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Ricoh G900 vs Sony A550 Comparison

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Ricoh G900

20 MP | 1/2.3 BSI-CMOS Sensor

Ricoh G900
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Sony A550

14 MP | APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A550
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Ricoh G900 vs Sony A550 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 Sony A550, which was introduced in December 2009 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 14.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, A550 is 9 years older than G900. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing a DSLR camera to a Fixed Lens camera is not an easy task but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Ricoh G900 and Sony A550 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
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • 247g. 118 x 66 x 33 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Sony A550 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2009-12-09
  • 14MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder
  • 7.0fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 632g. 137 x 104 x 84 mm
  • Replaced Sony Alpha DSLR-A100 Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Ricoh G900 and Sony A550 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Reasons to choose Ricoh G900 over Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Internal Storage
6.5GB vs None Extra built-in storage
Sensor Resolution
20 MP vs 14 MP 42% more pixels
LCD Resolution
1.040k dots vs 922k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Weight
247 g vs 632 g 385 g lighter
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs None Higher Resolution Video
USB Version
USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) vs USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Faster Data transfer from the camera
CHECK G900 PRICE


Reasons to choose Sony Alpha DSLR-A550 over Ricoh G900
In-built Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Viewfinder
Optical vs None Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max ISO
12.800 vs 6.400 100% higher Max ISO
Battery Life
480 shots vs 340 shots 140 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Flash Coverage
12.0m vs 5.5m 6.5m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
26.02µm2 vs 1.39µm2 1771% larger pixel area
CHECK A550 PRICE

Common Strengths of Ricoh G900 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Continuous Shooting
fps vs 7.0fps Fast shooting speeds
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Ricoh G900 and Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Ricoh G900 vs Sony A550: 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 Sony A550 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). Sony A550 has external dimensions of 137 x 104 x 84 mm (5.39 x 4.09 x 3.31″) and weighs 632 g (1.39 lb / 22.29 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Ricoh G900 and Sony A550. Ricoh G900 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 19mm narrower, 38mm shorter and 51mm thinner than Sony A550. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Ricoh G900 has a built-in lens but Sony A550 doesn't. Once you put a lens on A550, its thickness will increase significantly.

Ricoh G900 vs Sony A550 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Ricoh G900 and Sony A550 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Ricoh G900 and Sony A550.

Ricoh G900 vs Sony A550 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Ricoh G900 and Sony A550 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Ricoh G900 and Sony A550.
Ricoh G900 vs Sony A550 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Ricoh G900 and Sony A550 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 (385g ) than the Sony A550 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 A550, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of G900, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to A550.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Ricoh G900 and Sony A550's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

On the other hand, Sony A550 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 A550.
Ricoh G900 vs Sony A550: 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, Sony A550 has a 14.0MP APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.

Ricoh G900's sensor provides 6MP more than Sony A550's sensor, which gives a significant advantage in real life. You can print your images larger or crop more freely. On the other hand, please keep in mind that Max sensor resolution is not the only determinant of resolving power. Factors such as the optical elements, low pass filter, pixel size and sensor technology also affects the final resolution of the captured image.

Below you can see the G900 and A550 sensor size comparison.

Ricoh G900 vs Sony A550 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Ricoh G900 and Sony A550 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A550 has a 13.0x 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 Sony A550 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Ricoh G900 and Sony A550 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

Sony A550 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
Small 1/2.3 sensor
No Image Stabilization
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 APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Read the details

Ricoh G900 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A550 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3 sensor
No Image Stabilization
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Ricoh G900 for Sports Photography

POOR

Sony A550 for Sports Photography

GOOD
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
140 mm Tele Lens
No Image Stabilization
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
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Ricoh G900 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sony A550 for Daily Photography

GOOD
Compact Body
Environmental Sealings
247g
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3 sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
632g
Body Thickness 84mm
Read the details

Ricoh G900 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony A550 for Landscape Photography

POOR
Very High Resolution Sensor: 20.0MP
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Environmental Sealings
Small 1/2.3 sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Exposure Mode
Read the details
Large APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Ricoh G900 vs Sony A550: 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 Sony A550, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 69 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 Sony A550 scores compare:

Ricoh G900
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #66 out of 477 in Compact cameras
Ranked #540 out of 1257 in all Cameras
Sony A550
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #37 out of 80 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #313 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Sony A550 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, Sony A550 is the better camera overall.

Ricoh G900
Ricoh G900
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Sony A550
Sony A550
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Sony A550 vs Ricoh G900 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Ricoh G900 Sony Alpha DSLR-A550
Brand Ricoh Sony
Announced 2018-02-21 2009-12-09
Body Type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size 1/2.3 APS-C
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 23.4 x 15.6 mm
Area 28.07mm2 365.04mm2
Megapixels 20 megapixels 14 megapixels
Max Resolution 5184 x 3888 4592 x 3056
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 12,800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 125 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 9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Sony/Minolta Alpha
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 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 1,040k dots 922k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Optical (pentamirror)
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 95%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.53x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Digital only Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.50 m (with Auto ISO) 12.00 m
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting n/a 7.0 fps
Multi-Segment Metering
Average Metering
Spot Metering
Partial Metering
AF-Area Metering
Center Weighted Metering
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 None
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Supports FlashAir SD cards None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 247g 632g
Dimensions 118 x 66 x 33mm 137 x 104 x 84mm
Battery Life 340 shots 480 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Built-in None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 66
DxO Color Depth not tested 21.9
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 11.8
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 807
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