Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A35 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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Sony A35

16 MP | APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A35 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 Sony A35, which was introduced in September 2011 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 16.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, A35 is 7 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 Sony A35 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

Sony A35 Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2011-09-20

16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 25600

Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount

Sensor-shift Image Stabilization

3" Fixed Type Screen

1150k dot Electronic viewfinder

6 fps continuous shooting

Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution

415g. 124 x 92 x 85 mm

Replaced Sony SLT-A33 Compare

Sony A35 was replaced by Sony SLT-A37. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony SLT-A37 vs Sony SLT-A35
Sony SLT-A37 vs Ricoh WG-6

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A35 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Ricoh WG-6 over Sony SLT-A35

Max Sensor Resolution	20 MP vs 16 MP	25% more pixels
LCD Screen Resolution	1.040k dots vs 921k dots	12% higher resolution screen
Weight	246 g vs 415 g	169 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

Reasons to choose Sony SLT-A35 over Ricoh WG-6

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Electronic vs None	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Max ISO	25.600 vs 6.400	300% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points	15 vs 9	6 more focus points
Battery Life	440 shots vs 340 shots	100 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Microphone Port	Yes vs No	High quality audio recording option
Flash Coverage	12.0m vs 5.5m	6.5m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area	22.87µm² vs 1.39µm²	1545% larger pixel area

Common Strengths of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony SLT-A35

Image Stabilization	Digital only vs Sensor-shift	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
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 Sony SLT-A35

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles

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Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A35: 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 A35 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 A35 has external dimensions of 124 x 92 x 85 mm (4.88 x 3.62 x 3.35″) and weighs 415 g (0.91 lb / 14.64 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A35. Ricoh WG-6 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 6mm narrower, 26mm shorter and 52mm thinner than Sony A35. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Ricoh WG-6 has a built-in lens but Sony A35 doesn't. Once you put a lens on A35, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A35 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A35.

Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A35 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A35.

Top View Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A35 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 (169g ) than the Sony A35 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 A35, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A35's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3".

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

Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A35: 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, Sony A35 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz processor.

Below you can see the WG-6 and A35 sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A35 Cameras

As seen above, Sony A35 has a 13.1x 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 Sony A35 Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A35 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 A35 for Portrait Photography

GOOD

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 APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Street Photography

GOOD

Sony A35 for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

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 APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Large Body
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Sports Photography

POOR

Sony A35 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

Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
3 Cross Type Focus sensors
15 Focus Points
Average Continuous Shooting: 6.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Daily Photography

GOOD

Sony A35 for Daily Photography

GOOD

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 APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
415g
Body Thickness 85mm
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony A35 for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

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 APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A35: 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 A35, 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 Sony A35 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

Sony A35

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #21 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #188 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Sony A35 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, Sony A35 is the better camera overall.

Sony A35 vs Ricoh WG-6 Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Ricoh WG-6	Sony SLT-A35
Brand	Ricoh	Sony
Announced	2018-02-21	2011-09-20
Body Type	Compact	Compact SLR
Sensor
Type	BSI-CMOS	CMOS
Size	1/2.3-inch	APS-C
Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm	23.5 x 15.6 mm
Area	28.07mm²	366.60mm²
Megapixels	20 megapixels	16 megapixels
Max Resolution	5184 x 3888	4912 x 3264
Max Native Light sensitivity	6,400 ISO	25,600 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	15
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens	Sony/Minolta Alpha
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"	3"
Resolution	1,040k dots	921k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	None	Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder	1,150k dots
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a	100%
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a	0.73x
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	Digital only	Sensor-shift
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	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, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	Supports FlashAir SD cards	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	246g	415g
Dimensions	118 x 66 x 33mm	124 x 92 x 85mm
Battery Life	340 shots	440 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	Built-in	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested	74
DxO Color Depth	not tested	23.3
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested	12.7
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested	763
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