33 (14MP) and the GR Digital IV (1/1.7") and A33 (APS-C) have totally different sensor dimensions.

Photography Glossary

The GR Digital IV was launched 13 months after the A33 making them a generation away from each other. Both the cameras have different body design with the Ricoh GR Digital IV being a Compact camera and the Sony A33 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a complete comparison, here is a brief view of how the GR Digital IV matches up against the A33 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Ricoh GR Digital IV and Sony SLT-A33. The complete galleries are viewable at Ricoh GR Digital IV Gallery and Sony A33 Gallery.

If you are intending to carry around your camera often, you will want to factor in its weight and volume. The Ricoh GR Digital IV provides 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) while the Sony A33 has sizing of 124mm x 92mm x 85mm (4.9" x 3.6" x 3.3") accompanied by a weight of 500 grams (1.10 lbs).

Check out the Ricoh GR Digital IV versus Sony A33 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you select at the time. Below is a front view proportions comparison of the GR Digital IV compared to the A33.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the GR Digital IV and A33 is 92 and 67 respectively.

Often, it can be tough to visualise the gap in sensor sizes only by going through specs. The picture here will help give you a greater sense of the sensor measurements in the GR Digital IV and A33.

As you can plainly see, both cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The GR Digital IV featuring a smaller sensor will make getting shallower DOF trickier and the Sony A33 will produce more detail utilizing its extra 4 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop photos more aggressively. The newer GR Digital IV will have a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.