Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A550

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.

Below is a sample of the gallery pics for Ricoh WG-4 & Sony Alpha DSLR-A550. The entire galleries are viewable at Ricoh WG-4 Gallery & Sony A550 Gallery.

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.

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.

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

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.