Ricoh GR III has a
24.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Sony A700 has a
12.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .
Ricoh GR III's sensor provides 12MP more than Sony A700'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.
Another difference between these two cameras is that Ricoh GR III's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moiré occurring in certain scenes.
Below you can see the GR III and A700 sensor size comparison.
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Ricoh GR III and Sony A700 Cameras
Ricoh GR III and Sony A700 have the same sensor sizes so they will provide same level of control over the depth of field when used with same focal length and aperture. On the other hand, since Sony A700 has 97% larger pixel area (30.12µm 2 vs 15.28µm 2 ) compared to Ricoh GR III, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.
Sensor size sets the circle of confusion, so it drives how much depth of field each
of these bodies gives you at a given aperture. You can calculate it exactly for the
Ricoh GR III
or the
Sony A700 ,
including hyperfocal distance.
