Rugged Meets Ultracompact: A Detailed Comparison of the Ricoh WG-5 GPS and Sony Cyber-shot TX20

When choosing a compact camera, the market offers wildly different creatures. On one side, you might want a robust, travel-ready amphibian; on the other, a sleek, pocketable companion with smart features. Today, I’m putting the Ricoh WG-5 GPS and Sony Cyber-shot TX20 head to head, two cameras that, while seemingly similar in size and ambition, cater to divergent photography lifestyles. Having spent considerable hours testing both - from beach treks and urban strolls to low-light experimentation - I’m here to unpack their performance, handling, and suitability across multiple photography disciplines. Let’s dive in.

Handling and Build: Bulky Defender vs. Slim Urbanite

Physically, these cameras embody contrasting design philosophies. Imagine the Ricoh WG-5 GPS as your rugged adventurer, built to endure punishing conditions: waterproof, shockproof, freezeproof, and crushproof. In contrast, the Sony TX20 is your sleek city dweller - exceptionally slim, featherlight, and pocketable but lacking protective environmental sealing.

At 125 x 65 x 32 mm and weighing 236 grams, the WG-5 GPS carries its sturdiness with pride. The textured body and generous grip real estate allow confident handling even with wet hands or gloves - an asset for wilderness photographers. The Sony TX20 is almost half that thickness at 18 mm and 133 grams, excellent for the minimalist traveler craving unobtrusive portability but less so for rough outdoor exploits.

The top controls mirror this dichotomy. The Ricoh offers well-spaced tactile dials and buttons optimized for quick access. The Sony squeezes in basic controls suitable for finger taps but sacrifices generous button layouts. This design difference naturally impacts ease of use in the field, especially when fast manual adjustments become critical.

Sensor and Image Quality: Similar Chips, Different Contexts

Both models employ a 1/2.3" BSI CMOS sensor measuring 6.17 x 4.55 mm, at 16-megapixel resolution delivering 4608 x 3456 max images. In theory, their image quality potential aligns closely, but practical results diverge due to supporting hardware, image processing engines, and shooting contexts.

Ricoh's sensor, paired with its WG-5’s goal of rugged versatility, optimizes for daylight clarity and durability, leveraging sensor-shift image stabilization to combat motion blur. The Sony TX20, powered by the BIONZ processor, emphasizes noise control and color accuracy within its ultracompact, casual shooting framework.

Realistically, both cameras perform well with good lighting. Highlights, textures, and skin tones come out clean and faithful. However, the Ricoh can push ISO up to 6400 versus Sony’s capped 3200, giving WG-5 an edge in less forgiving light. Neither support RAW shooting, limiting post-production flexibility - a notable limitation for serious users.

Display and Interface: Visibility vs. Interactivity

Let's talk about the cameras’ screens, crucial tools for framing and reviewing your shots, especially outside bright daylight or challenging angles.

The Ricoh WG-5 GPS sports a fixed 3-inch LCD with 460k-dot resolution. It's solid but falls behind in sharpness and viewing angles, mainly due to its ruggedized display construction. However, it serves the purpose in bright outdoor settings given decent anti-reflective coatings.

Sony’s TX20 compensates with a higher resolution 3-inch XtraFine TruBlack TFT LCD at 922k dots, delivering crisper previews with richer contrast. Its touchscreen capability enhances control fluidity, though this feature is sometimes hampered outdoors under bright sun reflections.

For photographers who value tap-to-focus or quick menu navigation, Sony provides smoother interactivity. Ricoh’s more straightforward, button-focused interface suits rugged environments where touchscreen responsiveness might be compromised by gloves or water.

Lens Characteristics: Versatility and Aperture

Both cameras come with a fixed zoom lens offering approximately the same 25-100 mm equivalent focal range, ideal for a majority of everyday shooting scenarios.

Ricoh’s lens features a wider aperture starting at f/2.0 at the wide end, tapering to f/4.9 telephoto. This bright wide end facilitates better low-light performance and shallower depth of field for portrait and macro photography. Ricoh excels here, allowing you to isolate subjects with creamy bokeh - albeit without full manual aperture control.

Sony’s lens starts narrower at f/3.5 and ends at f/4.6, which is average for ultracompacts but less advantageous in dim settings or when seeking fine background separation.

The macro capabilities are comparable, both focusing as close as 1 cm, enabling detailed extreme close-ups. Ricoh’s stabilization helps maintain sharpness here, particularly for hand-held macro shots.

Autofocus System: Speed and Accuracy

Ricoh WG-5 GPS offers a contrast-detection autofocus system with nine focus points, face detection, center prioritization, and continuous autofocus options. The system tracks moderately fast, sufficient for casual wildlife and sports shooting at moderate paces.

Sony TX20’s autofocus, while also contrast-detection-based, uses unknown focus point counts but adds touch focus via the touchscreen, selective area options, and face detection. However, it lacks continuous AF in video and is generally slower in tracking moving subjects.

In field tests tracking birds in flight or quick street moments, Ricoh’s autofocus gains the edge with more consistent lock-on and less hunting. Sony performs adequately but tends to lag, making it less suitable for demanding action.

Image Stabilization Techniques

Stabilization is critical, especially given these compact cameras often lack support for heavier, optically stabilized lenses.

Ricoh employs sensor-shift stabilization, meaning the sensor physically moves to compensate for camera shake. This method proves effective during handheld shooting, particularly in low-light or telephoto scenarios.

Sony uses optical steady shot technology (optical stabilization inside the lens), which is generally effective but constrained by smaller sensor and lens design. Interestingly, Ricoh's stabilization seems more robust during macro and outdoor motion tests.

Mechanical and Environmental Durability

We briefly touched on build earlier, but environmental sealing deserves deeper scrutiny because it dictates where these cameras can reliably be taken.

The Ricoh WG-5 GPS is built to endure harsh scenarios: waterproof up to 14 meters, shockproof from 2-meter drops, crushproof to 100 kgf, and freezeproof down to −10°C. It’s a deliberate design for adventurers, swimmers, hikers, and anyone who doesn’t want to worry about elements.

Sony TX20 prioritizes compactness and aesthetics without any official ruggedness claims. Although it features some environmental sealing, it does not advertise dustproof or waterproof credentials, making it vulnerable to moisture or rough handling.

For landscape or wildlife photographers tackling harsh environments, Ricoh is clearly the safer companion.

Battery Life and Storage

Both cameras use proprietary battery packs, with slightly different endurance. The Ricoh WG-5 GPS’s D-LI92 battery offers around 240 shots per charge according to CIPA standards; the Sony’s NP-BN can squeeze about 250.

In my real-world tests, these numbers roughly hold, though screen-on usage and GPS activation on the Ricoh notably reduce capacity. For all-day excursions, extra batteries or external chargers are advisable regardless.

Both support SD/SDHC/SDXC storage, with Sony also accepting Memory Stick formats - a boon for legacy users. This extensible storage approach is practical, although both lack dual card slots, limiting instant backups.

Connectivity and Additional Features

Connectivity-wise, the Ricoh WG-5 GPS lacks Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, relying on USB 2.0 and HDMI ports for data offloading and video output. GPS tagging is built-in, an advantage for travel and nature photography requiring geolocation metadata.

Sony TX20 supports Eye-Fi wireless card connectivity, allowing indirect wireless transfer but no native Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, an early step toward wireless workflows for ultracompacts.

Neither camera offers microphone or headphone jacks, limiting video production use. The Ricoh supports Full HD 1080p video at 30 fps, while the Sony can capture 1080p at 60 fps and offers various frame rates and codecs (AVCHD included) giving it a slight edge for casual videographers.

Real-World Photography Testing by Genre

Portrait Photography

Ricoh’s wider aperture and effective image stabilization allow better subject isolation and sharper details in natural light portraits. Its face detection performs reliably, and continuous AF ensures steady focus on eyes during movement.

Sony’s TX20 leans more toward snapshot portraits in good light, with punchy colors but slightly flat depth of field due to narrower apertures and lack of sophisticated AF tracking.

Landscape Photography

The Ricoh’s rugged build, combined with better dynamic range and GPS for geotagging, make it highly suitable for landscapes, hiking documentation, and outdoor shooters who may face wet or rough terrains.

Sony’s slim profile suits urban and park scenarios well but demands more careful handling and weather awareness.

Wildlife and Sports

Neither camera contends with professional-level AF or high-speed burst rates, but Ricoh’s faster continuous shooting at 14 fps and robust AF tracking perform better for casual wildlife or sports.

Sony’s 10 fps burst with less consistent AF limits its effectiveness for action photography.

Street and Travel Photography

Sony shines here for those valuing discreet, lightweight gear to capture fleeting street moments or to stow easily in pockets during travel. Its sharper, higher resolution screen and more interactive touchscreen interface shine in these settings.

Ricoh is bulkier but unbeatable when travel involves more extreme environments or adventurous activity.

Macro and Close-up Work

Both cameras offer strong macro capability down to 1 cm. Ricoh’s image stabilization helps prevent motion blur in tight focusing, producing crisp, detailed shots. Sony’s touchscreen focus aid is a nice touch but lacks the same stabilization support.

Night and Astro Photography

Limited ISO ranges and no RAW support constrain both. Ricoh’s marginally higher max ISO (6400) and sensor-shift stabilization give it a minor edge for handheld night scenes. Sony’s limitation to ISO 3200 and less aggressive noise handling challenges low-light shooting.

Video Capabilities

Sony’s support for 1080p at 60 fps and various codecs including AVCHD translates to smoother, more versatile video footage. Ricoh’s 1080p maxes out at 30 fps but offers built-in time-lapse recording, doubling as a fun creative tool.

Neither supports 4K or external audio options, limiting use for serious videographers.

Value and Price Assessment

At launch, Ricoh WG-5 GPS carried a premium around $500 due to its rugged virtues, GPS, and superior build. The Sony TX20 debuted close to $330, reflecting its ultracompact design and consumer-level features.

Given their current used and refurbished market positions, pricing may vary, but considering durability and feature sets, Ricoh offers greater all-around capability for challenging conditions, while Sony delivers an affordable, pocket-friendly shooter for day-to-day casual use.

Summary of Results and Recommendations

Ricoh WG 5 GPS front Ricoh WG 5 GPS screen back Sony TX20 front Sony TX20 screen back

Putting the pieces together, the Ricoh WG-5 GPS is a rugged compact champion - perfect for outdoor enthusiasts, adventure travelers, and landscape photographers needing durability without sacrificing image quality. Its superior stabilization, higher ISO ceiling, GPS tagging, and robust build make it an ideal companion in demanding conditions.

The Sony TX20 suits urban explorers, street photographers, and casual users valuing portability, a bright screen, and easy-to-use touchscreen controls. It’s less versatile in environmental resilience and action photography but offers competitive video options and an elegant form factor.

Performance Ratings by Photography Type

Final Thoughts: Matching Tools to Endeavors

Choosing between the Ricoh WG-5 GPS and Sony TX20 ultimately boils down to your photographic priorities and shooting environment.

• For rugged, outdoor enthusiasts: Ricoh is a dependable workhorse to take on kayaking, hiking in inclement weather, or rugged landscapes demanding a tough camera.

• For city dwellers and casual shooters: Sony’s TX20 offers a lighter, more interactive experience optimized for travel, street photography, and everyday snapshots.

Both cameras may feel somewhat dated in today’s mirrorless and smartphone-saturated market, yet they each hold niche appeal for specialized users needing compactness joined to specific strengths.

If you prioritize durability and environmental protection without sacrificing moderate speed and stabilization, go for the Ricoh WG-5 GPS. If your focus leans towards compactness, touchscreen interface, and better video frame rates for casual documentation, Sony TX20 remains a worthy contender.

In sharing my hands-on analysis, I hope to have illuminated these two compact cameras’ unique identities and usage profiles. Both reflect compromises balanced by clear strengths - understanding these will empower you to pick the camera that aligns firmly with your photographic path.

Happy shooting!