Ricoh WG-4 GPS vs Sigma DP1 Merrill

Its time to look a bit more closely at the Ricoh WG-4 GPS vs Sigma DP1 Merrill, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by manufacturers Ricoh and Sigma. The resolution of the WG-4 GPS (16MP) and the DP1 Merrill (15MP) is relatively well matched but the WG-4 GPS (1/2.3") and DP1 Merrill (APS-C) feature different sensor measurements.

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The WG-4 GPS was announced 2 years later than the DP1 Merrill and that is quite a big difference as far as tech is concerned. Each of these cameras offer different body type with the Ricoh WG-4 GPS being a Compact camera and the Sigma DP1 Merrill being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before getting straight into a detailed comparison, below is a short summary of how the WG-4 GPS matches up versus the DP1 Merrill in terms of portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Ricoh WG-4 GPS & Sigma DP1 Merrill. The whole galleries are available at Ricoh WG-4 GPS Gallery & Sigma DP1 Merrill Gallery.

For anybody who is planning to lug around your camera, you have to think about its weight and proportions. The Ricoh WG-4 GPS enjoys external measurements of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 235 grams (0.52 lbs) whilst the Sigma DP1 Merrill has measurements of 122mm x 67mm x 64mm (4.8" x 2.6" x 2.5") along with a weight of 330 grams (0.73 lbs).

Contrast the Ricoh WG-4 GPS vs Sigma DP1 Merrill in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you choose at that time. Below is the front view scale comparison of the WG-4 GPS vs the DP1 Merrill.

Factoring in size and weight, the portability grade of the WG-4 GPS and DP1 Merrill is 90 and 82 respectively.

In many cases, it's tough to imagine the gap between sensor measurements just by looking at a spec sheet. The graphic here may provide you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the WG-4 GPS and DP1 Merrill.

As you can see, the 2 cameras offer different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The WG-4 GPS having a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallower depth of field trickier and the Ricoh WG-4 GPS will give more detail with its extra 1 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a little more aggressively. The more modern WG-4 GPS provides a benefit with regard to sensor technology.