Ricoh WG-30 vs Sony NEX-5

Its time to look more closely at the Ricoh WG-30 and Sony NEX-5, one is a Waterproof and the other is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by manufacturers Ricoh and Sony. The image resolution of the WG-30 (16MP) and the NEX-5 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the WG-30 (1/2.3") and NEX-5 (APS-C) offer totally different sensor measurements.

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The WG-30 was brought out 4 years after the NEX-5 which is a fairly large gap as far as camera technology is concerned. Both the cameras have different body design with the Ricoh WG-30 being a Compact camera and the Sony NEX-5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before we go into a more detailed comparison, here is a simple introduction of how the WG-30 scores versus the NEX-5 for portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

This is a sample of the gallery pictures for Ricoh WG-30 and Sony Alpha NEX-5. The entire galleries are available at Ricoh WG-30 Gallery and Sony NEX-5 Gallery.

For anyone who is planning to carry around your camera often, you need to think about its weight and dimensions. The Ricoh WG-30 offers physical dimensions 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 Sony NEX-5 has dimensions of 111mm x 59mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.3" x 1.5") having a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Check out the Ricoh WG-30 and Sony NEX-5 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into consideration, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary dependant on the lens you have chosen at the time. Below is a front view size comparison of the WG-30 against the NEX-5.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the WG-30 and NEX-5 is 91 and 89 respectively.

Sometimes, its hard to envision the contrast in sensor sizes merely by going through specs. The picture below may give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the WG-30 and NEX-5.

All in all, both of those cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The WG-30 due to its smaller sensor will make getting shallower depth of field more challenging and the Ricoh WG-30 will produce more detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will also allow you to crop photos more aggressively. The fresher WG-30 will have a benefit with regard to sensor tech.