Ricoh WG-6 vs Olympus E-300 Comparison

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Ricoh WG-6

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

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Olympus E-300

8 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CCD Sensor

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Ricoh WG-6 vs Olympus E-300 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 Olympus E-300, which was introduced in January 2005 is a Advanced DSLR camera with a 8.0MP Four Thirds sensor. As you can see, E-300 is 13 years older than WG-6. 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 WG-6 and Olympus E-300 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

Olympus E-300 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2005-01-10

8MP - Four Thirds CCD Sensor

ISO 100 - 400 ( expands to 1600)

Four Thirds Mount

1.8" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

624g. 147 x 85 x 64 mm

Also known as EVOLT E-300

Olympus E-300 was replaced by Olympus E-330. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Olympus E-330 vs Olympus E-300 / EVOLT E-300
Olympus E-330 vs Ricoh WG-6

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Ricoh WG-6 and Olympus E-300 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Ricoh WG-6 over Olympus E-300

Image Stabilization	Digital only vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Face Detection Focus	Yes vs No	very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution	20 MP vs 8 MP	150% more pixels
Max ISO	6.400 vs 400	1500% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	9 vs 3	6 more focus points
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 1.8"	1.2 inches larger display
LCD Screen Resolution	1.040k dots vs 134k dots	676% higher resolution screen
Weight	246 g vs 624 g	378 g lighter
Environmental Sealing	Yes vs No	shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording	Yes vs No	creative shooting
Max Video Resolution	3840x2160 vs None	Higher Resolution Video
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 Olympus E-300 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
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Sensor Pixel Area	28.15µm² vs 1.39µm²	1925% larger pixel area

Common Strengths of Ricoh WG-6 and Olympus E-300

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light

Common Weaknesses of Ricoh WG-6 and Olympus E-300

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
LCD Screen Size	3" vs 1.8"	Small display

Ricoh WG-6 vs Olympus E-300: 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 Olympus E-300 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). Olympus E-300 has external dimensions of 147 x 85 x 64 mm (5.79 x 3.35 x 2.52″) and weighs 624 g (1.38 lb / 22.01 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Olympus E-300. Ricoh WG-6 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 29mm narrower, 19mm shorter and 31mm thinner than Olympus E-300. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Ricoh WG-6 has a built-in lens but Olympus E-300 doesn't. Once you put a lens on E-300, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Olympus E-300 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

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 (378g ) than the Olympus E-300 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 E-300, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Ricoh WG-6's 3" LCD screen is slightly larger than Olympus E-300's 1.8" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Olympus E-300: 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, Olympus E-300 has a 8.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CCD sensor .

Ricoh WG-6's sensor provides 12MP more than Olympus E-300'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 WG-6 and E-300 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Olympus E-300 Cameras

As seen above, Olympus E-300 has a 8.0x 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 Olympus E-300 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Ricoh WG-6 and Olympus E-300 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

Olympus E-300 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

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 8.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Street Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-300 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

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Sports Photography

POOR

Olympus E-300 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

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
3 Focus Points
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Olympus E-300 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

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Large Body
624g
Body Thickness 64mm
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Olympus E-300 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

Large Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 8.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 vs Olympus E-300: 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 Olympus E-300, 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 Olympus E-300 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

Olympus E-300

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #86 out of 95 in Mid-size SLR cameras
Ranked #804 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Ricoh WG-6 has a higher Overall Score than the Olympus E-300. 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 E-300: Imaging.
If image quality is the most important aspect in a camera, choose the Olympus E-300. If not, we recommend the Ricoh WG-6.

Olympus E-300 vs Ricoh WG-6 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Ricoh WG-6	Olympus E-300
Brand	Ricoh	Olympus
Announced	2018-02-21	2005-01-10
Body Type	Compact	Mid-size SLR
Sensor
Type	BSI-CMOS	CCD
Size	1/2.3-inch	Four Thirds
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	17.3 x 13 mm
Area	28.07mm²	224.90mm²
Megapixels	20 megapixels	8 megapixels
Max Resolution	5184 x 3888	3264 x 2448
Max Native Light sensitivity	6,400 ISO	400 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity	-	1600 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	3
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	Four Thirds
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"	1.8"
Resolution	1,040k dots	134k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Optical (pentamirror)
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/4000s
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)	n/a
Max Flash Sync	n/a	1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	n/a	3.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	3840x2160	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	624g
Dimensions	118 x 66 x 33mm	147 x 85 x 64mm
Battery Life	340 shots	n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	Built-in	None
DxO Sensor Scores
	Report a correction	Report a correction