Clicky

Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony A500

Portability
93
Imaging
38
Features
36
Overall
37
Ricoh WG-20 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A500 front
Portability
63
Imaging
52
Features
52
Overall
52

Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony A500 Key Specs

Ricoh WG-20
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 6400
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 164g - 114 x 58 x 28mm
  • Introduced February 2014
Sony A500
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 630g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Revealed August 2009
  • Successor is Sony A560
Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony A500 Overview

Lets look a little more closely at the Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony A500, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by competitors Ricoh and Sony. The image resolution of the WG-20 (14MP) and the A500 (12MP) is very similar but the WG-20 (1/2.3") and A500 (APS-C) use different sensor sizes.

Snapchat Adds Watermarks to AI-Created Images

The WG-20 was launched 4 years after the A500 which is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of the cameras come with different body type with the Ricoh WG-20 being a Compact camera and the Sony A500 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before going through a comprehensive comparison, below is a simple highlight of how the WG-20 scores vs the A500 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide
	
	

Reasons to pick Ricoh WG-20 over the Sony A500

 WG-20 A500 
RevealedFebruary 2014August 2009More modern by 55 months

Reasons to pick Sony A500 over the Ricoh WG-20

 A500 WG-20 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display dimension3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")

Common features in the Ricoh WG-20 and Sony A500

 WG-20 A500 
Manually focus Very precise focusing
Display resolution230k230kSame display resolution
Selfie screen Neither provides selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither provides Touch friendly display

Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony A500 Physical Comparison

For those who are aiming to carry around your camera often, you have to think about its weight and volume. The Ricoh WG-20 provides outer measurements of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") along with a weight of 164 grams (0.36 lbs) while the Sony A500 has sizing of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") and a weight of 630 grams (1.39 lbs).

Contrast the Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony A500 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an ILC will differ based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Following is the front view measurement comparison of the WG-20 vs the A500.

Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony A500 size comparison

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the WG-20 and A500 is 93 and 63 respectively.

Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony A500 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony A500 Sensor Comparison

Normally, it is very difficult to visualize the gap between sensor sizes just by going over a spec sheet. The picture below will give you a more clear sense of the sensor sizing in the WG-20 and A500.

Clearly, both cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor sizes. The WG-20 due to its tinier sensor is going to make achieving bokeh harder and the Ricoh WG-20 will offer more detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also allow you to crop images somewhat more aggressively. The more modern WG-20 provides an edge when it comes to sensor innovation.

Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony A500 sensor size comparison

Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony A500 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony A500 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
Photography Glossary

Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh WG-20 Portrait photography info
Sony A500 Portrait photography info
39
focusing manually
decent MP (14 megapixels)
includes face detection autofocus
no manual control
external flash not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
63
you can focus manually
nice sensor size (APS-C)
offers face detection focusing
saves RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
Photobucket discusses licensing 13 billion images with AI firms

Street Comparison

Street photography with Ricoh WG-20
Street photography with Sony A500
62
image stabilization (Digital)
weather proofing
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
74
has a tilting screen
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
President Biden pushes bill mandating TikTok sale or ban

Sports Comparison

Ricoh WG-20 Sports photography info
Sony A500 Sports photography info
44
image stabilization (Digital)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
includes tracking autofocus
weather proofing
slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have phase detect autofocus
51
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
sensor has phase detect AF
slow continuous shooting (5.0 frames per second)
low megapixels (12 megapixels)
not so great battery (520 shots)
Apple Innovates by Creating Next-Level Optical Stabilization for iPhone

Travel Comparison

Ricoh WG-20 Travel photography details
Sony A500 Travel photography details
71
weather proofing
decent MP (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
rather wide (28mm)
screen is not selfie friendly
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
43
has built in flash
lack of Timelapse function
not so great battery (520 shots)
low megapixels (12MP)
doesn't feature selfie friendly screen
Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Ricoh WG-20
Landscape photography with Sony A500
47
focusing manually
rather wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Digital)
decent MP (14 megapixels)
weather proofing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
tiny screen (2.7")
no manual control
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
60
you can focus manually
change lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
decent sized screen (3 inch)
built in image stabilization (Sensor based)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
saves RAW formats
low megapixels (12MP)
not so great battery (520 shots)
lack of Timelapse function
Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh WG-20 Vlogging advice
Sony A500 Vlogging advice
30
rather wide (28mm)
image stabilization (Digital)
includes face detection autofocus
slow maximum aperture (f3.5)
screen is not selfie friendly
low res video (1280 x 720 pixels)
no external microphone support
9
can't record video
Sora from OpenAI releases its first ever music video

Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony A500 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh WG-20 and Sony A500
 Ricoh WG-20Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
General Information
Company Ricoh Sony
Model type Ricoh WG-20 Sony Alpha DSLR-A500
Class Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2014-02-05 2009-08-27
Body design Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type CCD CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.5 x 15.6mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 366.6mm²
Sensor resolution 14 megapixel 12 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Maximum resolution 4288 x 3216 4272 x 2848
Maximum native ISO 6400 12800
Lowest native ISO 80 200
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
AF touch
AF continuous
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens zoom range 28-140mm (5.0x) -
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.5 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1.5
Screen
Range of screen Fixed Type Tilting
Screen diagonal 2.7" 3"
Resolution of screen 230 thousand dot 230 thousand dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Screen tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/1500 secs 1/4000 secs
Continuous shooting speed 1.0 frames per sec 5.0 frames per sec
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 4.00 m (Auto ISO) 12.00 m
Flash options Auto, flash off, flash on, auto + redeye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash sync - 1/160 secs
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1280 x 720 (30p, 15p), 640 x 480 (30p, 15p), 320 x 240 (30p, 15p) -
Maximum video resolution 1280x720 None
Video format Motion JPEG -
Microphone input
Headphone input
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 164g (0.36 lb) 630g (1.39 lb)
Dimensions 114 x 58 x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested 64
DXO Color Depth rating not tested 21.8
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested 11.6
DXO Low light rating not tested 772
Other
Battery life 260 pictures 520 pictures
Form of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI92 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse recording
Storage media SD/SDHC/SDXC, internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Storage slots 1 1
Launch cost $370 $638