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Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony W550

Portability
90
Imaging
41
Features
44
Overall
42
Ricoh WG-5 GPS front
 
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550 front
Portability
96
Imaging
37
Features
28
Overall
33

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony W550 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
  • Introduced February 2015
  • Replaced the Ricoh WG-4 GPS
  • Newer Model is Ricoh WG-6
Sony W550
(Full Review)
  • 14MP - 1/2.3" Sensor
  • 3" Fixed Screen
  • ISO 80 - 3200
  • Optical Image Stabilization
  • 1280 x 720 video
  • 26-104mm (F2.7-5.7) lens
  • 110g - 94 x 56 x 19mm
  • Revealed July 2011
Photography Glossary

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony W550 Overview

On this page, we will be reviewing the Ricoh WG-5 GPS versus Sony W550, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Ultracompact by rivals Ricoh and Sony. The resolution of the WG-5 GPS (16MP) and the W550 (14MP) is pretty well matched and both cameras posses the same sensor sizes (1/2.3").

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The WG-5 GPS was manufactured 3 years later than the W550 and that is quite a large difference as far as technology is concerned. The two cameras have different body design with the Ricoh WG-5 GPS being a Compact camera and the Sony W550 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before getting straight to a in depth comparison, here is a brief synopsis of how the WG-5 GPS grades versus the W550 with regards to portability, imaging, features and an overall rating.

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Reasons to pick Ricoh WG-5 GPS over the Sony W550

 WG-5 GPS W550 
RevealedFebruary 2015July 2011Fresher by 44 months
Manual focus Very exact focusing
Screen resolution460k230kSharper screen (+230k dot)

Reasons to pick Sony W550 over the Ricoh WG-5 GPS

 W550 WG-5 GPS 

Common features in the Ricoh WG-5 GPS and Sony W550

 WG-5 GPS W550 
Screen typeFixed Fixed Fixed screen
Screen dimensions3"3"Equal screen dimensions
Selfie screen Lack of selfie screen
Touch screen Neither contains Touch screen

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony W550 Physical Comparison

In case you're aiming to carry your camera regularly, you're going to have to consider its weight and dimensions. The Ricoh WG-5 GPS has got outer measurements of 125mm x 65mm x 32mm (4.9" x 2.6" x 1.3") with a weight of 236 grams (0.52 lbs) whilst the Sony W550 has dimensions of 94mm x 56mm x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 110 grams (0.24 lbs).

Check out the Ricoh WG-5 GPS versus Sony W550 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool. Camera Size Comparison with Lenses

Remember that, the weight of an ILC will change depending on the lens you have at that time. Underneath is a front view physical size comparison of the WG-5 GPS vs the W550.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony W550 size comparison

Looking at dimensions and weight, the portability grade of the WG-5 GPS and W550 is 90 and 96 respectively.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony W550 top view buttons comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony W550 Sensor Comparison

Normally, its tough to visualize the gap between sensor sizing simply by checking specifications. The photograph underneath might offer you a clearer sense of the sensor sizing in the WG-5 GPS and W550.

Plainly, each of these cameras have the same sensor dimensions albeit different resolution. You can expect the Ricoh WG-5 GPS to resolve more detail due to its extra 2 Megapixels. Higher resolution will make it easier to crop photographs a bit more aggressively. The fresher WG-5 GPS provides an edge in sensor tech.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony W550 sensor size comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony W550 Screen and ViewFinder

Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony W550 Screen and Viewfinder comparison
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Photography Type Scores

Portrait Comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Portrait photography factors
Sony W550 Portrait photography factors
41
focusing manually
good megapixels (16 megapixels)
has face detect focusing
manual exposure not possible
cannot use external flash
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
28
good MP (14MP)
focusing manually not possible
manual exposure not possible
no external flash support
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Street Comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Street photography advice
Sony W550 Street photography advice
59
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
environment sealing
screen is fixed
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
more heavy than others in class (236g)
57
has image stabilization (Optical)
screen is fixed
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
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Sports Comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Sports photography features
Sony W550 Sports photography features
49
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16MP)
has tracking focus
environment sealing
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
not so great battery pack (240 CIPA)
does not have phase detect AF
35
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14MP)
max frames per second very slow (1.0 frames/s)
no shutter priority mode
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks phase detect autofocus
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Travel Comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Travel photography factors
Sony W550 Travel photography factors
69
environment sealing
good megapixels (16MP)
has built in flash
relatively wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
not so great battery pack (240 shots)
more heavy than others in class (236 grams)
does not have selfie friendly display
65
good MP (14 megapixels)
built-in flash
decently wide (26mm)
does not have Timelapse recording
display is not selfie friendly
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
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Landscape Comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Landscape photography highlights
Sony W550 Landscape photography highlights
54
focusing manually
relatively wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
screen is a good size (3 inches)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
good megapixels (16MP)
environment sealing
lens is fixed (fixed lens mount)
manual exposure not possible
tiny sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW format
not so great battery pack (240 CIPA)
42
decently wide (26mm)
nice screen size (3")
has image stabilization (Optical)
good MP (14 megapixels)
focusing manually not possible
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
manual exposure not possible
sensor is tiny (1/2.3")
lacks RAW format
does not have Timelapse recording
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Vlogging Comparison

Ricoh WG-5 GPS as a Vlogging camera
Sony W550 as a Vlogging camera
34
relatively wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
has face detect focusing
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pxls)
does not have selfie friendly display
doesn't have microphone port
more heavy than others in class (236g)
29
decently wide (26mm)
has image stabilization (Optical)
somewhat slow max aperture (f2.7)
display is not selfie friendly
video res low (1280 x 720 pixels)
does not have external microphone socket
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Ricoh WG-5 GPS vs Sony W550 Specifications

Detailed spec comparison table for Ricoh WG-5 GPS and Sony W550
 Ricoh WG-5 GPSSony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
General Information
Manufacturer Ricoh Sony
Model type Ricoh WG-5 GPS Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W550
Type Waterproof Ultracompact
Introduced 2015-02-10 2011-07-24
Physical type Compact Ultracompact
Sensor Information
Chip - BIONZ
Sensor type BSI-CMOS CCD
Sensor size 1/2.3" 1/2.3"
Sensor measurements 6.17 x 4.55mm 6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area 28.1mm² 28.1mm²
Sensor resolution 16 megapixels 14 megapixels
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9 4:3 and 16:9
Peak resolution 4608 x 3456 4320 x 3240
Highest native ISO 6400 3200
Min native ISO 125 80
RAW images
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Autofocus touch
Autofocus continuous
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Autofocus selectice
Center weighted autofocus
Multi area autofocus
Live view autofocus
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points 9 9
Lens
Lens support fixed lens fixed lens
Lens zoom range 25-100mm (4.0x) 26-104mm (4.0x)
Highest aperture f/2.0-4.9 f/2.7-5.7
Macro focusing distance 1cm 5cm
Focal length multiplier 5.8 5.8
Screen
Display type Fixed Type Fixed Type
Display sizing 3 inch 3 inch
Resolution of display 460k dots 230k dots
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch screen
Display tech - Clear Photo LCD
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder None None
Features
Minimum shutter speed 4s 2s
Fastest shutter speed 1/4000s 1/1600s
Continuous shutter rate 14.0 frames/s 1.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Manual mode
Set white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance 10.40 m (at Auto ISO) 3.80 m
Flash modes Auto, flash off, flash on, auto + redeye, on + redeye Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External flash
Auto exposure bracketing
White balance bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment metering
Average metering
Spot metering
Partial metering
AF area metering
Center weighted metering
Video features
Video resolutions 1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 30p) 1280 x 720 (30 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps)
Highest video resolution 1920x1080 1280x720
Video format MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone port
Headphone port
Connectivity
Wireless None None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS BuiltIn None
Physical
Environmental sealing
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight 236 grams (0.52 lb) 110 grams (0.24 lb)
Physical dimensions 125 x 65 x 32mm (4.9" x 2.6" x 1.3") 94 x 56 x 19mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7")
DXO scores
DXO Overall 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 photographs -
Battery type Battery Pack -
Battery ID D-LI92 NP-BN1
Self timer Yes (2 or 10 secs) Yes (2 or 10 sec, Portrait 1/2)
Time lapse recording
Type of storage SD/SDHC/SDXC, internal SD/SDHC/SDXC/Memory Stick Duo/Memory Stick Pro Duo, Memory Stick Pro-HG Duo
Card slots 1 -
Cost at release $500 $119