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Sony A7S vs Ricoh GR Digital III Comparison

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Sony A7S

12 MP | Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) CMOS Sensor

Sony A7S
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Ricoh GR Digital III

10 MP | 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) CCD Sensor

Ricoh GR Digital III
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Sony A7S vs Ricoh GR Digital III Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A7S, which was introduced in April 2014 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 12.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Ricoh GR Digital III, which was introduced in July 2009 is a Small Sensor Compact camera with a 10.0MP 1/1.7" sensor. As you can see, GR Digital III is 5 years older than A7S. 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 Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7S Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-04-06
  • 12MP - Full frame CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 100 - 409600
  • Sony E Mount
  • 3 Tilting Screen
  • 2359k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 5 fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • 120 fps High-Speed Video
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 489g. 127 x 94 x 48 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Ricoh GR Digital III Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2009-07-27
  • 10MP - 1/1.7" CCD Sensor
  • ISO 64 - 1600
  • 28 mm f1.90 Prime Lens
  • 3" Fixed Type Screen
  • continuous shooting
  • - 640 x 480 video resolution
  • 208g. 109 x 59 x 26 mm
  • Replaced Ricoh GR Digital II Compare

Sony A7S was replaced by Sony Alpha 7S II. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Sony Alpha A7S
Sony Alpha 7S II vs Ricoh GR Digital III

Ricoh GR Digital III was replaced by Ricoh GR Digital IV. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Ricoh GR Digital III
Ricoh GR Digital IV vs Sony Alpha A7S

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Sony Alpha A7S over Ricoh GR Digital III
Wireless Connection
Built-In vs None Better connectivity
LCD Screen
Tilting vs Fixed Type Flexible shooting positions
Viewfinder
Electronic vs Optical (Optional) Better framing and control
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs No very handy for portraits
Max Sensor Resolution
12 MP vs 10 MP 19% more pixels
Max ISO
409.600 vs 1.600 25500% higher Max ISO
LCD Screen Resolution
1.230k dots vs 920k dots 33% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/2000s faster mechanical shutter
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs No shoot at tough conditions
Sensor Pixel Area
71.24µm2 vs 4.16µm2 1612% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 640 x 480 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing
Yes vs No Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone


Reasons to choose Ricoh GR Digital III over Sony Alpha A7S
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Weight
208 g vs 489 g 281 g lighter
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs With optional app creative shooting
Built-in ND Filter
Yes vs No Use larger aperture under strong light

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III
External Flash Shoe
Yes vs Yes Better for flash photography
RAW Support
Yes vs Yes Better image quality
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III
In-body Image Stabilization
No vs No No Built-in stabilization
Sony A7S vs Ricoh GR Digital III: 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 Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7S has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 48 mm (5 x 3.7 x 1.89″) and weighs 489 g (1.08 lb / 17.25 oz) (including batteries). Ricoh GR Digital III has external dimensions of 109 x 59 x 26 mm (4.29 x 2.32 x 1.02″) and weighs 208 g (0.46 lb / 7.34 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III. Ricoh GR Digital III is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 18mm narrower, 35mm shorter and 22mm thinner than Sony A7S. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Ricoh GR Digital III has a built-in lens but Sony A7S doesn't. Once you put a lens on A7S, its thickness will increase significantly.

Sony A7S vs Ricoh GR Digital III Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III.

Sony A7S vs Ricoh GR Digital III Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III.
Sony A7S vs Ricoh GR Digital III Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Ricoh GR Digital III is significantly lighter (281g ) than the Sony A7S 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 A7S, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

With its weather sealed body, we believe that A7S has a big advantage over GR Digital III which doesn't provide any kind of environmental sealing.

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III's LCD screens has the same diagonal size of 3.

On the other hand, Sony A7S 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 GR Digital III has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7S.
Sony A7S vs Ricoh GR Digital III: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7S has a 12.0MP Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm ) sized CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Ricoh GR Digital III has a 10.0MP 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features GR engine III processor.

Below you can see the A7S and GR Digital III sensor size comparison.

Sony A7S vs Ricoh GR Digital III Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7S has a 20.6x Larger sensor area than Ricoh GR Digital III. 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 Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III 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.

Sony A7S for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Ricoh GR Digital III for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
External Flash Shoe
Optional External Viewfinder
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Sony A7S for Street Photography

GOOD

Ricoh GR Digital III for Street Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
Small Body
Live-view
Fast Lens at Wide: f1.90
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Optional External Viewfinder
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Sony A7S for Sports Photography

GOOD

Ricoh GR Digital III for Sports Photography

POOR
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
25 Focus Points
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Average Continuous Shooting: 5.0fps
No Image Stabilization
Read the details
External Flash Shoe
Optional External Viewfinder
Average Max shutter speed: 1/2000s
No Image Stabilization
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Environmental Sealings
Focus Points
28 mm Tele Lens
Read the details

Sony A7S for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Ricoh GR Digital III for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
489g
Body Thickness 48mm
Read the details
Compact Body
208g
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Read the details

Sony A7S for Landscape Photography

AVERAGE

Ricoh GR Digital III for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.8 x 23.9 mm) sensor
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Read the details
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/1.7" (7.44 x 5.58 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Sony A7S vs Ricoh GR Digital III: 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 Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III, 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 Sony A7S and Ricoh GR Digital III scores compare:

Sony A7S
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #39 out of 86 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #71 out of 1220 in all Cameras
Ricoh GR Digital III
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #128 out of 475 in Compact cameras
Ranked #624 out of 1220 in all Cameras

Sony A7S is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Ricoh GR Digital III in all criteria except one: Portability. Ricoh GR Digital III is significantly smaller than Sony A7S. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Ricoh GR Digital III. Otherwise, Sony A7S is the better camera overall.

Sony A7S
Sony A7S
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Ricoh GR Digital III
Ricoh GR Digital III
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Ricoh GR Digital III vs Sony A7S Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7S Ricoh GR Digital III
Brand Sony Ricoh
Announced 2014-04-06 2009-07-27
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor
Type CMOS CCD
Size Full frame 1/1.7"
Dimensions 35.8 x 23.9 mm 7.44 x 5.58 mm
Area 855.62mm2 41.52mm2
Megapixels 12 megapixels 10 megapixels
Max Resolution 4240 x 2832 3648 x 2736
Max Native Light sensitivity 409,600 ISO 1,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 64 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 25 n/a
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E fixed lens
Lens Focal Range no lens 28 mm (1×)
Max Aperture no lens F1.9
Macro Focus Range no lens 1cm
Screen
Type Tilting Fixed type
Size 3 3"
Resolution 1,230k dots 920k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic Optical (optional)
Viewfinder Resolution 2,359k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.71x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/2000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization No No
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 3.00 m
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 5.0 fps n/a
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution 3840 x 2160 640 x 480
Video Formats MPEG-4, AVCHD, XAVC n/a
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 489g 208g
Dimensions 127 x 94 x 48mm 109 x 59 x 26mm
Battery Life 360 shots n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording With Downloadable App
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 87 not tested
DxO Color Depth 23.9 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 13.2 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 3702 not tested
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