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Ricoh GR II vs Sony A9

Portability
89
Imaging
59
Features
55
Overall
57
Ricoh GR II front
 
Sony Alpha A9 front
Portability
65
Imaging
73
Features
93
Overall
81

Ricoh GR II vs Sony A9 Key Specs

Ricoh GR II
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28mm (F2.8-16.0) lens
  • 251g - 117 x 63 x 35mm
  • Launched June 2015
  • Superseded the Ricoh GR
Sony A9
(Full Review)
  • 24MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 100 - 51200 (Boost to 204800)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 673g - 127 x 96 x 63mm
  • Launched April 2017
  • Newer Model is Sony A9 II
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Ricoh GR II vs Sony A9 Overview

Its time to take a more detailed look at the Ricoh GR II and Sony A9, one being a Large Sensor Compact and the other is a Pro Mirrorless by rivals Ricoh and Sony. There exists a big gap between the resolutions of the GR II (16MP) and A9 (24MP) and the GR II (APS-C) and A9 (Full frame) come with different sensor sizing.

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The GR II was revealed 22 months earlier than the A9 making the cameras a generation apart from one another. Both cameras come with different body type with the Ricoh GR II being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony A9 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go in to a detailed comparison, below is a concise overview of how the GR II grades vs the A9 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh GR II over the Sony A9

 GR II A9 

Reasons to pick Sony A9 over the Ricoh GR II

 A9 GR II 
LaunchedApril 2017June 2015Fresher by 22 months
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution1440k1230kCrisper display (+210k dot)
Touch friendly display Easily navigate

Common features in the Ricoh GR II and Sony A9

 GR II A9 
Manually focus More accurate focus
Display dimension3"3"Identical display measurement
Selfie screen Neither has selfie screen

Ricoh GR II vs Sony A9 Physical Comparison

For those who are planning to carry your camera, you are going to need to think about its weight and measurements. The Ricoh GR II has outer dimensions of 117mm x 63mm x 35mm (4.6" x 2.5" x 1.4") and a weight of 251 grams (0.55 lbs) whilst the Sony A9 has proportions of 127mm x 96mm x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5") and a weight of 673 grams (1.48 lbs).

See the Ricoh GR II and Sony A9 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you have chosen at that time. Underneath is the front view dimension comparison of the GR II versus the A9.

Ricoh GR II vs Sony A9 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the GR II and A9 is 89 and 65 respectively.

Ricoh GR II vs Sony A9 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh GR II vs Sony A9 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it can be tough to picture the difference between sensor sizing merely by reading through a spec sheet. The graphic below will help offer you a greater sense of the sensor sizes in the GR II and A9.

As you can see, each of these cameras have got different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The GR II with its tinier sensor is going to make achieving shallower depth of field trickier and the Sony A9 will resolve extra detail because of its extra 8 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also let you crop images much more aggressively. The older GR II is going to be disadvantaged in sensor technology.

Ricoh GR II vs Sony A9 sensor size comparison

Ricoh GR II vs Sony A9 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh GR II vs Sony A9 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh GR II Portrait photography advice
Sony A9 Portrait photography advice
75
you can focus manually
decent MP (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has face detect focusing
delivers RAW formats
83
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
comes with face detection focusing
exports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Ricoh GR II Street photography highlights
Sony A9 Street photography highlights
74
decent sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW formats
lighter than average in class (251g)
good high ISO (25,600)
screen does not articulate
does not have image stabilization
79
screen tilts up and down
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
exports RAW formats
includes touch to focus
weather sealing
good high ISO (51,200)
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh GR II as a Sports photography camera
Sony A9 as a Sports photography camera
50
decent MP (16MP)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
has tracking focus
focal length is fixed (28mm)
painfully slow continuous shooting (4.0 frames/s)
does not have image stabilization
lacks phase detect AF
86
high shutter speed (1/8,000 seconds)
silent shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
fast continuous shooting (20.0 frames/s)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
comes with tracking autofocus
weather sealing
great battery power (650 CIPA)
has phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh GR II Travel photography factors
Sony A9 Travel photography factors
67
lighter than average in class (251g)
decent MP (16MP)
flash built-in
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
screen is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
73
great battery power (650 CIPA)
weather sealing
supports bluetooth
includes touch to focus
decent megapixels (24MP)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Ricoh GR II
Landscape photography with Sony A9
59
you can focus manually
screen is a decent size (3")
decent MP (16 megapixels)
decent sensor size (APS-C)
good high ISO (25,600)
delivers RAW formats
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
focal length is fixed (28mm)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have Time Lapse mode
85
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
decent sized screen (3")
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
decent megapixels (24 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
good high ISO (51,200)
exports RAW formats
weather sealing
great battery power (650 CIPA)
has dual storage slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh GR II Vlogging features
Sony A9 Vlogging features
32
has face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
lighter than average in class (251 grams)
somewhat slow maximum aperture (f2.8)
screen is not selfie friendly
does not have image stabilization
doesn't have mic jack
36
touch screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
comes with face detection focusing
video res high (3840 x 2160 pxls)
has external mic jack
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
Photography Glossary

Ricoh GR II vs Sony A9 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh GR II and Sony A9
 Ricoh GR IISony Alpha A9
General Information
Brand Ricoh Sony
Model type Ricoh GR II Sony Alpha A9
Type Large Sensor Compact Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2015-06-17 2017-04-19
Body design Large Sensor Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by GR Engine V BIONZ X
Sensor type CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size APS-C Full frame
Sensor dimensions 23.7 x 15.7mm 35.6 x 23.8mm
Sensor surface area 372.1mm² 847.3mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 24 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Highest resolution 4928 x 3264 6000 x 4000
Highest native ISO 25600 51200
Highest boosted ISO - 204800
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW photos
Minimum boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Tracking autofocus
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Autofocus live view
Face detection autofocus
Contract detection autofocus
Phase detection autofocus
Total focus points 9 693
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 28mm (1x) -
Max aperture f/2.8-16.0 -
Macro focusing distance 10cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Crop factor 1.5 1
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of screen 1,230k dot 1,440k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder Optical (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 3,686k dot
Viewfinder coverage - 100 percent
Viewfinder magnification - 0.78x
Features
Lowest shutter speed 300 secs 30 secs
Highest shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Highest silent shutter speed - 1/32000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 4.0 frames per second 20.0 frames per second
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual exposure
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 3.00 m (at Auto ISO) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, Flash On, Flash Synchro., Manual Flash, Red-Eye Flash Auto, Red-Eye Flash On, Red-Eye Flash Synchro, Wireless Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p, 25p, 24p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 50p, 30p, 25p, 24p), 640 x 480 (30p, 25p, 24p) -
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, H.264
Mic input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 251 grams (0.55 pounds) 673 grams (1.48 pounds)
Dimensions 117 x 63 x 35mm (4.6" x 2.5" x 1.4") 127 x 96 x 63mm (5.0" x 3.8" x 2.5")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating 80 92
DXO Color Depth rating 23.6 24.9
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.7 13.3
DXO Low light rating 1078 3517
Other
Battery life 320 photos 650 photos
Battery format Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID DB-65 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes Yes (2, 5, 10 secs + continuous)
Time lapse feature
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC Dual SD/SDHC/SDXC slots (UHS-II compatible)
Storage slots One Dual
Launch pricing $599 $4,498