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Ricoh GR II vs Sony a3500

Portability
89
Imaging
59
Features
55
Overall
57
Ricoh GR II front
 
Sony Alpha a3500 front
Portability
69
Imaging
63
Features
54
Overall
59

Ricoh GR II vs Sony a3500 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
  • Earlier Model is Ricoh GR
Sony a3500
(Full Review)
  • 20MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 16000
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 411g - 128 x 91 x 85mm
  • Released March 2014
  • Superseded the Sony A3000
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Ricoh GR II vs Sony a3500 Overview

Below, we are evaluating the Ricoh GR II and Sony a3500, one is a Large Sensor Compact and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Ricoh and Sony. The resolution of the GR II (16MP) and the a3500 (20MP) is very close and they enjoy the exact same sensor sizes (APS-C).

Photography Glossary

The GR II was announced 16 months after the a3500 making the cameras a generation away from each other. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Ricoh GR II being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony a3500 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting straight into a complete comparison, below is a concise view of how the GR II grades vs the a3500 when considering portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh GR II over the Sony a3500

 GR II a3500 
ReleasedJune 2015March 2014More modern by 16 months
Display resolution1230k230kSharper display (+1000k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony a3500 over the Ricoh GR II

 a3500 GR II 

Common features in the Ricoh GR II and Sony a3500

 GR II a3500 
Manual focus More exact focus
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Display dimension3"3"Identical display dimensions
Selfie screen Missing selfie screen
Touch friendly display Missing Touch friendly display

Ricoh GR II vs Sony a3500 Physical Comparison

For anybody who is planning to carry around your camera, you are going to need to consider its weight and volume. The Ricoh GR II has got outer dimensions of 117mm x 63mm x 35mm (4.6" x 2.5" x 1.4") accompanied by a weight of 251 grams (0.55 lbs) while the Sony a3500 has sizing of 128mm x 91mm x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3") having a weight of 411 grams (0.91 lbs).

Check out the Ricoh GR II and Sony a3500 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you select at that moment. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the GR II compared to the a3500.

Ricoh GR II vs Sony a3500 size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the GR II and a3500 is 89 and 69 respectively.

Ricoh GR II vs Sony a3500 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh GR II vs Sony a3500 Sensor Comparison

In many cases, it is very tough to envision the gap in sensor sizes simply by viewing a spec sheet. The image here should offer you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the GR II and a3500.

Clearly, each of the cameras posses the exact same sensor measurements but not the same resolution. You should expect to see the Sony a3500 to render more detail with its extra 4MP. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The younger GR II will have an advantage when it comes to sensor tech.

Ricoh GR II vs Sony a3500 sensor size comparison

Ricoh GR II vs Sony a3500 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh GR II vs Sony a3500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh GR II Portrait photography advice
Sony a3500 Portrait photography advice
75
you can focus manually
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports face detection focus
saves RAW files
77
you can focus manually
decent MP (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes face detection focus
supports RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Ricoh GR II
Street photography with Sony a3500
74
sensor size is good (APS-C)
saves RAW files
lighter than average (251 grams)
good high ISO (25,600)
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
57
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
heavier than competition in class (411 grams)
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh GR II as a Sports photography camera
Sony a3500 as a Sports photography camera
50
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
supports tracking autofocus
focal length is fixed (28mm)
low fps (4.0 fps)
no image stabilization
does not have phase detect auto focus
60
decent MP (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
includes tracking autofocus
better than average battery pack (470 per charge)
max frames per second low (4.0 frames per second)
no image stabilization
lack of phase detect auto focus
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh GR II Travel photography features
Sony a3500 Travel photography features
67
lighter than average (251 grams)
decent megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
doesn't have Timelapse recording
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
60
better than average battery pack (470 per charge)
decent MP (20MP)
built-in flash
does not have Time Lapse function
heavier than competition in class (411g)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh GR II Landscape photography information
Sony a3500 Landscape photography information
59
you can focus manually
screen size is good (3 inches)
decent megapixels (16 megapixels)
sensor size is good (APS-C)
good high ISO (25,600)
saves RAW files
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
focal length is fixed (28mm)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
no image stabilization
doesn't have Timelapse recording
70
you can focus manually
swap lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3 inches)
decent MP (20 megapixels)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports RAW formats
better than average battery pack (470 per charge)
no image stabilization
does not have Time Lapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh GR II as a Vlogging camera
Sony a3500 as a Vlogging camera
32
supports face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
lighter than average (251g)
sluggish maximum aperture (f2.8)
doesn't have selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
doesn't have external microphone jack
26
includes face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 resolution)
does not offer selfie friendly screen
no image stabilization
does not have external mic support
heavier than competition in class (411 grams)
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Ricoh GR II vs Sony a3500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh GR II and Sony a3500
 Ricoh GR IISony Alpha a3500
General Information
Make Ricoh Sony
Model type Ricoh GR II Sony Alpha a3500
Class Large Sensor Compact Entry-Level Mirrorless
Launched 2015-06-17 2014-03-21
Physical type Large Sensor Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by GR Engine V BIONZ image
Sensor type CMOS CMOS
Sensor size APS-C APS-C
Sensor dimensions 23.7 x 15.7mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 372.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16MP 20MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 3:2 3:2 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4928 x 3264 5456 x 3632
Highest native ISO 25600 16000
Minimum native ISO 100 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch to focus
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
Selective AF
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 28mm (1x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.8-16.0 -
Macro focusing distance 10cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 1.5 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Screen diagonal 3" 3"
Screen resolution 1,230 thousand dots 230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Screen technology - TFT LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type Optical (optional) Electronic
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.47x
Features
Min shutter speed 300 seconds 30 seconds
Max shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 4.0 frames per sec 4.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation Yes Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 3.00 m (at Auto ISO) 6.00 m (at ISO200 / 4m at ISO100)
Flash settings Auto, Flash On, Flash Synchro., Manual Flash, Red-Eye Flash Auto, Red-Eye Flash On, Red-Eye Flash Synchro, Wireless Flash off, Auto flash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync.
External flash
AEB
White balance bracketing
Max flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
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) 1920 x 1080
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1920x1080
Video file format MPEG-4, H.264 AVCHD, H.264
Mic support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless Built-In 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 251 gr (0.55 lbs) 411 gr (0.91 lbs)
Dimensions 117 x 63 x 35mm (4.6" x 2.5" x 1.4") 128 x 91 x 85mm (5.0" x 3.6" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating 80 not tested
DXO Color Depth rating 23.6 not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating 13.7 not tested
DXO Low light rating 1078 not tested
Other
Battery life 320 shots 470 shots
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID DB-65 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes Yes (2-sec. or 10-sec. delay)
Time lapse recording
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC -
Card slots 1 1
Launch pricing $599 $398