Ricoh WG-4 vs Canon SX40 HS Comparison

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Ricoh WG-4

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

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Canon SX40 HS

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

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Ricoh WG-4 vs Canon SX40 HS Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Ricoh WG-4, which was introduced in February 2014 is a Waterproof camera with a 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor whereas Canon SX40 HS, which was introduced in September 2011 is a Small Sensor Superzoom camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor. As you can see, SX40 HS is 3 years older than WG-4. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Ricoh WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Ricoh WG-4 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2014-02-05

16MP - 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor

ISO 125 - 6400

25-100 mm F2.0-4.9 Zoom Lens

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

2 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

230g. 124 x 64 x 33 mm

Weather Sealed Body

Canon SX40 HS Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-09-15

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

ISO 100 - 3200

24-840 mm F2.7-5.8 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

2.7" Fully Articulated Screen

Electronic viewfinder

10 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

240fps High-Speed Video

600g. 123 x 92 x 108 mm

Replaced Canon PowerShot SX30 IS Compare

Canon SX40 HS was replaced by Canon PowerShot SX50 HS. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS vs Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS vs Ricoh WG-4

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Ricoh WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Ricoh WG-4 over Canon PowerShot SX40 HS

Max Sensor Resolution	16 MP vs 12 MP	33% more pixels
Max ISO	6.400 vs 3.200	100% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.7"	0.3 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	460k dots vs 230k dots	100% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter	1/4000s vs 1/3200s	faster mechanical shutter
Weight	230 g vs 600 g	370 g lighter
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
Max Aperture - Wide	2.00 vs 2.70	faster lens at wide
Max Aperture - Tele	4.90 vs 5.80	faster lens at tele
Flash Coverage	10.0m vs 7.0m	3m longer range
AE Bracketing	Yes vs No	Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR

Reasons to choose Canon PowerShot SX40 HS over Ricoh WG-4

LCD Screen	Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type	Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Electronic vs None	Better framing and control
Continuous Shooting	10.0fps vs 2.0fps	8 fps faster
Battery Life	380 shots vs 240 shots	140 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Focal Length - Wide	24mm vs 25mm	1 mm wider coverage
Focal Length - Tele	840mm vs 100mm	740 mm longer tele reach
Optical Zoom	35× vs 4×	more flexible focal coverage
Sensor Pixel Area	2.34µm² vs 1.76µm²	32% larger pixel area
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD	Yes vs No	Rotate LCD for taking Selfies

Common Strengths of Ricoh WG-4 and Canon PowerShot SX40 HS

Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift vs Optical	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs Yes	very handy for portraits
Manual Focusing	Yes vs Yes	both have manual focusing modes

Common Weaknesses of Ricoh WG-4 and Canon PowerShot SX40 HS

RAW Support	No vs No	Lower image quality
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 2.7"	Small display

Ricoh WG-4 vs Canon SX40 HS: 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 WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Ricoh WG-4 has external dimensions of 124 x 64 x 33 mm (4.88 x 2.52 x 1.3″) and weighs 230 g (0.51 lb / 8.11 oz) (including batteries). Canon SX40 HS has external dimensions of 123 x 92 x 108 mm (4.84 x 3.62 x 4.25″) and weighs 600 g (1.32 lb / 21.16 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Ricoh WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS. Ricoh WG-4 is 28mm shorter and 75mm thinner than Canon SX40 HS but it is also 1mm wider.

Comparison image of Ricoh WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Ricoh WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS.

Comparison image of Ricoh WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Ricoh WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS.

Top View Comparison image of Ricoh WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Ricoh WG-4 is significantly lighter (370g ) than the Canon SX40 HS which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Weight Comparison

Bridge Cameras

WG-4

SX40 HS

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Bridge Cameras

WG-4

SX40 HS

Min

Average

Max

Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Ricoh WG-4's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon SX40 HS's 2.7" screen.

On the other hand, Canon SX40 HS sports a Fully Articulated screen which you can change the angle and position of the screen almost freely, making it possible to shoot from waist or over the head levels, and especially very useful for shooting selfies and video. On the other hand, Ricoh WG-4 has a fixed type screen which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to SX40 HS.

Ricoh WG-4 vs Canon SX40 HS: Sensor Comparison

Ricoh WG-4 has a 16.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Canon SX40 HS has a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor .

Below you can see the WG-4 and SX40 HS sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Ricoh WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS Cameras

Ricoh WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS have 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 Canon SX40 HS has 32% larger pixel area (2.34µm² vs 1.76µm²) compared to Ricoh WG-4, it has larger pixel area to collect light hence potential to have less noise in low light / High ISO images.

Ricoh WG-4 vs Canon SX40 HS Lens Specs Comparison

Ricoh WG-4 features a 25-100 mm F2.0-4.9 4× zoom lens whereas Canon SX40 HS features a 24-840 mm F2.7-5.8 35× zoom lens.

Canon SX40 HS has 1mm wider coverage than the Ricoh WG-4. On the other hand, with a max aperture of f2.00, Ricoh WG-4 is faster at widest end. On the tele end, Canon SX40 HS has 740mm longer telezoom reach than the Ricoh WG-4. However, with a max aperture of f4.90, Ricoh WG-4 is faster at widest end.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

WG-4

SX40 HS

Widest - Ricoh WG-M1

Average

Telezoom

DSLR-Like Cameras

WG-4

SX40 HS

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

DSLR-Like Cameras

WG-4

SX40 HS

Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV

Average

Max Aperture at Wide

DSLR-Like Cameras

WG-4

SX40 HS

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

What types of Photography are Ricoh WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Ricoh WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS 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 WG-4 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Canon SX40 HS for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
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 Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
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
Read the details

Ricoh WG-4 for Street Photography

GOOD

Canon SX40 HS for Street Photography

GOOD

Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
Small Body
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.00
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
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.70
24 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

Ricoh WG-4 for Sports Photography

POOR

Canon SX40 HS for Sports Photography

AVERAGE

Image Stabilization
Manual Focus Mode
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
9 Focus Points
Poor Battery Life: 240 shots
100 mm Tele Lens
Read the details

Image Stabilization
External Flash Shoe
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
840 mm Tele Lens
Average Ergonomics&Handling
Average Max shutter speed: 1/3200s
No RAW shooting capability
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.80
Read the details

Ricoh WG-4 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Canon SX40 HS for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Compact Body
Environmental Sealings
230g
4.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

35.0X Optical Zoom
Medium size Body
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
600g
Body Thickness 108mm
Read the details

Ricoh WG-4 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Canon SX40 HS for Landscape Photography

POOR

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

Manual Focus Mode
Manual Exposure Mode
24 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

Ricoh WG-4 vs Canon SX40 HS: 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 WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS, 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 WG-4 and Canon SX40 HS scores compare:

Ricoh WG-4

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #61 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #494 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Canon SX40 HS

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #46 out of 113 in SLR-like (bridge) cameras
Ranked #529 out of 1223 in all Cameras

Ricoh WG-4 scores higher than the Canon SX40 HS thanks to its better general imaging quality, compact size and higher value for the money. On the other hand, Canon SX40 HS has some extra features which may become a game changer if you have some specific requirements.
We recommend you to read our detailed Pro's and Con's section and see if any Pro of Canon SX40 HS is a must-have for you. If not, choose the Ricoh WG-4.

Canon SX40 HS vs Ricoh WG-4 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Ricoh WG-4	Canon PowerShot SX40 HS
Brand	Ricoh	Canon
Announced	2014-02-05	2011-09-15
Body Type	Compact	SLR-like (bridge)
Sensor
Type	BSI-CMOS	BSI-CMOS
Size	1/2.3-inch	1/2.3-inch
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area	28.07mm²	28.07mm²
Megapixels	16 megapixels	12 megapixels
Max Resolution	4608 x 3456	4000 x 3000
Max Native Light sensitivity	6,400 ISO	3,200 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	9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	25-100 mm (4×)	24-840 mm (35×)
Max Aperture	F2.0-4.9	F2.7-5.8
Macro Focus Range	1cm	0cm
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fully Articulated
Size	3"	2.7"
Resolution	460k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Electronic
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/3200s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Sensor-shift	Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	10.00 m (Auto ISO)	7.00 m
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/2000s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	2.0 fps	10.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	1920 x 1080	1920 x 1080
Video Formats	H.264	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	230g	600g
Dimensions	124 x 64 x 33mm	123 x 92 x 108mm
Battery Life	240 shots	380 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction