Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony A850

Lets look a bit more closely at the Ricoh WG-4 and Sony A850, one being a Waterproof and the latter is a Advanced DSLR by brands Ricoh and Sony. There exists a huge gap between the resolutions of the WG-4 (16MP) and A850 (25MP) and the WG-4 (1/2.3") and A850 (Full frame) possess different sensor measurements.

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The WG-4 was released 3 years later than the A850 and that is quite a significant gap as far as technology is concerned. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Ricoh WG-4 being a Compact camera and the Sony A850 being a Mid-size SLR camera.

Before diving in to a more detailed comparison, below is a concise introduction of how the WG-4 matches up vs the A850 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

This is a preview of the gallery photos for Ricoh WG-4 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A850. The complete galleries are viewable at Ricoh WG-4 Gallery and Sony A850 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you have to take into account its weight and dimensions. The Ricoh WG-4 has got physical measurements of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) while the Sony A850 has dimensions of 156mm x 117mm x 82mm (6.1" x 4.6" x 3.2") accompanied by a weight of 895 grams (1.97 lbs).

Take a look at the Ricoh WG-4 and Sony A850 in the new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will vary depending on the lens you are working with at that moment. Here is the front view measurement comparison of the WG-4 against the A850.

Taking into account dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the WG-4 and A850 is 90 and 54 respectively.

More often than not, it can be difficult to visualize the gap between sensor measurements only by reading through technical specs. The visual below will offer you a better sense of the sensor sizing in the WG-4 and A850.

As you have seen, each of the cameras have got different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The WG-4 due to its tinier sensor is going to make getting shallow DOF harder and the Sony A850 will give you more detail as a result of its extra 9 Megapixels. Higher resolution will also help you crop photographs much more aggressively. The more modern WG-4 should have an advantage in sensor tech.