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Ricoh WG-6 vs Panasonic G5 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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Panasonic G5

16 MP | Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm) CMOS Sensor

Panasonic G5
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Ricoh WG-6 vs Panasonic G5 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 Panasonic G5, which was introduced in July 2012 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 16.0MP Four Thirds sensor. As you can see, G5 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 Panasonic G5 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

Panasonic G5 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-07-17
  • 16MP - Four Thirds CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 160 - 12800
  • Micro Four Thirds Mount
  • 3" Fully Articulated Screen
  • 1440k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 6 fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 396g. 120 x 83 x 71 mm
  • Replaced Panasonic Lumix DMC-G3 Compare

Panasonic G5 was replaced by Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5
Panasonic Lumix DMC-G6 vs Ricoh WG-6

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Ricoh WG-6 and Panasonic G5 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Ricoh WG-6 over Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5
Image Stabilization
Digital only vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Max Sensor Resolution
20 MP vs 16 MP 25% more pixels
LCD Screen Resolution
1.040k dots vs 920k dots 13% higher resolution screen
Battery Life
340 shots vs 320 shots 20 more frames with a single charge
Weight
246 g vs 396 g 150 g lighter
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs No creative shooting
Max Video Resolution
3840x2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
Digital video stabilization
Yes vs No Stabilizes your videos in-camera


Reasons to choose Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5 over Ricoh WG-6
LCD Screen
Fully Articulated vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder
Electronic vs None Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max ISO
12.800 vs 6.400 100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
23 vs 9 14 more focus points
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Flash Coverage
10.5m vs 5.5m 5m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
14.12µm2 vs 1.39µm2 915% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing Range
±3 EV vs ±2 EV Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
Selfie & Vlogger Friendly LCD
Yes vs No Rotate LCD for taking Selfies

Common Strengths of Ricoh WG-6 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Continuous Shooting
fps vs 6.0fps Fast shooting speeds
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Ricoh WG-6 and Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5
Ricoh WG-6 vs Panasonic G5: 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 Panasonic G5 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). Panasonic G5 has external dimensions of 120 x 83 x 71 mm (4.72 x 3.27 x 2.8″) and weighs 396 g (0.87 lb / 13.97 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Panasonic G5. Ricoh WG-6 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 2mm narrower, 17mm shorter and 38mm thinner than Panasonic G5. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Ricoh WG-6 has a built-in lens but Panasonic G5 doesn't. Once you put a lens on G5, its thickness will increase significantly.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Panasonic G5 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Panasonic G5 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Panasonic G5.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Panasonic G5 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Panasonic G5 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Panasonic G5.
Ricoh WG-6 vs Panasonic G5 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Panasonic G5 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 (150g ) than the Panasonic G5 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 G5, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Ricoh WG-6 and Panasonic G5's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

On the other hand, Panasonic G5 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. Ricoh WG-6's LCD screen is a fixed type which provides almost no flexibility in shooting positions compared to G5.
Ricoh WG-6 vs Panasonic G5: 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, Panasonic G5 has a 16.0MP Four Thirds (17.3 x 13 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Venus Engine VII FHD processor.

Below you can see the WG-6 and G5 sensor size comparison.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Panasonic G5 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Panasonic G5 Cameras


As seen above, Panasonic G5 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 Panasonic G5 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Ricoh WG-6 and Panasonic G5 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

Panasonic G5 for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
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
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Street Photography

GOOD

Panasonic G5 for Street Photography

GOOD
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
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Fully Articulated LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Sports Photography

POOR

Panasonic G5 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
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
23 Focus Points
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Panasonic G5 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
Medium size Body
396g
Body Thickness 71mm
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Panasonic G5 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
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 vs Panasonic G5: 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 Panasonic G5, 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 Panasonic G5 scores compare:

Ricoh WG-6
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #72 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #512 out of 1225 in all Cameras
Panasonic G5
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #75 out of 88 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #273 out of 1225 in all Cameras

Panasonic G5 is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Ricoh WG-6 in all criteria except one: Portability.
If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Ricoh WG-6. Otherwise, Panasonic G5 is the better camera overall.

Ricoh WG-6
Ricoh WG-6
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Panasonic G5
Panasonic G5
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Panasonic G5 vs Ricoh WG-6 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Ricoh WG-6 Panasonic Lumix DMC-G5
Brand Ricoh Panasonic
Announced 2018-02-21 2012-07-17
Body Type Compact SLR-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
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 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 5184 x 3888 4608 x 3456
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 23
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Micro 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 Fully Articulated
Size 3" 3"
Resolution 1,040k dots 920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 1,440k dots
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 100%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.7x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization Digital only Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.50 m (with Auto ISO) 10.50 m
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting n/a 6.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840x2160 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, AVCHD
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Supports FlashAir SD cards None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 246g 396g
Dimensions 118 x 66 x 33mm 120 x 83 x 71mm
Battery Life 340 shots 320 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Built-in None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 61
DxO Color Depth not tested 21.4
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 11.6
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 618
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