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Ricoh WG-6 vs Pentax K-500 Comparison

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Ricoh WG-6

20 MP | 1/2.3 BSI-CMOS Sensor

Ricoh WG-6
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Pentax K-500

16 MP | APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) CMOS Sensor

Pentax K-500
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Ricoh WG-6 vs Pentax K-500 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 Pentax K-500, which was introduced in November 2013 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 16.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, K-500 is 5 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 Pentax K-500 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

Pentax K-500 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2013-11-27
  • 16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 51600
  • Pentax KAF2 Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Fixed Type Screen
  • Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder
  • 6.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 646g. 130 x 97 x 71 mm

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Ricoh WG-6 and Pentax K-500 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


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Reasons to choose Ricoh WG-6 over Pentax K-500
Internal Storage
27MB vs None Extra built-in storage
Sensor Resolution
20 MP vs 16 MP 25% more pixels
LCD Resolution
1.040k dots vs 921k dots 12% higher resolution screen
Weight
246 g vs 646 g 400 g lighter
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
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 Pentax K-500 over Ricoh WG-6
In-built Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
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
51.600 vs 6.400 706% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
11 vs 9 2 more focus points
Max Mech. Shutter
1/6000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Battery Life
710 shots vs 340 shots 370 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Flash Coverage
12.0m vs 5.5m 6.5m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
23.14µm2 vs 1.39µm2 1564% larger pixel area
AE Bracketing Range
±3 EV vs ±2 EV Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
CHECK K-500 PRICE

Common Strengths of Ricoh WG-6 and Pentax K-500
Built-in Flash
Yes vs Yes Useful in low-light
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Continuous Shooting
fps vs 6.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs Yes creative shooting
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Ricoh WG-6 and Pentax K-500
Fixed Screen
Fixed Type vs No Screen tilts or Flips out independently, perfect for both stills and video
Ricoh WG-6 vs Pentax K-500: 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 Pentax K-500 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). Pentax K-500 has external dimensions of 130 x 97 x 71 mm (5.12 x 3.82 x 2.8″) and weighs 646 g (1.42 lb / 22.79 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Pentax K-500. Ricoh WG-6 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 12mm narrower, 31mm shorter and 38mm thinner than Pentax K-500. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Ricoh WG-6 has a built-in lens but Pentax K-500 doesn't. Once you put a lens on K-500, its thickness will increase significantly.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Pentax K-500 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Pentax K-500 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Pentax K-500.
Ricoh WG-6 vs Pentax K-500 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Pentax K-500 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 (400g ) than the Pentax K-500 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 K-500, 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 K-500.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Ricoh WG-6 and Pentax K-500's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.
Ricoh WG-6 vs Pentax K-500: 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, Pentax K-500 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features PRIME M processor.

Below you can see the WG-6 and K-500 sensor size comparison.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Pentax K-500 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Pentax K-500 Cameras


As seen above, Pentax K-500 has a 13.3x 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 Pentax K-500 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Ricoh WG-6 and Pentax K-500 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

Pentax K-500 for Portrait Photography

GOOD
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 APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax K-500 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT
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 APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Large Body
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Sports Photography

POOR

Pentax K-500 for Sports Photography

EXCELLENT
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
Image Stabilization
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/6000s
9 Cross Type Focus sensors
11 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 710 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Pentax K-500 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 APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Large Body
646g
Body Thickness 71mm
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Pentax K-500 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 APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 vs Pentax K-500: 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 Pentax K-500, 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 Pentax K-500 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
Pentax K-500
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #25 out of 80 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #242 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Pentax K-500 has a higher Overall Score thanks to its better image quality and more features compared to Ricoh WG-6. On the other hand the Ricoh WG-6 beats Pentax K-500 in two significant areas: Value for Money and Compactness.
If you are a price conscious buyer and looking for a small and relatively low priced camera where you can take everywhere with you, Ricoh WG-6 is the right choice for you.
If you are after the better photographic performance with all the advanced features, definitely get the Pentax K-500

Ricoh WG-6
Ricoh WG-6
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Pentax K-500
Pentax K-500
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Pentax K-500 vs Ricoh WG-6 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Ricoh WG-6 Pentax K-500
Brand Ricoh Pentax
Announced 2018-02-21 2013-11-27
Body Type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size 1/2.3 APS-C
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 23.7 x 15.7 mm
Area 28.07mm2 372.09mm2
Megapixels 20 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 5184 x 3888 4928 x 3264
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 51,600 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 11
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Pentax KAF2
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" 3.00"
Resolution 1,040k dots 921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Optical (pentaprism)
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 100%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.61x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/4000s 1/6000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Digital only Sensor-shift
Built-in Flash
Flash Range 5.50 m (with Auto ISO) 12.00 m (at ISO 100)
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/180s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting n/a 6.0 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 1920 x 1080
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Supports FlashAir SD cards None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 246g 646g
Dimensions 118 x 66 x 33mm 130 x 97 x 71mm
Battery Life 340 shots 710 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Built-in Optional
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 79
DxO Color Depth not tested 23.7
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 13.1
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 1087
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