Olympus SZ-30MR vs Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 Comparison

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Olympus SZ-30MR

16 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5

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

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Olympus SZ-30MR vs Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Olympus SZ-30MR, which was introduced in March 2011 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5, which was introduced in February 2012 is a Advanced Mirrorless camera with a 16.0MP APS-C sensor. There is only 11 months difference between SZ-30MR and GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 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 Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Olympus SZ-30MR Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-03-02

16MP - 1/2.3-inch CMOS Sensor

ISO 80 - 3200

25-600 mm F3.0-6.9 Zoom Lens

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

2 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

226g. 106 x 69 x 40 mm

Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2012-02-02

16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 200 - 3200

24-85 mm F3.5-5.5 Zoom Lens

3" Fixed Type Screen

3 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

550g. 114 x 75 x 93 mm

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Olympus SZ-30MR over Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Weight	226 g vs 550 g	324 g lighter
Focal Length - Tele	600mm vs 85mm	515 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom	24× vs 3.5×	more flexible focal coverage
Max Aperture - Wide	3.00 vs 3.50	faster lens at wide
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080 vs 1280 x 720	Higher Resolution Video

Reasons to choose Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 over Olympus SZ-30MR

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
LCD Screen Resolution	920k dots vs 460k dots	100% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/3200s vs 1/1700s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	3.0fps vs 2.0fps	1 fps faster
Battery Life	400 shots vs 220 shots	180 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
Focal Length - Wide	24mm vs 25mm	1 mm wider coverage
Max Aperture - Tele	5.50 vs 6.90	faster lens at tele
Sensor Pixel Area	23.04µm² vs 1.76µm²	1209% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Strengths of Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits

Common Weaknesses of Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5: 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 Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Olympus SZ-30MR has external dimensions of 106 x 69 x 40 mm (4.17 x 2.72 x 1.57″) and weighs 226 g (0.50 lb / 7.97 oz) (including batteries). Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 has external dimensions of 114 x 75 x 93 mm (4.49 x 2.95 x 3.66″) and weighs 550 g (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5. Olympus SZ-30MR is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 8mm narrower, 6mm shorter and 53mm thinner than Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5.

Comparison image of Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5.

Top View Comparison image of Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Olympus SZ-30MR is significantly lighter (324g ) than the Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Weight Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

SZ-30MR

GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Mirrorless Cameras

SZ-30MR

GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Olympus SZ-30MR nor Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 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 Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Mirrorless Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5: Sensor Comparison

Both Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 have 16.0 MP resolution sensors but Olympus SZ-30MR's sensor is 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5's sensor is APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm ).

Since Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5'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 Olympus SZ-30MR.

Below you can see the SZ-30MR and GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 Cameras

As seen above, Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 has a 13.2x Larger sensor area than Olympus SZ-30MR. 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.

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 Lens Specs Comparison

Olympus SZ-30MR features a 25-600 mm F3.0-6.9 24× zoom lens whereas Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 features a 24-85 mm F3.5-5.5 3.5× zoom lens.

Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 has 1mm wider coverage than the Olympus SZ-30MR. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f3.00, Olympus SZ-30MR is faster at widest end. On the tele end, Olympus SZ-30MR has 515mm longer reach than the Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5. However, with a max aperture of f5.50, Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 is faster at tele end.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

SZ-30MR

GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5

Widest - Ricoh WG-M1

Average

Telezoom

Mirrorless Cameras

SZ-30MR

GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Mirrorless Cameras

SZ-30MR

GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5

Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV

Average

Max Aperture at Wide

Mirrorless Cameras

SZ-30MR

GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

What types of Photography are Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 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.

Olympus SZ-30MR for Portrait Photography

POOR

Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
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: 16.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Olympus SZ-30MR for Street Photography

GOOD

Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

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

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Olympus SZ-30MR for Sports Photography

POOR

Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
600 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1700s
Unknown Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 220 shots
Slow Lens at Tele: f6.90
Read the details

RAW shooting capability
External Flash Shoe
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Max shutter speed: 1/3200s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
85 mm Tele Lens
Read the details

Olympus SZ-30MR for Daily Photography

GOOD

Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Compact Body
226g
24.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Body Thickness 40mm
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
RAW shooting capability
Medium size Body
550g
Body Thickness 93mm
3.5X Optical Zoom
Read the details

Olympus SZ-30MR for Landscape Photography

POOR

Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 for Landscape Photography

POOR

25 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Large APS-C (23.6 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
24 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Olympus SZ-30MR vs Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5: 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 Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5, 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 Olympus SZ-30MR and Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 scores compare:

Olympus SZ-30MR

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #213 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #790 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #100 out of 127 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #425 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Olympus SZ-30MR in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Olympus SZ-30MR. Otherwise, Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 is the better camera overall.

Olympus SZ-30MR

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Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5

CHECK PRICE

Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5 vs Olympus SZ-30MR Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Olympus SZ-30MR	Ricoh GXR A16 24-85mm F3.5-5.5
Brand	Olympus	Ricoh
Announced	2011-03-02	2012-02-02
Body Type	Compact	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	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	16 megapixels	16 megapixels
Max Resolution	4608 x 3456	4928 x 3264
Max Native Light sensitivity	3,200 ISO	3,200 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	80 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	n/a	n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	25-600 mm (24×)	24-85 mm (3.5×)
Max Aperture	F3.0-6.9	F3.5-5.5
Macro Focus Range	1cm	n/a
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	3"	3"
Resolution	460k dots	920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Electronic (optional)
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/1700s	1/3200s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	4.00 m	n/a
Max Flash Sync	n/a	s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	2.0 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	MPEG-4
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Eye-Fi Connected	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	226g	550g
Dimensions	106 x 69 x 40mm	114 x 75 x 93mm
Battery Life	220 shots	400 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction