Ricoh G900 vs Olympus E-PL7 Comparison

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Ricoh G900

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

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Olympus E-PL7

16 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Ricoh G900 vs Olympus E-PL7 Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Ricoh G900, which was introduced in February 2018 is a Waterproof camera with a 20.0MP 1/2.3" sensor whereas Olympus E-PL7, which was introduced in September 2014 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 16.0MP Four Thirds sensor. As you can see, E-PL7 is 4 years older than G900. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

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.

Let's have a brief look at the main features of Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Ricoh G900 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2018-02-21

20MP - 1/2.3" BSI-CMOS Sensor

ISO 125 - 6400

28-140 mm F3.5-5.5 Zoom Lens

Digital only Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

continuous shooting

4K (UHD) - 3840x2160 video resolution

247g. 118 x 66 x 33 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Olympus E-PL7 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-09-01

16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 25600

Micro Four Thirds Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Tilting Screen

8 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

Built-in Wireless

357g. 115 x 67 x 38 mm

Replaced Olympus PEN E-PL6 Compare

Olympus E-PL7 was replaced by Olympus PEN E-PL7. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus PEN E-PL7 vs Olympus PEN E-PL7
Olympus PEN E-PL7 vs Ricoh G900

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Ricoh G900 over Olympus PEN E-PL7

Built-in Flash	Yes vs No	Useful in low-light
Max Sensor Resolution	20 MP vs 16 MP	25% more pixels
Weight	247 g vs 357 g	110 g lighter
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Max Video Resolution	3840x2160 vs 1920 x 1080	Higher Resolution Video

Reasons to choose Olympus PEN E-PL7 over Ricoh G900

Wireless Connection	Built-In vs Supports FlashAir SD cards	Better connectivity
LCD Screen	Tilting vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Touch Screen	Yes vs No	Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Max ISO	25.600 vs 6.400	300% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	81 vs 9	72 more focus points
Battery Life	350 shots vs 340 shots	10 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Sensor Pixel Area	14.12µm² vs 1.39µm²	915% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing Range	±5 EV vs ±2 EV	Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
Smartphone Remote	Yes vs No	Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Common Strengths of Ricoh G900 and Olympus PEN E-PL7

Image Stabilization	Digital only vs Sensor-shift	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
LCD Screen Resolution	1.040k dots vs 1.037k dots	High resolution screens
Continuous Shooting	fps vs 8.0fps	Fast shooting speeds
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs Yes	creative shooting
AE Bracketing	Yes vs Yes	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Common Weaknesses of Ricoh G900 and Olympus PEN E-PL7

Ricoh G900 vs Olympus E-PL7: 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 Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7 side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Ricoh G900 has external dimensions of 118 x 66 x 33 mm (4.65 x 2.6 x 1.3″) and weighs 247 g (0.54 lb / 8.71 oz) (including batteries). Olympus E-PL7 has external dimensions of 115 x 67 x 38 mm (4.53 x 2.64 x 1.5″) and weighs 357 g (0.79 lb / 12.59 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7. Ricoh G900 is 1mm shorter and 5mm thinner than Olympus E-PL7 but it is also 3mm wider. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Ricoh G900 has a built-in lens but Olympus E-PL7 doesn't. Once you put a lens on E-PL7, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7.

Comparison image of Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7.

Top View Comparison image of Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Ricoh G900 is significantly lighter (110g ) than the Olympus E-PL7 which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on E-PL7, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

On the other hand, Olympus E-PL7 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 G900 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to E-PL7.

Ricoh G900 vs Olympus E-PL7: Sensor Comparison

Ricoh G900 has a 20.0MP 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Olympus E-PL7 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features TruePic VII processor.

Below you can see the G900 and E-PL7 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7 Cameras

As seen above, Olympus E-PL7 has a 8.0x Larger sensor area than Ricoh G900. 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.

What types of Photography are Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7 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.

Ricoh G900 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Olympus E-PL7 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Image Stabilization
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 Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Ricoh G900 for Street Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-PL7 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

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

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Optional External Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
Read the details

Ricoh G900 for Sports Photography

POOR

Olympus E-PL7 for Sports Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
140 mm Tele Lens
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Fast Continuous Shooting: 8.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
81 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Ricoh G900 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-PL7 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Compact Body
Environmental Sealings
247g
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
357g
Read the details

Ricoh G900 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus E-PL7 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Environmental Sealings
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Exposure Mode
Read the details

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Ricoh G900 vs Olympus E-PL7: 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 Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7, 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 Ricoh G900 and Olympus E-PL7 scores compare:

Ricoh G900

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #71 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #508 out of 1218 in all Cameras

Olympus E-PL7

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #26 out of 126 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #178 out of 1218 in all Cameras

Olympus E-PL7 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Ricoh G900 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Ricoh G900. Otherwise, Olympus E-PL7 is the better camera overall.

Olympus E-PL7 vs Ricoh G900 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Ricoh G900	Olympus PEN E-PL7
Brand	Ricoh	Olympus
Announced	2018-02-21	2014-09-01
Body Type	Compact	Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type	BSI-CMOS	CMOS
Size	1/2.3"	Four Thirds
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	17.3 x 13 mm
Area	28.07mm²	224.90mm²
Megapixels	20 megapixels	16 megapixels
Max Resolution	5184 x 3888	4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity	6,400 ISO	25,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	125 ISO	100 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	81
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	Micro Four Thirds
Lens Focal Range	28-140 mm (5x)	no lens
Max Aperture	F3.5-5.5	no lens
Macro Focus Range	1cm	no lens
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Tilting
Size	3"	3"
Resolution	1,040k dots	1,037k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Electronic (optional)
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Digital only	Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	5.50 m (with Auto ISO)	no built-in flash
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	n/a	8.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840x2160	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264	H.264, Motion JPEG
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Supports FlashAir SD cards	Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	247g	357g
Dimensions	118 x 66 x 33mm	115 x 67 x 38mm
Battery Life	340 shots	350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	Built-in	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	72
DxO Color Depth	not tested	22.7
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	12.4
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	873
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