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Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A550

Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41
Ricoh WG-4 front
 
Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 front
Portability
63
Imaging
54
Features
65
Overall
58

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A550 Key Specs

Ricoh WG-4
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 230g - 124 x 64 x 33mm
  • Introduced February 2014
Sony A550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - APS-C Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Display
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sensor based Image Stabilization
  • No Video
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • 632g - 137 x 104 x 84mm
  • Released December 2009
  • Succeeded the Sony A100
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Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A550 Overview

The following is a in-depth analysis of the Ricoh WG-4 and Sony A550, former is a Waterproof while the other is a Entry-Level DSLR by companies Ricoh and Sony. The resolution of the WG-4 (16MP) and the A550 (14MP) is very well matched but the WG-4 (1/2.3") and A550 (APS-C) posses totally different sensor sizing.

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The WG-4 was brought out 4 years after the A550 which is quite a serious difference as far as tech is concerned. The two cameras feature different body design with the Ricoh WG-4 being a Compact camera and the Sony A550 being a Compact SLR camera.

Before delving right into a comprehensive comparison, here is a concise summary of how the WG-4 scores against the A550 for portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Photography Glossary
	
	

Reasons to pick Ricoh WG-4 over the Sony A550

 WG-4 A550 
ReleasedFebruary 2014December 2009Newer by 51 months

Reasons to pick Sony A550 over the Ricoh WG-4

 A550 WG-4 
Display typeTiltingFixed Tilting display
Display resolution922k460kCrisper display (+462k dot)

Common features in the Ricoh WG-4 and Sony A550

 WG-4 A550 
Focus manually Very exact focusing
Display size3"3"Same display measurement
Selfie screen No selfie screen
Touch friendly display Neither comes with Touch friendly display

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A550 Physical Comparison

In case you're planning to travel with your camera regularly, you're going to have to take into account its weight and proportions. The Ricoh WG-4 comes with outer measurements of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") accompanied by a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) while the Sony A550 has measurements of 137mm x 104mm x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3") having a weight of 632 grams (1.39 lbs).

Look at the Ricoh WG-4 and Sony A550 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that moment. Following is a front view size comparison of the WG-4 compared to the A550.

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A550 size comparison

Looking at size and weight, the portability rating of the WG-4 and A550 is 90 and 63 respectively.

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A550 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A550 Sensor Comparison

Generally, it's tough to envision the gap between sensor dimensions only by looking at specs. The image below might give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the WG-4 and A550.

As you can plainly see, both of the cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The WG-4 due to its tinier sensor will make getting shallow DOF harder and the Ricoh WG-4 will resolve extra detail having its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution can also help you crop images a good deal more aggressively. The fresher WG-4 is going to have a benefit in sensor tech.

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A550 sensor size comparison

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A550 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh WG-4 Portrait photography factors
Sony A550 Portrait photography factors
41
focusing manually
good resolution (16 megapixels)
provides face detection focus
manual mode not available
cannot use external flash
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
72
focusing manually
megapixel count decent (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
has face detection focusing
delivers RAW files
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Street Comparison

Ricoh WG-4 as a Street photography camera
Sony A550 as a Street photography camera
61
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
no articulating screen
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
74
tilting screen
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh WG-4 Sports photography factors
Sony A550 Sports photography factors
45
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16 megapixels)
provides tracking autofocus
environment sealing
slow continuous shooting (2.0 frames per second)
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
low battery life (240 per charge)
does not have phase detect auto focus
67
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
supports phase detect AF
bad battery life (480 shots)
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh WG-4 Travel photography factors
Sony A550 Travel photography factors
72
environment sealing
good resolution (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
decently wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
low battery life (240 per charge)
does not offer selfie friendly display
52
megapixel count decent (14MP)
has built in flash
does not have Time Lapse mode
bad battery life (480 CIPA)
does not posses selfie friendly screen
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh WG-4 Landscape photography features
Sony A550 Landscape photography features
54
focusing manually
decently wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
nice screen size (3")
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good resolution (16MP)
environment sealing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
manual mode not available
sensor is very small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
low battery life (240 CIPA)
66
focusing manually
swap lenses (Sony/Minolta Alpha mount)
screen is a decent size (3")
has image stabilization (Sensor based)
megapixel count decent (14MP)
good sensor size (APS-C)
delivers RAW files
bad battery life (480 shots)
does not have Time Lapse mode
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh WG-4 Vlogging details
Sony A550 Vlogging details
36
decently wide (25mm)
fast maximum aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
provides face detection focus
video resolution high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not offer selfie friendly display
doesn't have external microphone socket
9
can't record video
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Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh WG-4 and Sony A550
 Ricoh WG-4Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
General Information
Brand Name Ricoh Sony
Model Ricoh WG-4 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Type Waterproof Entry-Level DSLR
Introduced 2014-02-05 2009-12-09
Physical type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor Information
Chip - Bionz
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" APS-C
Sensor dimensions 6.17 x 4.55mm 23.4 x 15.6mm
Sensor area 28.1mm² 365.0mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 14 megapixel
Anti aliasing filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 3:2 and 16:9
Max resolution 4608 x 3456 4592 x 3056
Max native ISO 6400 12800
Min native ISO 125 200
RAW format
Autofocusing
Manual focus
Touch focus
AF continuous
AF single
Tracking AF
Selective AF
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
AF live view
Face detection AF
Contract detection AF
Phase detection AF
Number of focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
Lens focal range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Maximum aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focus distance 1cm -
Amount of lenses - 143
Crop factor 5.8 1.5
Screen
Screen type Fixed Type Tilting
Screen size 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of screen 460 thousand dots 922 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch functionality
Screen technology TFT LCD -
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder coverage - 95%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.53x
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4 seconds 30 seconds
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000 seconds 1/4000 seconds
Continuous shutter rate 2.0 frames/s 7.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Exposure compensation - Yes
Custom WB
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash range 10.00 m (Auto ISO) 12.00 m
Flash modes Auto, flash off, flash on, auto + redeye, on + redeye Auto, On, Off, Red-Eye, Slow Sync, High Speed Sync, Rear Curtain, Fill-in, Wireless
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Fastest flash synchronize - 1/160 seconds
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) -
Max video resolution 1920x1080 None
Video file format H.264 -
Mic port
Headphone port
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 230 grams (0.51 lb) 632 grams (1.39 lb)
Physical dimensions 124 x 64 x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") 137 x 104 x 84mm (5.4" x 4.1" x 3.3")
DXO scores
DXO Overall score not tested 66
DXO Color Depth score not tested 21.9
DXO Dynamic range score not tested 11.8
DXO Low light score not tested 807
Other
Battery life 240 shots 480 shots
Type of battery Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery model D-LI92 NP-FM500H
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, internal SD/ SDHC, Memory Stick Pro Duo/ Pro-HG Duo
Card slots Single Single
Launch price $330 $749