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Ricoh WG-6 vs Nikon J5 Comparison

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Ricoh WG-6

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

Ricoh WG-6
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Nikon 1 J5

21 MP | 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Nikon 1 J5
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Ricoh WG-6 vs Nikon 1 J5 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-inch sensor whereas Nikon 1 J5, which was introduced in April 2015 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 21.0MP 1-inch sensor. As you can see, J5 is 3 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 Nikon 1 J5 before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Ricoh WG-6 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2018-02-21
  • 20MP - 1/2.3-inch 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
  • 246g. 118 x 66 x 33 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Ricoh WG-5 GPS Compare

Nikon 1 J5 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2015-04-03
  • 21MP - 1-inch BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • Nikon 1 Mount
  • 3" Tilting Screen
  • 20.0 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • 1200fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 231g. 98 x 60 x 32 mm
  • Replaced Nikon 1 J4 Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Ricoh WG-6 and Nikon 1 J5 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Ricoh WG-6 over Nikon 1 J5
Image Stabilization
Digital only vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Battery Life
340 shots vs 250 shots 90 more frames with a single charge
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Digital video stabilization
Yes vs No Stabilizes your videos in-camera


Reasons to choose Nikon 1 J5 over Ricoh WG-6
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs Supports FlashAir SD cards Better connectivity
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max Sensor Resolution
21 MP vs 20 MP 5% more pixels
Max ISO
12.800 vs 6.400 100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
171 vs 9 162 more focus points
Weight
231 g vs 246 g 15 g lighter
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Sensor Pixel Area
5.62µm2 vs 1.39µm2 304% larger pixel area
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone

Common Strengths of Ricoh WG-6 and Nikon 1 J5
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Resolution
20 MP vs 21 MP Bigger prints and more details
LCD Screen Resolution
1.040k dots vs 1.037k dots High resolution screens
Continuous Shooting
fps vs 20.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs Yes creative shooting
Common Weaknesses of Ricoh WG-6 and Nikon 1 J5
External Flash Shoe
No vs No Not suitable for flash photography
Viewfinder
None vs None No eye-level shooting option
Ricoh WG-6 vs Nikon 1 J5: 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 Nikon 1 J5 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). Nikon 1 J5 has external dimensions of 98 x 60 x 32 mm (3.86 x 2.36 x 1.26″) and weighs 231 g (0.51 lb / 8.15 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Nikon 1 J5. Nikon 1 J5 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 20mm narrower, 6mm shorter and 1mm thinner than Ricoh WG-6. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Ricoh WG-6 has a built-in lens but Nikon 1 J5 doesn't. Once you put a lens on J5, its thickness will increase significantly.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Nikon 1 J5 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Nikon 1 J5 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Nikon 1 J5.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Nikon 1 J5 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Nikon 1 J5 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Nikon 1 J5.
Ricoh WG-6 vs Nikon 1 J5 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Nikon 1 J5 Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Nikon 1 J5 is 15g lighter than the Ricoh WG-6 but we don't think this will make a significant difference.

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 J5, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Ricoh WG-6 and Nikon 1 J5's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

On the other hand, Nikon 1 J5 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 WG-6 has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to J5.
Ricoh WG-6 vs Nikon 1 J5: Sensor Comparison

Ricoh WG-6 has a 20.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Nikon 1 J5 has a 21.0MP 1-inch (13.2 x 8.8 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Expeed 5A processor.

One other difference between these two cameras that is worth mentioning is that Nikon 1 J5's sensor doesn't have an 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 moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the WG-6 and J5 sensor size comparison.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Nikon 1 J5 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Nikon 1 J5 Cameras


As seen above, Nikon 1 J5 has a 4.1x 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 Nikon 1 J5 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Ricoh WG-6 and Nikon 1 J5 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

Nikon 1 J5 for Portrait Photography

POOR
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
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Street Photography

GOOD

Nikon 1 J5 for Street Photography

AVERAGE
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
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Sports Photography

POOR

Nikon 1 J5 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
Fast Continuous Shooting: 20.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
171 Focus Points
Wireless Connection
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Poor Battery Life: 250 shots
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Nikon 1 J5 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Compact Body
Environmental Sealings
246g
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details
231g
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
Medium size Body
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Nikon 1 J5 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
Very High Resolution Sensor: 21.0MP
Live-view
Average sized 1″ (13.2 x 8.8 mm) sensor
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 vs Nikon 1 J5: 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 Nikon 1 J5, 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-6 and Nikon 1 J5 scores compare:

Ricoh WG-6
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #72 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #513 out of 1226 in all Cameras
Nikon 1 J5
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #34 out of 128 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #205 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Nikon 1 J5 is the clear winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Ricoh WG-6 in all criteria.
It has better general image quality, more features, more compact body and offers more value for the money

Ricoh WG-6
Ricoh WG-6
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Nikon 1 J5
Nikon 1 J5
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Nikon 1 J5 vs Ricoh WG-6 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Ricoh WG-6 Nikon 1 J5
Brand Ricoh Nikon
Announced 2018-02-21 2015-04-03
Body Type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS BSI-CMOS
Size 1/2.3-inch 1-inch
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 13.2 x 8.8 mm
Area 28.07mm2 116.16mm2
Megapixels 20 megapixels 21 megapixels
Max Resolution 5184 x 3888 5568 x 3712
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 12,800 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 9 171
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Nikon 1
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 None
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Max Electronic Shutter n/a 1/16000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Digital only No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.50 m (with Auto ISO) 5.00 m (ISO 100)
External Flash
Continuous Shooting n/a 20.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840x2160 3840 x 2160
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Supports FlashAir SD cards Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 246g 231g
Dimensions 118 x 66 x 33mm 98 x 60 x 32mm
Battery Life 340 shots 250 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Built-in None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 65
DxO Color Depth not tested 22.1
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 12.0
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 479
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