Ricoh GR vs Sony NEX-3

Lets look closer at the Ricoh GR vs Sony NEX-3, one being a Large Sensor Compact and the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Ricoh and Sony. The image resolution of the GR (16MP) and the NEX-3 (14MP) is relatively close and both cameras offer the same sensor measurements (APS-C).

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The GR was brought out 2 years later than the NEX-3 and that is a fairly big gap as far as camera technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Ricoh GR being a Large Sensor Compact camera and the Sony NEX-3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a detailed comparison, here is a short introduction of how the GR scores vs the NEX-3 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery photos for Ricoh GR and Sony Alpha NEX-3. The entire galleries are available at Ricoh GR Gallery and Sony NEX-3 Gallery.

If you're looking to carry your camera often, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Ricoh GR offers outer dimensions of 117mm x 61mm x 35mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.4") along with a weight of 245 grams (0.54 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-3 has dimensions of 117mm x 62mm x 33mm (4.6" x 2.4" x 1.3") along with a weight of 297 grams (0.65 lbs).

Contrast the Ricoh GR vs Sony NEX-3 in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Bear in mind, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you use at that time. Following is a front view dimension comparison of the GR vs the NEX-3.

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the GR and NEX-3 is 90 and 89 respectively.

Typically, it is hard to see the gap in sensor sizing just by looking through technical specs. The visual here may provide you a greater sense of the sensor dimensions in the GR and NEX-3.

As you have seen, both the cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit not the same resolution. You should count on the Ricoh GR to render greater detail having its extra 2MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a bit more aggressively. The younger GR is going to have an advantage with regard to sensor innovation.