Nikon P500 vs Ricoh GXR Mount A12 Comparison

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Nikon P500

12 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

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Ricoh GXR Mount A12

12 MP | APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Nikon P500 vs Ricoh GXR Mount A12 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Nikon P500, which was introduced in February 2011 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Ricoh GXR Mount A12, which was introduced in August 2011 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 12.0MP APS-C sensor. There is only 6 months difference between P500 and GXR Mount A12 so we are expecting this to be a fair comparison regarding age and technology level.

Comparing an interchangeble lens camera to a fixed lens camera is a bit tricky but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Nikon P500 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-02-09

12MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor

ISO 160 - 3200

23-810 mm F3.4-5.7 Zoom Lens

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Tilting Screen

Electronic viewfinder

1 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

240fps High-Speed Video

494g. 116 x 84 x 103 mm

Ricoh GXR Mount A12 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-08-05

12MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 3200

Mount

3" Fixed Type Screen

3 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

370g. 120 x 70 x 45 mm

Nikon P500 was replaced by Nikon Coolpix P510. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Nikon Coolpix P510 vs Nikon Coolpix P500
Nikon Coolpix P510 vs Ricoh GXR Mount A12

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Nikon Coolpix P500 over Ricoh GXR Mount A12

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
LCD Screen	Tilting vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder	Electronic vs Electronic (Optional)	Better framing and control
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Focal Length - Tele	810mm vs mm	810 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom	36× vs	more flexible focal coverage
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720	Higher Resolution Video

Reasons to choose Ricoh GXR Mount A12 over Nikon Coolpix P500

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Max Mech. Shutter	1/9000s vs 1/1500s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	3.0fps vs 1.0fps	2 fps faster
Battery Life	330 shots vs 220 shots	110 more frames with a single charge
Weight	370 g vs 494 g	124 g lighter
Focal Length - Wide	mm vs 23mm	23 mm wider coverage
Max Aperture - Wide	vs 3.40	faster lens at wide
Max Aperture - Tele	vs 5.70	faster lens at tele
Flash Coverage	9.6m vs 8.0m	1.6m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area	30.35µm² vs 2.34µm²	1197% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Nikon Coolpix P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
LCD Screen Resolution	921k dots vs 920k dots	High resolution screens
Manual Focusing	Yes vs Yes	both have manual focusing modes
Manual Exposure	Yes vs Yes	better exposure control
Focal Length - Wide	23mm vs mm	Very good wide angle coverage

Common Weaknesses of Nikon Coolpix P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12

Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

Nikon P500 vs Ricoh GXR Mount A12: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Nikon P500 has external dimensions of 116 x 84 x 10 mm (4.57 x 3.31 x 4.06″) and weighs 494 g (1.09 lb / 17.43 oz) (including batteries). Ricoh GXR Mount A12 has external dimensions of 120 x 70 x 45 mm (4.72 x 2.76 x 1.77″) and weighs 370 g (0.82 lb / 13.05 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12. Ricoh GXR Mount A12 is 14mm shorter and 58mm thinner than Nikon P500 but it is also 4mm wider.

Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12.

Top View Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Ricoh GXR Mount A12 is significantly lighter (124g ) than the Nikon P500 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

P500

GXR Mount A12

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

P500

GXR Mount A12

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Nikon Coolpix P500 nor Ricoh GXR Mount A12 provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top Bridge Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

On the other hand, Nikon P500 features a Tilting screen where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels whereas the Ricoh GXR Mount A12 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to P500.

Nikon P500 vs Ricoh GXR Mount A12: Sensor Comparison

Both Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12 have 12.0 MP resolution sensors but Nikon P500's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) and Ricoh GXR Mount A12's sensor is APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm ).

Since Ricoh GXR Mount A12's has a larger sensor area with the same resolution, this means that it also has a larger pixel area hence better light collecting capacity for a given aperture compared to Nikon P500.

Below you can see the P500 and GXR Mount A12 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12 Cameras

As seen above, Ricoh GXR Mount A12 has a 13.2x Larger sensor area than Nikon P500. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

Nikon P500 vs Ricoh GXR Mount A12 Lens Specs Comparison

Nikon P500 features a 23-810 mm F3.4-5.7 36× zoom lens whereas Ricoh GXR Mount A12 features a zoom lens.

Ricoh GXR Mount A12 has 23mm wider coverage than the Nikon P500. At f, it is also faster at widest end. On the tele end, Nikon P500 has 810mm longer reach than the Ricoh GXR Mount A12. However, with a max aperture of f, Ricoh GXR Mount A12 is faster at tele end.

Wide Coverage

DSLR-Like Cameras

P500

GXR Mount A12

Widest - Samsung WB2200F

Average

Telezoom

Mirrorless Cameras

P500

GXR Mount A12

Longest - Nikon P1000

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Mirrorless Cameras

P500

GXR Mount A12

Fastest - Olympus 1

Average

Max Aperture at Wide

Mirrorless Cameras

P500

GXR Mount A12

Fastest - Sony RX10 III

Average

What types of Photography are Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12 for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Nikon P500 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Ricoh GXR Mount A12 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Street Photography

GOOD

Ricoh GXR Mount A12 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Medium sized Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
Manual Focus Mode
Fast Lens at Wide: f
mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Ricoh GXR Mount A12 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
810 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1500s
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.70
Read the details

RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/9000s
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
mm Tele Lens
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Ricoh GXR Mount A12 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

35.2X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
494g
Body Thickness 103mm
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
Medium size Body
370g
Body Thickness 45mm
X Optical Zoom
Read the details

Nikon P500 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Ricoh GXR Mount A12 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
23 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Nikon P500 vs Ricoh GXR Mount A12: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Nikon P500 and Ricoh GXR Mount A12 scores compare:

Nikon P500

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #50 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #556 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Ricoh GXR Mount A12

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #121 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #548 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Ricoh GXR Mount A12 vs Nikon P500 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Nikon Coolpix P500	Ricoh GXR Mount A12
Brand	Nikon	Ricoh
Announced	2011-02-09	2011-08-05
Body Type	SLR-like (bridge)	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	BSI-CMOS	CMOS
Size	1/2.3-inch	APS-C
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	23.6 x 15.7 mm
Area	28.07mm²	370.52mm²
Megapixels	12 megapixels	12 megapixels
Max Resolution	4000 x 3000	4288 x 2848
Max Native Light sensitivity	3,200 ISO	3,200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	160 ISO	200 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	9	n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	23-810 mm (36×)	no lens
Max Aperture	F3.4-5.7	no lens
Macro Focus Range	1cm	n/a
Screen
Type	Tilting	Fixed type
Size	3"	3"
Resolution	921k dots	920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Electronic	Electronic (optional)
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/1500s	1/9000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	8.00 m	9.60 m
Max Flash Sync	n/a	s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	1.0 fps	3.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080	1280 x 720
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264	Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	494g	370g
Dimensions	116 x 84 x 103mm	120 x 70 x 45mm
Battery Life	220 shots	330 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction