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Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A7S

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Ricoh WG-4 front
 
Sony Alpha A7S front
Portability
77
Imaging
60
Features
73
Overall
65

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A7S Key Specs

Ricoh WG-4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 124 x 64 x 33mm
  • Revealed February 2014
Sony A7S
(Full Review)
  • 12MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • 1/8000s Max Shutter
  • 3840 x 2160 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 489g - 127 x 94 x 48mm
  • Launched April 2014
  • Successor is Sony A7S II
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Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A7S Overview

On this page, we will be reviewing the Ricoh WG-4 and Sony A7S, one is a Waterproof and the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by manufacturers Ricoh and Sony. There is a significant difference between the resolutions of the WG-4 (16MP) and A7S (12MP) and the WG-4 (1/2.3") and A7S (Full frame) boast different sensor sizes.

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The WG-4 was unveiled 2 months prior to the A7S which means that they are of a similar generation. Both of these cameras have different body design with the Ricoh WG-4 being a Compact camera and the Sony A7S being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before getting into a full comparison, here is a brief view of how the WG-4 scores versus the A7S in relation to portability, imaging, features and an overall score.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh WG-4 over the Sony A7S

 WG-4 A7S 

Reasons to pick Sony A7S over the Ricoh WG-4

 A7S WG-4 
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1230k460kCrisper screen (+770k dot)

Common features in the Ricoh WG-4 and Sony A7S

 WG-4 A7S 
LaunchedFebruary 2014April 2014Similar generation
Manual focus More accurate focus
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Selfie screen Neither contains selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A7S Physical Comparison

When you are planning to carry around your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and proportions. The Ricoh WG-4 has got outside dimensions of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") with a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Sony A7S has measurements of 127mm x 94mm x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9") accompanied by a weight of 489 grams (1.08 lbs).

Look at the Ricoh WG-4 and Sony A7S in the new Camera with Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change based on the lens you are working with at that time. Following is a front view scale comparison of the WG-4 vs the A7S.

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A7S size comparison

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the WG-4 and A7S is 90 and 77 respectively.

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A7S top view buttons comparison

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A7S Sensor Comparison

Usually, it is difficult to imagine the gap between sensor sizes purely by reading through technical specs. The image underneath will help give you a stronger sense of the sensor dimensions in the WG-4 and A7S.

As you can tell, each of the cameras provide different megapixels and different sensor sizes. The WG-4 using its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow depth of field more challenging and the Ricoh WG-4 will give you more detail having an extra 4 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also enable you to crop pictures more aggressively.

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A7S sensor size comparison

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A7S Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A7S Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh WG-4 Portrait photography highlights
Sony A7S Portrait photography highlights
41
you can focus manually
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has face detection focusing
lack of manual mode
can't use external flash
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
68
you can focus manually
sensor size is large (Full frame)
provides face detection autofocus
saves RAW files
low MP (12MP)
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Street Comparison

Street photography with Ricoh WG-4
Street photography with Sony A7S
61
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
screen does not articulate
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
76
screen tilts
sensor size is large (Full frame)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
lighter than others (489 grams)
great high ISO (409,600)
lack of image stabilization
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh WG-4 Sports photography info
Sony A7S Sports photography info
45
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
has tracking autofocus
environment sealing
slow continuous shooting (2.0 fps)
very small sensor (1/2.3")
bad battery life (240 shots)
does not have phase detect AF
52
great max shutter speed (1/8,000s)
sensor size is large (Full frame)
provides tracking autofocus
environment proofing
low fps (5.0 frames per second)
lack of image stabilization
low MP (12MP)
terrible battery (360 CIPA)
has no phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh WG-4 Travel photography information
Sony A7S Travel photography information
72
environment sealing
sensor resolution is decent (16MP)
flash built-in
really wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
bad battery life (240 CIPA)
screen isn't selfie friendly
58
lighter than others (489 grams)
environment proofing
terrible battery (360 shots)
low MP (12MP)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
Photography Glossary

Landscape Comparison

Landscape photography with Ricoh WG-4
Landscape photography with Sony A7S
54
you can focus manually
really wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
sensor resolution is decent (16 megapixels)
environment sealing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
lack of manual mode
very small sensor (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
bad battery life (240 shots)
66
you can focus manually
interchangeable lenses (Sony E mount)
nice screen size (3")
sensor size is large (Full frame)
great high ISO (409,600)
saves RAW files
environment proofing
lack of image stabilization
low MP (12 megapixels)
terrible battery (360 CIPA)
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh WG-4 Vlogging factors
Sony A7S Vlogging factors
36
really wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detection focusing
video res high (1920 x 1080 resolution)
screen isn't selfie friendly
missing external mic socket
34
provides face detection autofocus
video res high (3840 x 2160 resolution)
has external microphone support
lighter than others (489 grams)
doesn't posses selfie friendly display
lack of image stabilization
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Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A7S Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh WG-4 and Sony A7S
 Ricoh WG-4Sony Alpha A7S
General Information
Company Ricoh Sony
Model Ricoh WG-4 Sony Alpha A7S
Class Waterproof Pro Mirrorless
Revealed 2014-02-05 2014-04-06
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Powered by - Bionz X
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.8 x 23.9mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 855.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 12 megapixels
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 4240 x 2832
Max native ISO 6400 409600
Min native ISO 125 100
RAW pictures
Autofocusing
Focus manually
AF touch
Continuous AF
AF single
AF tracking
AF selectice
Center weighted AF
AF multi area
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Number of focus points 9 25
Lens
Lens mounting type fixed lens Sony E
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Maximal aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focus range 1cm -
Number of lenses - 121
Focal length multiplier 5.8 1
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Tilting
Display size 3" 3"
Display resolution 460 thousand dots 1,230 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 2,359 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.71x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4 secs 30 secs
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000 secs 1/8000 secs
Continuous shooting rate 2.0 frames/s 5.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Exposure compensation - Yes
Change WB
Image stabilization
Built-in flash
Flash range 10.00 m (Auto ISO) no built-in flash
Flash options Auto, flash off, flash on, auto + redeye, on + redeye no built-in flash
Hot shoe
AE bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 30p) 3840 x 2160, XAVC S 1080 60p(50Mbps), 30p (50Mbps), 24p (50Mbps). 720 120p (50Mbps). AVCHD 60p (28Mbps), 60i (24Mbps/17Mbps), 24p (24Mbps/17Mbps)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 3840x2160
Video format H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC
Microphone support
Headphone support
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS None None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proof
Dust proof
Shock proof
Crush proof
Freeze proof
Weight 230g (0.51 lbs) 489g (1.08 lbs)
Physical dimensions 124 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") 127 x 94 x 48mm (5.0" x 3.7" x 1.9")
DXO scores
DXO All around score not tested 87
DXO Color Depth score not tested 23.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 13.2
DXO Low light score not tested 3702
Other
Battery life 240 pictures 360 pictures
Battery style Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI92 NP-FW50
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec; continuous (3 or 5 exposures))
Time lapse recording With downloadable app
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, internal SD/SDHC/SDXC, Memory Stick Duo/Pro Duo/Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Price at launch $330 $1,998