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Ricoh WG-6 vs Leica M-Monochrom Comparison

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Ricoh WG-6

20 MP | 1/2.3 BSI-CMOS Sensor

Ricoh WG-6
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Leica M-Monochrom

18 MP | Full frame (36 x 24 mm) CCD Sensor

Leica M-Monochrom
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Ricoh WG-6 vs Leica M-Monochrom Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Ricoh WG-6, which was introduced in February 2018 is a Waterproof camera with a 20.0MP 1/2.3 sensor whereas Leica M-Monochrom, which was introduced in May 2012 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 18.0MP Full frame sensor. As you can see, M-Monochrom is 6 years older than WG-6. 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.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Ricoh WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Ricoh WG-6 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
  • 246g. 118 x 66 x 33 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Ricoh WG-5 GPS Compare

Leica M-Monochrom Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-05-10
  • 18MP - Full frame CCD Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 10000
  • Leica M Mount
  • 2.50" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (rangefinder) viewfinder
  • 2.0fps continuous shooting
  • No Video Mode
  • 600g. 139 x 80 x 37 mm

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Ricoh WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom 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 WG-6 over Leica M-Monochrom
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Internal Storage
27MB vs None Extra built-in storage
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Sensor Resolution
20 MP vs 18 MP 11% more pixels
LCD Screen Size
3 vs 2.5 0.5 inches larger display
LCD Resolution
1.040k dots vs 230k dots 352% higher resolution screen
Weight
246 g vs 600 g 354 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
Digital video stabilization
Yes vs No Stabilizes your videos in-camera
USB Version
USB 3.0 (5 GBit/sec) vs USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) Faster Data transfer from the camera
CHECK WG-6 PRICE


Reasons to choose Leica M-Monochrom over Ricoh WG-6
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
10.000 vs 6.400 56% higher Max ISO
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
47.73µm2 vs 1.39µm2 3333% larger pixel area
CHECK M-Monochrom PRICE

Common Strengths of Ricoh WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom
Max Resolution
20 MP vs 18 MP Bigger prints and more details
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Ricoh WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom
In-body Image Stabilization
Digital only vs No No Built-in stabilization
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No Screen tilts or Flips out independently, perfect for both stills and video
LCD Screen Size
2.50" vs 2.50" Small display
Ricoh WG-6 vs Leica M-Monochrom: 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-6 and Leica M-Monochrom side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Ricoh WG-6 has external dimensions of 118 x 66 x 33 mm (4.65 x 2.6 x 1.3″) and weighs 246 g (0.54 lb / 8.68 oz) (including batteries). Leica M-Monochrom has external dimensions of 139 x 80 x 37 mm (5.47 x 3.15 x 1.46″) and weighs 600 g (1.32 lb / 21.16 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom. Ricoh WG-6 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 21mm narrower, 14mm shorter and 4mm thinner than Leica M-Monochrom. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Ricoh WG-6 has a built-in lens but Leica M-Monochrom doesn't. Once you put a lens on M-Monochrom, its thickness will increase significantly.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Leica M-Monochrom Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Leica M-Monochrom Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom.
Ricoh WG-6 vs Leica M-Monochrom Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Ricoh WG-6 is significantly lighter (354g ) than the Leica M-Monochrom 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 M-Monochrom, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Thanks to the weather sealed body of WG-6, you can use this camera with more confidence under conditions where there is risk of exposure to water and dust compared to M-Monochrom.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Ricoh WG-6's 3.00" LCD screen is slightly larger than Leica M-Monochrom's 2.5 screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Ricoh WG-6 vs Leica M-Monochrom: Sensor Comparison

Ricoh WG-6 has a 20.0MP 1/2.3 (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Leica M-Monochrom has a 18.0MP Full frame (36 x 24 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Below you can see the WG-6 and M-Monochrom sensor size comparison.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Leica M-Monochrom Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom Cameras


As seen above, Leica M-Monochrom has a 30.8x Larger sensor area than Ricoh WG-6. 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 WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Ricoh WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom 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-6 for Portrait Photography

POOR

Leica M-Monochrom for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
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 Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Leica M-Monochrom for Street Photography

AVERAGE
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 Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Sports Photography

POOR

Leica M-Monochrom for Sports Photography

AVERAGE
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
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 2.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Leica M-Monochrom for Daily Photography

GOOD
Compact Body
Environmental Sealings
246g
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3 sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
Large Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
600g
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Leica M-Monochrom 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 Full frame (36 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 18.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 vs Leica M-Monochrom: 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-6 and Leica M-Monochrom, 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 WG-6 and Leica M-Monochrom scores compare:

Ricoh WG-6
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #67 out of 477 in Compact cameras
Ranked #539 out of 1257 in all Cameras
Leica M-Monochrom
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #129 out of 134 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #652 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Ricoh WG-6 has a higher Overall Score than the Leica M-Monochrom. It also has more features, more compact body and offers higher value for the money. But there is one area that WG-6 trails behind the M-Monochrom: Imaging.
If image quality is the most important aspect in a camera, choose the Leica M-Monochrom. If not, we recommend the Ricoh WG-6.

Ricoh WG-6
Ricoh WG-6
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Leica M-Monochrom
Leica M-Monochrom
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Leica M-Monochrom vs Ricoh WG-6 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Ricoh WG-6 Leica M-Monochrom
Brand Ricoh Leica
Announced 2018-02-21 2012-05-10
Body Type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CCD
Size 1/2.3 Full frame
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 36 x 24 mm
Area 28.07mm2 864.00mm2
Megapixels 20 megapixels 18 megapixels
Max Resolution 5184 x 3888 5212 x 3472
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 10,000 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 125 ISO 160 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 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Leica M
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 Fixed type
Size 3.00" 2.50"
Resolution 1,040k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Optical (rangefinder)
Viewfinder Coverage n/a Unknown
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.68x
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 No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.50 m (with Auto ISO) no built-in flash
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting n/a 2.0 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 246g 600g
Dimensions 118 x 66 x 33mm 139 x 80 x 37mm
Battery Life 340 shots 350 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Built-in None
DxO Sensor Scores
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