CameraDecision
  • CAMERAS
    • All Cameras
    • Cameras by Brand
      • Sony Cameras
      • Canon Cameras
      • Nikon Cameras
      • Pentax Cameras
      • Fujifilm Cameras
      • Olympus Cameras
      • OM-System Cameras
      • Panasonic Cameras
      • Leica Cameras
    • Cameras by Body Type
      • Mirrorless Cameras
      • DSLR Cameras
      • Compact Cameras
      • Bridge Cameras
      • Waterproof Cameras
    • Cameras by Lens Mount
      • Sony E Mount Cameras
      • Canon RF Mount Cameras
      • Nikon Z Mount Cameras
      • Micro Four Thirds Mount Cameras
      • Fujifilm X Mount Cameras
      • Leica L Mount Cameras
      • Nikon F Mount Cameras
      • Canon EF Mount Cameras
      • Canon EF M Mount Cameras
      • Canon EF S Mount Cameras
      • Pentax KAF Mount Cameras
      • Sony Alpha Mount Cameras
      • Fujifilm G Mount Cameras
      • Sigma SA Mount Cameras
      • Nikon 1 Mount Cameras
  • LENSES
    • All Lenses
    • Lenses by Mount
      • Sony E Mount Lenses
      • Canon RF Mount Lenses
      • Nikon Z Mount Lenses
      • Canon EF Mount Lenses
      • Canon EF M Mount Lenses
      • Canon EF S Mount Lenses
      • Nikon F Mount Lenses
      • Fujifilm X Mount Lenses
      • Micro Four Thirds Mount Lenses
      • Leica L Mount Lenses
      • Pentax KAF Mount Lenses
      • Fujifilm G Mount Lenses
      • Sigma SA Mount Lenses
      • Sony Alpha Mount Lenses
    • Teleconverters
  • TOOLS
    • Cameras
      • Smart Find
      • 1-on-1 Comparison
    • Lenses
      • Smart Find
      • 1-on-1 Comparison
  • BLOG

Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A37 Comparison

x
Camera to replace
Change

Ricoh WG-6

20 MP | 1/2.3 BSI-CMOS Sensor

Ricoh WG-6
CHECK PRICE
CHECK PRICE
Change

Sony A37

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

Sony A37
CHECK PRICE
CHECK PRICE
Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A37 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 A37, which was introduced in May 2012 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 16.0MP APS-C sensor. As you can see, A37 is 6 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 A37 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 A37 Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2012-05-16
  • 16MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 25600
  • Sony/Minolta Alpha Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 2.60" Tilting Screen
  • 1440k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 6.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • 506g. 124 x 92 x 85 mm
  • Replaced Sony SLT-A35 Compare

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A37 compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.


Related Blog Posts

Readers Vote: Which is the Best Flagship Camera?
Firmware Update turns the Sony 16-50mm pancake in to a F2.8 Lens and makes it Weatherproof!
Daily Deals: I am just a Messenger Bag
Daily Deals: A Travel tripod, an affordable UHS-II card and more
The New Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G Lens Size and Feature Comparison vs 24-70mm F2.8 GM vs 24-70mm F2.8 GM II vs 24-105mm F4 G vs 24-70mm F4 OSS vs 28-70mm F3.5-5.6 vs 28-60mm F4.0-5.6
Sony FE 20-70mm F4 G is here! Specs and Price
Sony Lenses with Power Zoom Feature
All CFexpress Type A Card Options for Sony Cameras: Which are the Most Affordable ones?


**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 SLT-A37
Internal Storage
27MB vs None Extra built-in storage
Sensor Resolution
20 MP vs 16 MP 25% more pixels
LCD Screen Size
3 vs 2.6" 0.4 inches larger display
LCD Resolution
1.040k dots vs 230k dots 351% higher resolution screen
Weight
246 g vs 506 g 260 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 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 Sony SLT-A37 over Ricoh WG-6
In-built Image Stabilization
Sensor-shift vs None Sharper images at longer focal lengths and slow shutter speeds
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
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
500 shots vs 340 shots 160 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
CHECK A37 PRICE

Common Strengths of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony SLT-A37
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
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony SLT-A37
LCD Screen Size
2.60" vs 2.60" Small display
Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A37: 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 A37 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 A37 has external dimensions of 124 x 92 x 85 mm (4.88 x 3.62 x 3.35″) and weighs 506 g (1.12 lb / 17.85 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A37. Ricoh WG-6 is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 6mm narrower, 26mm shorter and 52mm thinner than Sony A37. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Ricoh WG-6 has a built-in lens but Sony A37 doesn't. Once you put a lens on A37, its thickness will increase significantly.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A37 Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A37 Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A37.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A37 Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A37 Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A37.
Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A37 Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A37 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 (260g ) than the Sony A37 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 A37, 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 A37.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Ricoh WG-6's 3.00" LCD screen is slightly larger than Sony A37's 2.6" screen.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A37: 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 A37 has a 16.0MP APS-C (23.5 x 15.6 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Below you can see the WG-6 and A37 sensor size comparison.

Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A37 Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A37 Cameras


As seen above, Sony A37 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 A37 Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Ricoh WG-6 and Sony A37 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 A37 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 (23.5 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

AVERAGE

Sony A37 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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Large Body
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Sports Photography

POOR

Sony A37 for Sports Photography

GOOD
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
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

AVERAGE

Sony A37 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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Large Body
506g
Body Thickness 85mm
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 for Landscape Photography

POOR

Sony A37 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 (23.5 x 15.6 mm) sensor
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Ricoh WG-6 vs Sony A37: 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 A37, 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 A37 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 A37
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #22 out of 80 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #220 out of 1257 in all Cameras

Sony A37 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 A37 is the better camera overall.

Ricoh WG-6
Ricoh WG-6
CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

Sony A37
Sony A37
CHECK PRICE

CHECK PRICE

Sony A37 vs Ricoh WG-6 Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Ricoh WG-6 Sony SLT-A37
Brand Ricoh Sony
Announced 2018-02-21 2012-05-16
Body Type Compact Compact SLR
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size 1/2.3 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 Tilting
Size 3.00" 2.60"
Resolution 1,040k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder None Electronic
Viewfinder Resolution no electronic viewfinder 1,440k dots
Viewfinder Coverage n/a 100%
Viewfinder Magnification n/a 0.73x
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 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 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, AVCHD, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Supports FlashAir SD cards Eye-Fi Connected
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 246g 506g
Dimensions 118 x 66 x 33mm 124 x 92 x 85mm
Battery Life 340 shots 500 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS Built-in None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score not tested 75
DxO Color Depth not tested 23.3
DxO Dynamic Range not tested 12.9
DxO Low Light ISO not tested 799
Report a correction Report a correction


FOLLOW US


Most Popular Cameras
Sony A7 IV
33 MP | Full frame Sensor | Sony E Mount
Sony A7R IV
61 MP | Full frame Sensor | Sony E Mount
Canon R3
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Canon RF Mount
Canon M50 II
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Canon EF-M Mount
Nikon Z9
46 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Fujifilm X-T30 II
26 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Fujifilm GFX 100
102 MP | Medium format Sensor | Fujifilm G Mount
Nikon Z5
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Nikon Z Mount
Latest Cameras
Panasonic S5 II X
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Leica L Mount
Panasonic S5 II
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Leica L Mount
Pentax KF
24 MP | APS-C Sensor | Pentax KAF2 Mount
Fujifilm X-T5
40 MP | APS-C Sensor | Fujifilm X Mount
Canon R6 II
24 MP | Full frame Sensor | Canon RF Mount
Sony A7R V
61 MP | Full frame Sensor | Sony E Mount
OM System OM-5
20 MP | Four Thirds Sensor | Micro Four Thirds Mount
Sony ZV-1F
20 MP | 1″ Sensor | 20 mm
Copyright © 2023 by CameraDecision
Privacy About Contact Us SpeakerDecision

Report a Correction