Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony RX100 VA

Its time to look more closely at the Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony RX100 VA, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Large Sensor Compact by brands Ricoh and Sony. The image resolution of the WG-4 (16MP) and the RX100 VA (20MP) is pretty well matched but the WG-4 (1/2.3") and RX100 VA (1") boast different sensor measurements.

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The WG-4 was brought out 5 years before the RX100 VA and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. Both of these cameras feature different body design with the Ricoh WG-4 being a Compact camera and the Sony RX100 VA being a Large Sensor Compact camera.

Before going right into a thorough comparison, here is a simple summation of how the WG-4 grades against the RX100 VA for portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

The following is a preview of the gallery images for Ricoh WG-4 & Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 V(A). The entire galleries are available at Ricoh WG-4 Gallery & Sony RX100 VA Gallery.

If you are looking to carry your camera regularly, you are going to need to consider its weight and dimensions. The Ricoh WG-4 features external measurements of 124mm x 64mm x 33mm (4.9" x 2.5" x 1.3") having a weight of 230 grams (0.51 lbs) and the Sony RX100 VA has dimensions of 102mm x 58mm x 41mm (4.0" x 2.3" x 1.6") and a weight of 299 grams (0.66 lbs).

Contrast the Ricoh WG-4 vs Sony RX100 VA in our newest Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will differ depending on the lens you have at that moment. The following is a front view dimension comparison of the WG-4 against the RX100 VA.

Taking into consideration dimensions and weight, the portability rating of the WG-4 and RX100 VA is 90 and 89 respectively.

Quite often, it can be tough to imagine the contrast between sensor sizing purely by looking at a spec sheet. The visual here might provide you a stronger sense of the sensor sizing in the WG-4 and RX100 VA.

Clearly, each of these cameras come with different resolutions and different sensor sizing. The WG-4 featuring a tinier sensor is going to make shooting shallow depth of field more difficult and the Sony RX100 VA will give you more detail having its extra 4MP. Higher resolution will also enable you to crop shots a good deal more aggressively. The older WG-4 is going to be disadvantaged when it comes to sensor technology.