Ricoh GXR P10 28-300mm F3.5-5.6 VC vs Sony RX100 VI

Comparing the Ricoh GXR P10 28-300mm F3.5-5.6 VC and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VI: An In-Depth Technical and Practical Analysis

Selecting the ideal camera can be a daunting task given the range of models available, each with distinct strengths tailored to specific photographic needs. This comparison delves into the Ricoh GXR P10 28-300mm F3.5-5.6 VC and the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 VI - two compact-focused cameras released nearly a decade apart with markedly different design philosophies and intended user groups. Drawing on extensive hands-on testing experience with both devices across multiple photography disciplines, this paper will dissect their technical architecture, usability, and real-world output to provide a comprehensive, unbiased evaluation.

1. Design, Ergonomics, and Physical Handling

The Ricoh GXR P10 is a rangefinder-style mirrorless model featuring a fixed lens with an unusually long zoom range (28-300mm equivalent). Its body measures 114 x 58 x 50 mm and weighs 367 g. By contrast, the Sony RX100 VI is a large sensor compact camera with a considerably smaller footprint (102 x 58 x 43 mm) and lighter weight (301 g). This thinner profile and lower mass, combined with a smooth “pocketable” design, make the RX100 VI more ergonomic for prolonged handheld use and discreet shooting.

The Ricoh’s size advantage is less in pocketability and more about a familiar rangefinder grip and fixed lens approach, possibly benefiting users accustomed to traditional manual focusing controls. It lacks the tilting touchscreen found on the Sony, instead featuring a fixed, non-touch 3” LCD. The Sony’s touchscreen and tilting mechanism enhance usability for shooting at unconventional angles and quick focus adjustments via tapping.

Build quality on both cameras is typical of their classes - no environmental sealing or ruggedization is present, limiting their utility in extreme weather. The Ricoh’s somewhat utilitarian finish contrasts with the Sony’s more polished, premium feel.

The top plate layout differs significantly, with the Sony accommodating a pop-up electronic viewfinder (EVF) with a high resolution of 2359 dots, aiding composition in bright ambient light. The Ricoh offers an optional EVF attachment with no info on resolution, appearing less integrated and practical. Control schemes reflect the Sony’s more modern interface with more programmable buttons and a multifunction dial, aiding speed and adaptability during shooting.

2. Sensor Technology and Image Quality

The fundamental difference in image capture capability resides in their sensors:

• Ricoh GXR P10: Uses a 1/2.3" BSI-CMOS sensor with 10 megapixels (3648 x 2736). Sensor dimensions measure approximately 6.17 x 4.55 mm (28.07 mm²).

• Sony RX100 VI: Features a 1" BSI-CMOS sensor with 20 megapixels (5472 x 3648). Sensor dimensions are 13.2 x 8.8 mm (116.16 mm²).

The Sony’s sensor is over four times the area of the Ricoh’s, inherently enabling a higher signal-to-noise ratio, greater dynamic range, and improved low-light performance. Practically, this means the RX100 VI produces cleaner images with finer detail and richer tonality, especially under challenging lighting.

The Sony also offers a broader native ISO range (125–12800, expandable to 80–25600) versus the Ricoh’s 100–3200 native ISO. This extended sensitivity range provides more flexibility for high ISO shooting with acceptable noise performance.

Image resolution of 20MP versus 10MP translates into much greater cropping latitude and large print potential for the Sony. The Ricoh’s lower resolution and smaller sensor result in a more limited ability to render fine texture or large-format prints without loss of detail.

Both cameras support RAW capture, but the Sony’s processor (Bionz X) offers more advanced noise reduction and detail enhancement algorithms than the older Ricoh Smooth Imaging Engine IV.

3. Lens and Optical Performance

The Ricoh’s fixed lens features a staggering telephoto reach from 28mm up to 300mm equivalent with an aperture range of F3.5-5.6, inclusive of sensor-shift image stabilization. This extended zoom can be attractive for wildlife or travel photographers prioritizing flexibility in focal lengths without interchanging optics.

Conversely, the Sony RX100 VI employs a high-quality 24-200mm equivalent zoom with a brighter variable maximum aperture of F2.8-4.5 and optical image stabilization. The wider aperture at the wide end improves low-light shooting and depth-of-field control, while telephoto reach - though somewhat less extensive than Ricoh’s - is still very usable for portraits and distant subjects.

In testing, the Sony lens exhibits excellent sharpness across the zoom range with minimal distortion and chromatic aberrations, whereas the Ricoh’s long zoom ratio understandably results in somewhat softer edges at the telephoto end.

4. Autofocus System and Speed

Autofocus capabilities reveal a stark contrast between these cameras:

• Ricoh GXR P10: Employs contrast-detection AF only, with no continuous AF, face detection, or tracking. There is no phase detection, resulting in slower focus acquisition and difficulty maintaining focus on moving subjects.

• Sony RX100 VI: Offers a hybrid AF system combining phase-detection and contrast detection with 315 focus points, face and eye detection, continuous AF, AF tracking, touch-to-focus, and AF area selection.

The Sony’s AF system is substantially more sophisticated and responsive, easily locking focus on fast-moving subjects for wildlife, sports, and street photography. In practical shooting, the RX100 VI demonstrated immediate and accurate autofocus with minimal hunting even in low light, while the Ricoh showed sluggish and sometimes erratic behavior.

Continuous shooting speeds reflect these technological differences - Sony can capture up to 24 fps (frames per second) with autofocus tracking, enabling action photography, whereas Ricoh is limited to 5 fps with single AF.

5. User Interface and Rear LCD

The Ricoh is equipped with a 3” fixed LCD panel with 920k dot resolution and no touch functionality. By contrast, the Sony sports a 3” tilting touchscreen with 1229k dots, providing a more modern and intuitive interface.

The Sony’s touchscreen supports touch focus, touch shutter, and easy menu navigation - especially advantageous during candid or street shooting when quick adjustments are necessary. The tilt mechanism enables comfortable framing for low-angle or overhead shots, a feature absent in the Ricoh.

Lacking an eyepiece or built-in EVF by default, the Ricoh can be limiting in outdoor bright conditions, necessitating an optional, somewhat clunky EVF accessory. The Sony’s integrated EVF with 100% coverage and high resolution greatly enhances compositional accuracy and stability in challenging light.

Flash options differ as well; the Ricoh has a built-in flash with a 4.5m range and supports external flash units but lacks sophisticated wireless control modes, whereas the Sony’s built-in flash (5.9m range) offers no external shoe but automated flash modes integrated with the camera’s exposure systems.

6. Video Capabilities

Video recording on the Ricoh is limited to 1280 x 720 pixels at 30fps in Motion JPEG format, which is outdated by contemporary standards. There is no microphone input, headphone jack, or advanced video features.

The Sony RX100 VI, on the other hand, records 4K UHD video at 30 fps with high bitrates (up to 100 Mbps) in modern XAVC S format supporting H.264 compression, along with full HD 1080p at up to 120 fps for slow-motion. A built-in stereo microphone is available but no external mic input or headphone monitoring.

The RX100 VI offers better video image quality, sharper footage, improved autofocus during video, and advanced exposure control, making it a viable tool for multimedia creators.

7. Battery Life and Storage

The Ricoh GXR P10 can capture approximately 440 shots per battery charge using its proprietary battery pack, which is commendable given its age and sensor size.

The Sony RX100 VI offers fewer shots per charge - around 240 images - as is common with denser electronics and high-resolution EVFs in compact cameras. Charging can be performed via USB, providing convenience for travel.

Storage-wise, the Ricoh supports SD/SDHC cards and internal memory, whereas the Sony accommodates SD/SDHC/SDXC and Sony Memory Stick formats.

8. Connectivity and Wireless Features

Connectivity is minimal on the Ricoh; it has USB 2.0 and HDMI ports but lacks wireless capabilities including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or NFC. This restricts immediate image transfer to smart devices and undermines remote control functionality.

In contrast, the Sony RX100 VI includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC for seamless integration with smartphones and tablets using Sony's official apps. This facilitates instant sharing and remote shooting, crucial for workflow flexibility in modern photography.

9. Performance Across Photography Genres

To contextualize these specifications, the cameras were subjected to practical tests spanning multiple photography categories:

Ricoh GXR P10 28 300mm F3.5 5.6 VC front Ricoh GXR P10 28 300mm F3.5 5.6 VC screen back Sony RX100 VI front

Portrait Photography
The Sony RX100 VI excels in rendering lifelike skin tones with good dynamic range and pleasing bokeh performance for an 1" sensor compact, augmented by eye-detection autofocus that ensures sharp focus on subjects. The Ricoh’s smaller sensor and slower lens results in flatter colors and limited background separation.

Landscape Photography
Wide-angle coverage (24mm vs 28mm) and higher resolution afford the Sony a significant edge, delivering detailed images with superior dynamic range critical in scenes with high contrast. The Ricoh’s sensor size and resolution hinder fine detail capture and shadow recovery.

Wildlife Photography
The Ricoh’s extended 300mm reach suggests an advantage, but its slow, contrast-only AF system and modest continuous shooting speed undermine success in capturing fast-moving animals. The Sony’s 200mm max zoom is shorter but balanced by rapid and precise AF and faster burst rates.

Sports Photography
The Sony’s fast hybrid AF, high fps shooting, and tracking capabilities enable the capture of rapid, unpredictable action with reliability. The Ricoh is unsuitable here given its slow AF and limited frame rates.

Street Photography
Sony’s compact, discreet design, silent electronic shutter option, and touchscreen offer tactical benefits. The Ricoh’s larger size and less flexible UI limit responsiveness and discretion.

Macro Photography
Macro focusing minimum distances are 1 cm (Ricoh) and 8 cm (Sony). While Ricoh can technically focus closer, magnification and image quality are suboptimal due to the sensor. Sony’s steadier image stabilization and sharper sensor output make for more detailed close-ups despite the longer minimum focus distance.

Night/Astro Photography
Sony’s versatile ISO range, low noise performance, manual exposure modes, and fast lens at the wide end enable superior night and astro shooting. Ricoh struggles due to sensor limitations and lower ISO ceiling.

Video Usage
Sony’s high-definition 4K video with advanced codecs and superior autofocus outclass the Ricoh, which remains limited to basic 720p recording.

Travel Photography
Sony balances exceptional image quality, compactness, and functionality well, though shorter zoom may disappoint users requiring extended reach. Ricoh delivers extended zoom in a small package but compromises on image quality and responsiveness.

Professional Workflow
Sony supports advanced RAW files well-integrated into contemporary editing pipelines. Ricoh’s older RAW formats and limited dynamic range constrain professional usages.

10. Price-to-Performance Analysis

The Ricoh GXR P10 commands a remarkably low price (~$147), appropriate for budget-conscious consumers wanting a superzoom with manual controls and RAW support but are willing to forgo responsiveness and image quality.

The Sony RX100 VI, positioned at approximately $1,200 on release and sustaining high resale value, targets serious enthusiasts and professionals needing high-quality results in a highly portable form factor, advanced AF, superior optics, and robust video capabilities.

Users must weigh whether the additional investment yields commensurate benefits for their intended uses.

Summary and Recommendations

Concluding Notes

While the Ricoh GXR P10 28-300mm F3.5-5.6 VC offers an intriguing superzoom concept paired with modest imaging hardware suited to beginner or casual shooting at a very accessible price, it cannot match the technical sophistication, image quality, or operational fluidity of the Sony RX100 VI. The Sony’s 1" sensor, robust hybrid autofocus system, refined optics, and video capabilities deliver a professional-grade experience in a pocketable design favored by enthusiasts and demanding photographers.

Investing in the RX100 VI equates to acquiring a camera capable of versatile duties across all common genres, whereas the Ricoh serves best as a supplemental or entry-level tool where cost and extreme zoom range are decisive factors.

Users should prioritize their photographic objectives, budget constraints, and usability preferences when choosing between these two distinctly different but noteworthy cameras.