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Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony NEX-3 Comparison

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Ricoh WG-6

20 MP | 1/2.3 BSI-CMOS Sensor

Ricoh WG-6
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Sony NEX-3

14 MP | APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony NEX-3
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Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony NEX-3 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 Sony NEX-3, which was introduced in June 2010 is a Entry-Level Mirrorless camera with a 14.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, NEX-3 is 8 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 Sony NEX-3 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

Sony NEX-3 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2010-06-07
  • 14MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 200 - 12800
  • Sony E Mount
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • 7.0fps continuous shooting
  • HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution
  • 297g. 117 x 62 x 33 mm

Sony NEX-3 was replaced by Sony Alpha NEX-C3. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 vs Sony Alpha NEX-3
Sony Alpha NEX-C3 vs Ricoh WG-6

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Ricoh WG-6 and Sony NEX-3 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 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Internal Storage
27MB vs None Extra built-in storage
Sensor Resolution
20 MP vs 14 MP 42% more pixels
LCD Resolution
1.040k dots vs 920k dots 13% higher resolution screen
Battery Life
340 shots vs 330 shots 10 more frames with a single charge
Weight
246 g vs 297 g 51 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 1280 x 720 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
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 Sony Alpha NEX-3 over Ricoh WG-6
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs No Better for flash photography
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Max ISO
12.800 vs 6.400 100% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
25 vs 9 16 more focus points
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Flash Coverage
12.0m vs 5.5m 6.5m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area
26.02µm2 vs 1.39µm2 1771% larger pixel area
CHECK NEX-3 PRICE

Common Strengths of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony Alpha NEX-3
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Max Continuous Shooting
fps vs 7.0fps Fast shooting speeds
Common Weaknesses of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony Alpha NEX-3
In-body Image Stabilization
Digital only vs No No Built-in stabilization
Viewfinder
None vs None No eye-level shooting option
Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony NEX-3: 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 Sony NEX-3 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). Sony NEX-3 has external dimensions of 117 x 62 x 33 mm (4.61 x 2.44 x 1.3″) and weighs 297 g (0.65 lb / 10.48 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony NEX-3. Sony NEX-3 is 1mm narrower and 4mm shorter than Ricoh WG-6 but they have the same thickness of 33mm. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Ricoh WG-6 has a built-in lens but Sony NEX-3 doesn't. Once you put a lens on NEX-3, its thickness will increase significantly.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony NEX-3 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony NEX-3 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony NEX-3.
Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony NEX-3 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony NEX-3 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 (51g ) than the Sony NEX-3 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 NEX-3, 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 NEX-3.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Ricoh WG-6 and Sony NEX-3's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.00".

On the other hand, Sony NEX-3 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 NEX-3.
Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony NEX-3: 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, Sony NEX-3 has a 14.0MP APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.

Ricoh WG-6's sensor provides 6MP more than Sony NEX-3'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 NEX-3 sensor size comparison.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony NEX-3 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony NEX-3 Cameras


As seen above, Sony NEX-3 has a 13.0x 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 Sony NEX-3 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Ricoh WG-6 and Sony NEX-3 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

Sony NEX-3 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 APS-C (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Sony NEX-3 for Street Photography

GOOD
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 (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Sports Photography

POOR

Sony NEX-3 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
Fast Continuous Shooting: 7.0fps
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
25 Focus Points
Average Ergonomics&Handling
No Image Stabilization
No Built-in Viewfinder
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Sony NEX-3 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 (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
297g
Medium size Body
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony NEX-3 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 (23.4 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 14.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony NEX-3: 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 Sony NEX-3, 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 Sony NEX-3 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
Sony NEX-3
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #106 out of 134 in Rangefinder-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #466 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Sony NEX-3 scores higher than the Ricoh WG-6 in Overall. It has better image quality and better value than Ricoh WG-6. On the other hand, Ricoh WG-6 is more portable and has more features than Sony NEX-3.
If image quality is very important for you and you want to get the most bang for your bucks, choose the Sony NEX-3.
If you are looking for a small camera where you can take everywhere with you, and having more features are also important, Ricoh WG-6 is the right choice for you.

Ricoh WG-6
Ricoh WG-6
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Sony NEX-3
Sony NEX-3
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Sony NEX-3 vs Ricoh WG-6 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Ricoh WG-6 Sony Alpha NEX-3
Brand Ricoh Sony
Announced 2018-02-21 2010-06-07
Body Type Compact Rangefinder-style mirrorless
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size 1/2.3 APS-C
Dimensions 6.17 x 4.55 mm 23.4 x 15.6 mm
Area 28.07mm2 365.04mm2
Megapixels 20 megapixels 14 megapixels
Max Resolution 5184 x 3888 4592 x 3056
Max Native Light sensitivity 6,400 ISO 12,800 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 125 ISO 200 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 25
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount fixed lens Sony E
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 3.00" 3.00"
Resolution 1,040k dots 920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None None
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) 12.00 m
Max Flash Sync n/a 1/160s
External Flash
Continuous Shooting n/a 7.0 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 1280 x 720
Video Formats MPEG-4, H.264 MPEG-4
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Supports FlashAir SD cards Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 246g 297g
Dimensions 118 x 66 x 33mm 117 x 62 x 33mm
Battery Life 340 shots 330 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Built-in None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 68
DxO Color Depth not tested 22.1
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 12.0
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 830
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