Ricoh WG-20 vs Sony NEX-C3

Its time to look more in depth at the Ricoh WG-20 and Sony NEX-C3, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by rivals Ricoh and Sony. The resolution of the WG-20 (14MP) and the NEX-C3 (16MP) is fairly close but the WG-20 (1/2.3") and NEX-C3 (APS-C) have different sensor sizing.

Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

The WG-20 was manufactured 2 years later than the NEX-C3 and that is a fairly significant difference as far as camera tech is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Ricoh WG-20 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-C3 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a more detailed comparison, here is a short highlight of how the WG-20 grades versus the NEX-C3 in regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Ricoh WG-20 & Sony Alpha NEX-C3. The entire galleries are viewable at Ricoh WG-20 Gallery & Sony NEX-C3 Gallery.

If you are looking to lug around your camera often, you are going to need to factor in its weight and measurements. The Ricoh WG-20 enjoys outside dimensions of 114mm x 58mm x 28mm (4.5" x 2.3" x 1.1") having a weight of 164 grams (0.36 lbs) whilst the Sony NEX-C3 has proportions of 110mm x 60mm x 33mm (4.3" x 2.4" x 1.3") with a weight of 225 grams (0.50 lbs).

Take a look at the Ricoh WG-20 and Sony NEX-C3 in our completely new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you have at that time. Following is a front view size comparison of the WG-20 compared to the NEX-C3.

Using size and weight, the portability score of the WG-20 and NEX-C3 is 93 and 91 respectively.

Oftentimes, its hard to visualize the gap in sensor measurements simply by looking through specs. The photograph below will help provide you a better sense of the sensor dimensions in the WG-20 and NEX-C3.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras have different megapixels and different sensor measurements. The WG-20 featuring a smaller sensor is going to make achieving bokeh more challenging and the Sony NEX-C3 will result in more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop photos a bit more aggressively. The more recent WG-20 provides a benefit when it comes to sensor technology.