Ricoh GR III vs Sony S980

In this write-up, we will be reviewing the Ricoh GR III and Sony S980, former is a Large Sensor Compact while the latter is a Small Sensor Compact by companies Ricoh and Sony. There is a large difference between the image resolutions of the GR III (24MP) and S980 (12MP) and the GR III (APS-C) and S980 (1/2.3") come with totally different sensor size.

Photography Glossary

The GR III was revealed 9 years after the S980 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Ricoh GR III being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony S980 being a Compact camera.

Before going straight into a in depth comparison, below is a brief overview of how the GR III scores against the S980 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

This is a preview of the gallery images for Ricoh GR III & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S980. The full galleries are available at Ricoh GR III Gallery & Sony S980 Gallery.

For anybody who is aiming to travel with your camera regularly, you will want to consider its weight and volume. The Ricoh GR III has outer dimensions of 109mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 257 grams (0.57 lbs) whilst the Sony S980 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 24mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.9") along with a weight of 167 grams (0.37 lbs).

Compare the Ricoh GR III and Sony S980 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will change dependant on the lens you select during that time. Below is the front view dimension comparison of the GR III compared to the S980.

Taking into account size and weight, the portability rating of the GR III and S980 is 90 and 94 respectively.

Often, it can be tough to visualise the gap between sensor dimensions purely by going over specifications. The pic underneath might offer you a more clear sense of the sensor sizes in the GR III and S980.

To sum up, both the cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor dimensions. The GR III having a bigger sensor will make getting shallow depth of field less difficult and the Ricoh GR III will deliver more detail because of its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also make it easier to crop pictures a little more aggressively. The newer GR III is going to have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.