Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs. Samsung CL80: Battle of the Compact Cameras for the Practical Photographer

When it comes to compact cameras, the market is vast and varied. From rugged adventure-ready models to sleek ultraportables, two cameras might seem similar on paper but serve strikingly different user needs. Today, we’ll dive deep into a side-by-side comparison between the Ricoh WG-5 GPS - a tough, waterproof compact aimed at outdoorsy types - and the Samsung CL80 - a slim ultracompact designed for casual shooters wanting zoom flexibility.

Having personally tested thousands of cameras in varied conditions over the years, I’ll guide you through how these two stack up across photography disciplines, real-world performance, and overall value. Whether you’re an outdoors enthusiast, a traveling professional, or a budget-conscious hobbyist, this detailed comparison will help you choose wisely.

Getting to Know the Cameras: Build, Size & Ergonomics

Before digging into specs, let’s look at how these cameras feel in hand and how their size influences use cases.

At first glance, the Ricoh WG-5 GPS is noticeably chunkier and heavier, measuring 125x65x32 mm and weighing 236 grams, while the Samsung CL80 is a sleeker ultracompact at 104x58x20 mm and only 160 grams. This difference is no accident - Ricoh built the WG-5 to survive rugged environments, with crushproof, shockproof, freezeproof, and waterproof certifications. You can take it swimming, hiking, or to construction sites without a care. Samsung’s CL80, however, aims to fit unobtrusively in your pocket or purse and is geared towards everyday urban and travel photography - no armor plating, just slim lines.

Ergonomically, the WG-5 has a robust grip with chunky buttons, suitable for gloved hands in cold or wet conditions. The CL80 sports a minimalist layout, with smaller controls and a slight “pocketability” focus. If you’re someone who shoots on the go or appreciates subtlety in street photos, the CL80’s slim form factor wins points. For those prioritizing durability and a firm grip over pocket sizing, the WG-5 is the clear choice.

Looking at control layouts, the WG-5 includes manual shutter-priority mode and some dedicated buttons for flash settings and focus modes, which is impressive for a compact. Samsung's CL80 is more simplified, with no manual exposure options and a touchscreen interface that handles most settings. I found that WG-5’s buttons gave me faster access to critical functions in the field without fumbling through menus, whereas CL80’s touchscreen is nice but can be slower, especially with wet fingers or gloves.

Image Quality & Sensor Technology: Sharpness, Color, and Noise

Any camera shootout must scrutinize sensor capabilities, as they fundamentally impact the pictures you take.

Both cameras pack a 1/2.3-inch sensor, a standard compact sensor size, but use different underlying technology: Ricoh’s WG-5 employs a backside-illuminated CMOS sensor (BSI-CMOS), while Samsung’s CL80 uses a CCD sensor.

From my experience, BSI-CMOS sensors generally provide better low-light performance and faster readout speeds, which translates to cleaner images at higher ISOs and more responsive autofocus. CCD sensors, like in the CL80, tend to produce excellent color rendition and dynamic range in good light but can struggle with noise and power consumption.

The WG-5 boasts 16 megapixels, while the CL80 offers 14 megapixels - close enough that resolution differences in real-world prints will be marginal. Ricoh’s sensor also benefits from a lens with a brighter maximum aperture (f/2.0-4.9 compared to Samsung’s f/3.3-5.5), helping gather more light especially at the wide end.

In actual tests, I found Ricoh’s WG-5 images to be sharper with more punchy colors and superior noise handling past ISO 800, making it versatile for shooting indoors or in dim conditions. The Samsung CL80 produced pleasantly saturated hues but showed grain and softness creeping in by ISO 400, confirming its better fit for well-lit shooting scenarios.

Viewing and Interface: Finding Your Focus

Ease of framing and controlling your camera directly affects shooting speed and enjoyment.

The WG-5 offers a 3-inch fixed LCD with 460k dots, a respectable resolution that renders images and menus crisply under various lighting. However, it lacks touch functionality.

Samsung’s CL80 provides a larger 3.7-inch touchscreen, but with noticeably lower resolution (~230k dots). While touch controls can speed up menu navigation and focusing, the relatively low pixel count means images and settings can look less sharp, especially under bright sunlight.

Personally, I prefer image clarity over touch-sensitivity on a camera’s rear screen, especially outdoors. The WG-5’s screen allowed me to judge focus and exposure more reliably, whereas the CL80's touch system is fun and intuitive indoors but tougher to rely on in the sun.

Neither camera offers an electronic viewfinder, which is expected at their price and class. This does mean shooting in bright outdoor conditions benefits from bringing a sunshade or relying on the camera’s exposure compensation prowess.

Autofocus & Shooting Performance: Speed, Accuracy, and Versatility

When pressing the shutter, how well do these cameras keep up? More than raw specs, autofocus behavior and burst speed reveal a camera’s real-world responsiveness.

Ricoh’s WG-5 uses a contrast-detection autofocus system with nine focus points, center-weighted metering, and notable face detection capabilities. It offers AF single, continuous, and tracking modes, resulting in effective subject acquisition, especially for moving wildlife or sports. Its continuous shooting speed is a zippy 14 frames per second - impressive for a compact and useful when capturing fleeting moments like bird flights or children playing.

The Samsung CL80 also relies on contrast detection but lacks continuous AF and tracking modes. It’s limited to single AF mode, which means the focus locks once you half-press the shutter and doesn’t adjust if the subject moves. This, combined with an unspecified burst speed (likely slow), makes it less ideal for dynamic shooting.

In practical tests, the WG-5’s autofocus was snappier and more reliable under changing conditions. CL80 worked well for static subjects in good light but lagged when tracking or shooting moving targets.

Lens Range, Aperture Flexibility & Macro Capabilities

The Ricoh WG-5 provides a 25-100mm equivalent zoom with a bright f2.0 aperture wide open, tapering to f4.9 at telephoto. The Samsung CL80 covers a more extensive 31-217mm zoom range at f3.3-5.5. This difference is key depending on your shooting style.

With WG-5, you get excellent low-light performance at the wider angle and reasonable telezoom flexibility. It also allows extremely close macro focusing down to 1 cm, letting you capture crisp close-ups of flowers, insects, or textures without add-ons. The WG-5’s sensor-shift image stabilization further aids these hand-held macro shots, a must-have for sharpness in such scenarios.

Samsung’s CL80’s 7x zoom (31-217mm equiv) offers appealing long reach for casual wildlife or surveillance-style telephoto, but at the expense of lower max aperture and longer minimum macro focus distance (5 cm). It does have optical stabilization to help manage camera shake at longer focal lengths.

If macro or low-light wide-angle shooting is your passion, WG-5’s lens and sensor combo is superior. If telephoto reach in a slim profile is your priority and your subjects stay relatively still, the CL80 could serve you well.

Video Performance and Features: What You Can Capture

While neither camera competes with modern mirrorless hybrids on video specs, it’s important to compare their capabilities.

The Ricoh WG-5 captures full HD (1920x1080) video at 30 fps in MPEG-4 H.264 format, supporting image stabilization during recording. It also offers HD 720p at 60 fps and timelapse recording features, adding creative flexibility.

Samsung CL80 maxes out at 1280x720 (HD) at 30 fps, using the older Motion JPEG codec. It lacks image stabilization during video and advanced exposure modes.

Neither camera has microphone or headphone ports, limiting audio control - a common omission for compacts of this era.

From my field testing, WG-5’s video is noticeably better stabilized and smoother with less rolling shutter artifacts. CL80 is fine for casual clips but shows more jitter and lower resolution, making it less suitable for serious video content.

Weather Sealing & Durability: Ready for the Elements?

If adventure or travel in challenging environments is part of your photography, durability matters.

The Ricoh WG-5 GPS is purpose-built for the outdoors. Its body is shockproof up to 2 meters, crushproof up to 100 kilograms force, waterproof down to 14 meters, and freezeproof to −10°C. This combination means it’s truly rugged - you can take it kayaking, hiking unexpected rainstorms, snooze-proof it in dusty conditions, or trust it on snowy climbs with no worries.

The Samsung CL80 offers no weather sealing or shock resistance and is a typical ultracompact built for careful handling indoors or in mild weather. If your kit gets jostled often or exposed to moisture, the CL80 is a riskier bet.

Battery Life & Storage: Powering Your Shoot

The WG-5 uses a D-LI92 battery pack rated for approximately 240 shots per charge - modest by today’s standards but reasonable given its outdoor ruggedness and sensor/stabilization demands.

Samsung’s CL80 uses a SLB-11A battery but lacks official battery life specs. From experience, older ultracompacts tend to offer similar or slightly better battery life when shooting JPEGs at moderate use. Both cameras support SD cards - WG-5 accepts SD/SDHC/SDXC cards, CL80 uses MicroSD and MicroSDHC cards.

No wireless connectivity or Bluetooth exists on either camera, meaning data transfer is tethered to USB 2.0 or using SD card readers. GPS is built-in only on the WG-5 - useful for geotagging adventures but nonexistent on the CL80.

Sample Shots & Genre Performance: How Do They Stack Up?

Now that we’ve covered specs and mechanics, here’s where it all comes together: image output and suitability across photography types.

Ricoh WG 5 GPS front Ricoh WG 5 GPS screen back Samsung CL80 front Samsung CL80 screen back

Portrait Photography

Ricoh WG-5’s 16MP sensor and autofocus with face detection handle skin tones well under natural light, producing pleasing and sharp portraits. Its wider aperture aids in background blur (bokeh), though depth of field with small sensors is always limited.

Samsung CL80 can deliver decent portraits but tends to produce flatter skin tones and less attractive background separation due to narrower apertures and less sophisticated AF.

Landscape Photography

Both cameras have similar sensor sizes but WG-5’s BSI-CMOS sensor offers better dynamic range handling, preserving highlights and shadows more effectively in sunrise or sunset shots. Its weather sealing means you can confidently shoot in rain or rugged locations.

CL80’s longer zoom is appealing to frame distant subjects but falls short on weather resistance and dynamic range, limiting outdoor landscape potential.

Wildlife and Sports Photography

With 14 fps continuous shooting and tracking autofocus, WG-5 is clearly better suited to fast-moving subjects like birds or kids playing sports. Its 4x zoom is shorter than CL80’s but fast AF compensates.

CL80 lacks continuous AF and is limited with burst mode, so misses many action moments.

Street Photography

CL80’s ultraportable size and quiet operation make it less conspicuous on the street. However, its slower AF and smaller lens aperture can challenge low-light scenes.

WG-5 is bulkier and more rugged-looking, potentially drawing more attention, but outperforms in autofocus and exposure accuracy in dimly lit urban settings.

Macro Photography

WG-5 shines here with focusing down to 1 cm and sensor-shift image stabilization. Its sharpness and color fidelity in close-up details are superior.

CL80 focuses no closer than 5 cm and lacks advanced stabilization, making macro less rewarding.

Night / Astrophotography

WG-5’s higher ISO range (125-6400) and lower sensor noise make it more competent for night sky and astrophotography snapshots. CL80 maxes at ISO 4800 native with higher noise levels, limiting image quality in darkness.

Video

We’ve covered basics above: WG-5 offers superior stabilization, HD quality, and timelapse options. CL80 is functional for casual 720p clips.

Comprehensive Performance Ratings & Genre-Specific Scores

For at-a-glance evaluation, here’s my expert scoring summary based on hands-on testing and photographic output:

The WG-5 scores higher overall, particularly excelling in action photography, macro, outdoor, and video. The CL80 scores closer in street and travel categories (due to size and zoom range) but doesn’t reach WG-5’s consistency across diverse use cases.

Pros and Cons: Who Should Buy Which?

Ricoh WG-5 GPS

Pros:

• Rugged, weatherproof, crushproof, and freezeproof body
• Superior autofocus with continuous tracking and burst shooting
• Bright f/2.0 wide aperture lens and close 1 cm macro focusing
• Excellent image stabilization (sensor-shift)
• Full HD video with stabilization and timelapse features
• GPS geotagging built-in
• Good battery life for rugged use

Cons:

• Larger and heavier, less pocketable
• No touchscreen interface
• No raw shooting support (a limitation for pro workflow)
• Moderate flash range compared to more specialized cameras

Samsung CL80

Pros:

• Slim, ultraportable design fits easily in pockets and purses
• Longer 7x zoom range (31-217 mm equiv) for telephoto reach
• Touchscreen interface for intuitive control
• Good for casual street and travel photography in good light

Cons:

• No weather sealing or durability features
• Slower, single-mode autofocus system
• Lower max aperture lenses, limiting low-light usability
• Lower resolution LCD screen without sharpness in bright conditions
• Video limited to 720p and less stable
• No GPS or wireless connectivity

Wrapping It Up: Final Verdict and Recommendations

Choosing between these two compacts comes down largely to what you shoot, where you shoot, and the features that matter most to you.

• If you’re an outdoorsy photographer, hike often, embrace tough shooting conditions, do macro or wildlife photography, or want reliable autofocus and video performance in a compact but not ultra-tiny package - the Ricoh WG-5 GPS is your hands-down winner. Its rugged design combined with versatile performance justifies the slightly higher price and bulk.

• If you prioritize portability and travel-light convenience, primarily shoot static subjects in daylight, want a big zoom range squeezed into a pocketable camera, and prefer a touchscreen interface - the Samsung CL80 fits well. However, be aware of its limitations in autofocus speed, low-light, and lack of weatherproofing.

For budget-conscious buyers who can’t stretch to full mirrorless setups, the WG-5 gives you better all-around capability and durability, while the CL80 offers basic image quality with a focus on zoom reach and compactness.

Looking Ahead: Where These Cameras Sit in Today’s Market

Both cameras were announced several years ago (WG-5 in 2015 and CL80 in 2010), and while their specs reflect that era, they remain relevant for those seeking affordable compacts with specialized strengths - ruggedness for the WG-5, pocketability for the CL80.

If you want modern wireless features like Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, raw shooting, 4K video, or hybrid autofocus systems, consider newer models. But remotely from a pure value vs. performance standpoint, these two compact cameras still serve niche needs reliably.

By carefully weighing their pros, cons, and your shooting style, you can confidently pick the camera that best empowers your photography adventures.

Happy shooting - whichever compact companion you choose!

End of Comparison Article