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Ricoh WG-30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill

Portability
91
Imaging
40
Features
34
Overall
37
Ricoh WG-30 front
 
Sigma DP3 Merrill front
Portability
83
Imaging
56
Features
33
Overall
46

Ricoh WG-30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill Key Specs

Ricoh WG-30
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 2.7" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Digital Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 28-140mm (F3.5-5.5) lens
  • 192g - 123 x 62 x 30mm
  • Announced October 2014
Sigma DP3 Merrill
(Full Review)
  • 15MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 100 - 6400
  • 640 x 480 video
  • 75mm (F2.8) lens
  • 330g - 122 x 67 x 59mm
  • Released January 2013
  • Superseded the Sigma DP2 Merrill
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Ricoh WG-30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill Overview

Here is a in depth analysis of the Ricoh WG-30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill, former being a Waterproof while the other is a Large Sensor Compact by rivals Ricoh and Sigma. The resolution of the WG-30 (16MP) and the DP3 Merrill (15MP) is very similar but the WG-30 (1/2.3") and DP3 Merrill (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The WG-30 was announced 22 months later than the DP3 Merrill making them a generation apart from one another. The two cameras have different body design with the Ricoh WG-30 being a Compact camera and the Sigma DP3 Merrill being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before delving right into a more detailed comparison, here is a concise summation of how the WG-30 scores vs the DP3 Merrill in the way of portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh WG-30 over the Sigma DP3 Merrill

 WG-30 DP3 Merrill 
ReleasedOctober 2014January 2013Fresher by 22 months

Reasons to pick Sigma DP3 Merrill over the Ricoh WG-30

 DP3 Merrill WG-30 
Focus manually Dial exact focus
Display dimensions3"2.7"Larger display (+0.3")
Display resolution920k230kClearer display (+690k dot)

Common features in the Ricoh WG-30 and Sigma DP3 Merrill

 WG-30 DP3 Merrill 
Display typeFixed Fixed Fixed display
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither includes Touch friendly display

Ricoh WG-30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill Physical Comparison

For anybody who is intending to carry your camera frequently, you need to factor its weight and volume. The Ricoh WG-30 features outer measurements of 123mm x 62mm x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") and a weight of 192 grams (0.42 lbs) while the Sigma DP3 Merrill has sizing of 122mm x 67mm x 59mm (4.8" x 2.6" x 2.3") along with a weight of 330 grams (0.73 lbs).

Contrast the Ricoh WG-30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Don't forget, the weight of an ILC will vary dependant on the lens you use at that moment. Below is a front view scale comparison of the WG-30 and the DP3 Merrill.

Ricoh WG-30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the WG-30 and DP3 Merrill is 91 and 83 respectively.

Ricoh WG-30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill top view buttons comparison

Ricoh WG-30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill Sensor Comparison

Quite often, it is tough to see the gap between sensor sizing purely by going over specs. The visual underneath might provide you a greater sense of the sensor sizing in the WG-30 and DP3 Merrill.

As you can plainly see, each of these cameras have different megapixels and different sensor sizing. The WG-30 having a tinier sensor will make achieving bokeh more challenging and the Ricoh WG-30 will offer you greater detail with its extra 1 Megapixels. Greater resolution will let you crop images a bit more aggressively. The newer WG-30 will have an advantage in sensor innovation.

Ricoh WG-30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill sensor size comparison

Ricoh WG-30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh WG-30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh WG-30 Portrait photography highlights
Sigma DP3 Merrill Portrait photography highlights
35
good MP (16MP)
comes with face detect focusing
lack of manual focus
manual exposure not possible
external flash not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
73
focusing manually
MP count good (15MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Ricoh WG-30 as a Street photography camera
Sigma DP3 Merrill as a Street photography camera
61
has image stabilization (Digital)
environment proofing
fixed screen
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
65
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
no articulating screen
no image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh WG-30 Sports photography highlights
Sigma DP3 Merrill Sports photography highlights
45
has image stabilization (Digital)
good MP (16MP)
comes with tracking focus
environment proofing
very slow continuous shooting (1.0 frames/s)
lack of shutter priority mode
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no phase detect AF
44
MP count good (15MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
focal length is fixed (75mm)
slow continuous shooting (4.0 fps)
no image stabilization
no phase detect AF
Photography Glossary

Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Ricoh WG-30
Travel photography with Sigma DP3 Merrill
71
environment proofing
good MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
quite wide (28mm)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
54
MP count good (15MP)
no Timelapse function
display isn't selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh WG-30 Landscape photography information
Sigma DP3 Merrill Landscape photography information
43
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Digital)
good MP (16MP)
environment proofing
lack of manual focus
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
screen is somewhat small (2.7 inch)
manual exposure not possible
tiny sensor (1/2.3")
no RAW support
55
focusing manually
good sized screen (3")
MP count good (15MP)
nice sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
focal length is fixed (75mm)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
no image stabilization
no Timelapse function
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Vlogging Comparison

Vlogging with Ricoh WG-30
Vlogging with Sigma DP3 Merrill
33
quite wide (28mm)
has image stabilization (Digital)
comes with face detect focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
somewhat slow max aperture (f3.5)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
does not have microphone support
22
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.8)
display isn't selfie friendly
no image stabilization
video res low (640 x 480 pixels)
no microphone support
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Ricoh WG-30 vs Sigma DP3 Merrill Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh WG-30 and Sigma DP3 Merrill
 Ricoh WG-30Sigma DP3 Merrill
General Information
Brand Ricoh Sigma
Model Ricoh WG-30 Sigma DP3 Merrill
Class Waterproof Large Sensor Compact
Announced 2014-10-09 2013-01-08
Physical type Compact Large Sensor Compact
Sensor Information
Processor - Dual TRUE II engine
Sensor type CMOS CMOS (Foveon X3)
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 24 x 16mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 384.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 15 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 -
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4704 x 3136
Highest native ISO 6400 6400
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Autofocus continuous
Single autofocus
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect autofocus
Contract detect autofocus
Phase detect autofocus
Number of focus points 9 -
Cross focus points - -
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens fixed lens
Lens focal range 28-140mm (5.0x) 75mm (1x)
Highest aperture f/3.5-5.5 f/2.8
Macro focus range 1cm -
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 2.7 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 230k dots 920k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch capability
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds -
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds -
Continuous shutter rate 1.0fps 4.0fps
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 3.90 m (Auto ISO) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, flash off, flash on, auto + redeye no built-in flash
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 640 x 480
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 640x480
Video data format H.264 Motion JPEG
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 192 grams (0.42 lb) 330 grams (0.73 lb)
Physical dimensions 123 x 62 x 30mm (4.8" x 2.4" x 1.2") 122 x 67 x 59mm (4.8" x 2.6" x 2.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth score not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range score not tested not tested
DXO Low light score not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 300 photographs -
Type of battery Battery Pack -
Battery model D-LI92 -
Self timer Yes -
Time lapse feature
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, internal -
Card slots One One
Pricing at release $428 $1,353