Ricoh WG-30 vs Samsung ST30

Below is a extended review of the Ricoh WG-30 versus Samsung ST30, one being a Waterproof and the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Ricoh and Samsung. There exists a sizeable gap among the sensor resolutions of the WG-30 (16MP) and ST30 (10MP) and the WG-30 (1/2.3") and ST30 (1/3") use totally different sensor size.

Pentax 17 Pre-Orders Outperform Expectations by a Landslide

The WG-30 was launched 3 years later than the ST30 and that is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras offer different body type with the Ricoh WG-30 being a Compact camera and the Samsung ST30 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight into a step-by-step comparison, below is a quick overview of how the WG-30 scores against the ST30 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Ricoh WG-30 and Samsung ST30. The complete galleries are available at Ricoh WG-30 Gallery and Samsung ST30 Gallery.

If you're going to lug around your camera often, you're going to have to take into account its weight and volume. The Ricoh WG-30 features exterior measurements of 123mm x 62mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") along with a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs) and the Samsung ST30 has sizing of 82mm x 52mm x 17mm (3.2" x 2.0" x 0.7") accompanied by a weight of 87 grams (0.19 lbs).

Examine the Ricoh WG-30 versus Samsung ST30 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change dependant on the lens you have attached during that time. Here is the front view over all size comparison of the WG-30 compared to the ST30.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability score of the WG-30 and ST30 is 91 and 98 respectively.

Normally, it can be hard to visualise the gap in sensor measurements purely by seeing a spec sheet. The visual below will help give you a better sense of the sensor measurements in the WG-30 and ST30.

As you can see, both of the cameras enjoy different resolutions and different sensor measurements. The WG-30 because of its larger sensor will make getting shallower DOF easier and the Ricoh WG-30 will show greater detail utilizing its extra 6MP. Greater resolution will make it easier to crop photos far more aggressively. The younger WG-30 will have an edge with regard to sensor tech.