Ricoh WG-M1 vs Sony QX1

Below, we will be reviewing the Ricoh WG-M1 and Sony QX1, former being a Waterproof while the latter is a Lens-style by brands Ricoh and Sony. There exists a sizable gap among the sensor resolutions of the WG-M1 (14MP) and QX1 (20MP) and the WG-M1 (1/2.3") and QX1 (APS-C) feature different sensor measurements.

Photography Glossary

The WG-M1 was revealed within a month of the QX1 and they are both of a similar age. Both the cameras come with different body type with the Ricoh WG-M1 being a Compact camera and the Sony QX1 being a Lens-style camera.

Before getting through a complete comparison, below is a brief overview of how the WG-M1 scores vs the QX1 with regard to portability, imaging, features and an overall grade.

Following is a preview of the gallery photos for Ricoh WG-M1 & Sony Alpha QX1. The full galleries are provided at Ricoh WG-M1 Gallery & Sony QX1 Gallery.

For those who are intending to lug around your camera frequently, you should factor in its weight and size. The Ricoh WG-M1 comes with exterior dimensions of 66mm x 43mm x 89mm (2.6" x 1.7" x 3.5") with a weight of 190 grams (0.42 lbs) while the Sony QX1 has specifications of 74mm x 70mm x 53mm (2.9" x 2.8" x 2.1") and a weight of 216 grams (0.48 lbs).

Check the Ricoh WG-M1 and Sony QX1 in our completely new Camera & Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Remember, the weight of an ILC will vary based on the lens you have attached at that moment. Here is the front view dimension comparison of the WG-M1 compared to the QX1.

Factoring in dimensions and weight, the portability score of the WG-M1 and QX1 is 91 and 90 respectively.

More often than not, it's difficult to visualize the difference in sensor measurements only by seeing technical specs. The visual underneath should provide you a far better sense of the sensor dimensions in the WG-M1 and QX1.

As you can tell, each of these cameras posses different megapixel count and different sensor measurements. The WG-M1 with its smaller sensor is going to make achieving shallow depth of field more challenging and the Sony QX1 will produce more detail because of its extra 6MP. Higher resolution will also let you crop photographs somewhat more aggressively.