Ricoh WG-4 vs Samsung NX500

Here is a in depth assessment of the Ricoh WG-4 vs Samsung NX500, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Entry-Level Mirrorless by companies Ricoh and Samsung. There exists a substantial gap between the sensor resolutions of the WG-4 (16MP) and NX500 (28MP) and the WG-4 (1/2.3") and NX500 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The WG-4 was announced 12 months before the NX500 which means that they are both of a similar age. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Ricoh WG-4 being a Compact camera and the Samsung NX500 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera.

Before diving straight to a thorough comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the WG-4 matches up against the NX500 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

Below is a preview of the gallery images for Ricoh WG-4 & Samsung NX500. The whole galleries are viewable at Ricoh WG-4 Gallery & Samsung NX500 Gallery.

When you are going to carry your camera frequently, you are going to need to factor in its weight and volume. The Ricoh WG-4 comes with external dimensions of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") and a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) while the Samsung NX500 has sizing of 120mm x 64mm x 43mm (4.7" x 2.5" x 1.7") accompanied by a weight of 287 grams (0.63 lbs).

Analyze the Ricoh WG-4 vs Samsung NX500 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Do not forget, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you are employing at the time. Below is a front view sizing comparison of the WG-4 vs the NX500.

Using dimensions and weight, the portability score of the WG-4 and NX500 is 90 and 87 respectively.

Typically, it is very tough to envision the contrast between sensor sizing purely by reading through specifications. The graphic below should provide you a much better sense of the sensor dimensions in the WG-4 and NX500.

To sum up, both the cameras have different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The WG-4 having a tinier sensor will make achieving shallow DOF tougher and the Samsung NX500 will give extra detail with its extra 12 Megapixels. Higher resolution will help you crop shots a bit more aggressively. The older WG-4 is going to be disadvantaged in sensor tech.