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Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony a1

Portability
90
Imaging
41
Features
44
Overall
42
Ricoh WG-5 GPS front
 
Sony Alpha a1 front
Portability
61
Imaging
81
Features
93
Overall
85

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony a1 Key Specs

Ricoh WG-5 GPS
(Full Review)
  • 16MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Display
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 1920 x 1080 video
  • 25-100mm (F2.0-4.9) lens
  • 236g - 125 x 65 x 32mm
  • Launched February 2015
  • Earlier Model is Ricoh WG-4 GPS
  • Renewed by Ricoh WG-6
Sony a1
(Full Review)
  • 50MP - Full frame Sensor
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • ISO 100 - 32000 (Boost to 102400)
  • Sensor based 5-axis Image Stabilization
  • 1/8000s Maximum Shutter
  • 7680 x 4320 video
  • Sony E Mount
  • 737g - 129 x 97 x 70mm
  • Released January 2021
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Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony a1 Overview

Here, we will be matching up the Ricoh WG-5 GPS and Sony a1, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Pro Mirrorless by companies Ricoh and Sony. There exists a noticeable gap among the resolutions of the WG-5 GPS (16MP) and a1 (50MP) and the WG-5 GPS (1/2.3") and a1 (Full frame) offer different sensor measurements.

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The WG-5 GPS was revealed 7 years before the a1 and that is a fairly sizable difference as far as camera technology is concerned. Both cameras feature different body design with the Ricoh WG-5 GPS being a Compact camera and the Sony a1 being a SLR-style mirrorless camera.

Before going into a full comparison, here is a quick view of how the WG-5 GPS grades vs the a1 when it comes to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh WG-5 GPS over the Sony a1

 WG-5 GPS a1 

Reasons to pick Sony a1 over the Ricoh WG-5 GPS

 a1 WG-5 GPS 
ReleasedJanuary 2021February 2015Fresher by 72 months
Screen typeTiltingFixed Tilting screen
Screen resolution1440k460kCrisper screen (+980k dot)
Touch friendly screen Quickly navigate

Common features in the Ricoh WG-5 GPS and Sony a1

 WG-5 GPS a1 
Manually focus More precise focus
Screen size3"3"Same screen measurements
Selfie screen No selfie screen

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony a1 Physical Comparison

In case you're looking to carry your camera, you need to take into account its weight and proportions. The Ricoh WG-5 GPS comes with outer measurements of 125mm x 65mm x 32mm (4.9" x 2.6" x 1.3") having a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs) whilst the Sony a1 has measurements of 129mm x 97mm x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8") along with a weight of 737 grams (1.62 lbs).

Check out the Ricoh WG-5 GPS and Sony a1 in our brand new Camera plus Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Always remember, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you use at the time. Here is a front view scale comparison of the WG-5 GPS vs the a1.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony a1 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability score of the WG-5 GPS and a1 is 90 and 61 respectively.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony a1 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony a1 Sensor Comparison

Typically, it is difficult to imagine the gap in sensor sizing just by researching specs. The photograph here may give you a more clear sense of the sensor measurements in the WG-5 GPS and a1.

All in all, each of these cameras feature different megapixel count and different sensor sizing. The WG-5 GPS with its smaller sensor is going to make getting shallower DOF more difficult and the Sony a1 will result in greater detail because of its extra 34 Megapixels. Higher resolution can also let you crop photographs way more aggressively. The older WG-5 GPS will be disadvantaged with regard to sensor innovation.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony a1 sensor size comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony a1 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony a1 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Portrait photography info
Sony a1 Portrait photography info
41
manual focus
decent MP (16MP)
comes with face detection focus
no manual mode
external flash not possible
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
88
you can focus manually
flash sync speed is above average (1/400 seconds)
amazing resolution (50 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
includes face detect focusing
saves RAW formats
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Street Comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Street photography features
Sony a1 Street photography features
59
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment proofing
no articulating screen
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
heavier than competition in class (236 grams)
79
has a tilting screen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
saves RAW formats
comes with touch focus
weather sealing
above average high ISO (32,000)
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS as a Sports photography camera
Sony a1 as a Sports photography camera
49
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16MP)
comes with tracking autofocus
environment proofing
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (240 CIPA)
has no phase detect auto focus
90
max shutter speed is good (1/8,000 seconds)
quiet shutter (1/32,000 seconds)
fast continuous shooting (30.0 frames per second)
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
amazing resolution (50MP)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
includes tracking focus
weather sealing
better than average battery (530 per charge)
comes with phase detect AF
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Travel Comparison

Travel photography with Ricoh WG-5 GPS
Travel photography with Sony a1
69
environment proofing
decent MP (16 megapixels)
has built in flash
pretty wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
terrible battery life (240 CIPA)
heavier than competition in class (236 grams)
does not have selfie friendly screen
73
better than average battery (530 CIPA)
weather sealing
connects via bluetooth
comes with touch focus
amazing resolution (50MP)
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Landscape photography details
Sony a1 Landscape photography details
54
manual focus
pretty wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen size is decent (3 inches)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
environment proofing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
no manual mode
sensor size is small (1/2.3")
has no RAW files
terrible battery life (240 CIPA)
88
you can focus manually
switch lenses (Sony E mount)
screen size is good (3")
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
amazing resolution (50 megapixels)
sensor size is big (Full frame)
above average high ISO (32,000)
saves RAW formats
weather sealing
better than average battery (530 per charge)
two card slots
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS as a Vlogging camera
Sony a1 as a Vlogging camera
34
pretty wide (25mm)
good maximum aperture (f2.0)
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
comes with face detection focus
video res high (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have selfie friendly screen
missing external mic jack
heavier than competition in class (236 grams)
36
built-in touchscreen
image stabilization (Sensor based 5-axis)
includes face detect focusing
high quality video (7680 x 4320 pxls)
does have microphone socket
doesn't have a selfie friendly display
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Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony a1 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh WG-5 GPS and Sony a1
 Ricoh WG-5 GPSSony Alpha a1
General Information
Brand Name Ricoh Sony
Model type Ricoh WG-5 GPS Sony Alpha a1
Category Waterproof Pro Mirrorless
Launched 2015-02-10 2021-01-26
Physical type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor Information
Sensor type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Sensor size 1/2.3" Full frame
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 35.9 x 24mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 861.6mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixel 50 megapixel
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 and 16:9
Full resolution 4608 x 3456 8640 x 5760
Max native ISO 6400 32000
Max boosted ISO - 102400
Minimum native ISO 125 100
RAW files
Minimum boosted ISO - 50
Autofocusing
Manual focusing
Touch focus
AF continuous
Single AF
Tracking AF
AF selectice
AF center weighted
Multi area AF
Live view AF
Face detect focusing
Contract detect focusing
Phase detect focusing
Total focus points 9 759
Lens
Lens mount type fixed lens Sony E
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) -
Largest aperture f/2.0-4.9 -
Macro focusing distance 1cm -
Available lenses - 133
Crop factor 5.8 1
Screen
Type of display Fixed Type Tilting
Display sizing 3 inches 3 inches
Resolution of display 460 thousand dots 1,440 thousand dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch operation
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder resolution - 9,437 thousand dots
Viewfinder coverage - 100%
Viewfinder magnification - 0.9x
Features
Slowest shutter speed 4s 30s
Maximum shutter speed 1/4000s 1/8000s
Maximum quiet shutter speed - 1/32000s
Continuous shooting rate 14.0 frames/s 30.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manually set exposure
Exposure compensation - Yes
Set WB
Image stabilization
Inbuilt flash
Flash distance 10.40 m (at Auto ISO) no built-in flash
Flash modes Auto, flash off, flash on, auto + redeye, on + redeye Flash off, Autoflash, Fill-flash, Slow Sync., Rear Sync., Red-eye reduction, Wireless, Hi-speed sync
Hot shoe
Auto exposure bracketing
WB bracketing
Maximum flash synchronize - 1/400s
Exposure
Multisegment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF area
Center weighted
Video features
Supported video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 30p) 7680x4320 (30p, 25p, 23.98)
Max video resolution 1920x1080 7680x4320
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 XAVC S, XAVC HS, H.264, H.265
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None Built-In
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Yes
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environment sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 236g (0.52 lb) 737g (1.62 lb)
Physical dimensions 125 x 65 x 32mm (4.9" x 2.6" x 1.3") 129 x 97 x 70mm (5.1" x 3.8" x 2.8")
DXO scores
DXO All around rating not tested not tested
DXO Color Depth rating not tested not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating not tested not tested
DXO Low light rating not tested not tested
Other
Battery life 240 images 530 images
Battery type Battery Pack Battery Pack
Battery ID D-LI92 NP-FZ100
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes
Time lapse feature
Storage type SD/SDHC/SDXC, internal Dual SD/CFexpress Type A slots (UHS-II supported)
Card slots One Two
Price at launch $500 $6,498