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Sony A7R III vs Ricoh WG-30W Comparison

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Sony A7R III

42 MP | Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) BSI-CMOS Sensor

Sony A7R III
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Ricoh WG-30W

16 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CMOS Sensor

Ricoh WG-30W
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Sony A7R III vs Ricoh WG-30W Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two cameras with different body types: Sony A7R III, which was introduced in October 2017 is a Pro Mirrorless camera with a 42.0MP Full frame sensor whereas Ricoh WG-30W, which was introduced in October 2014 is a Waterproof camera with a 16.0MP 1/2.3' sensor. As you can see, WG-30W is 3 years older than A7R III. 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 A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Sony A7R III Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2017-10-25
  • 42MP - Full frame BSI-CMOS Sensor
  • No Anti-aliasing (AA) filter
  • ISO 100 - 32000 ( expands to 50 - 102400)
  • Sony E Mount
  • Sensor-shift Image Stabilization
  • 3.00" Tilting Screen
  • 3686k dot Electronic viewfinder
  • 10.0fps continuous shooting
  • 4K (UHD) - 3840 x 2160 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 657g. 127 x 96 x 74 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body
  • Replaced Sony Alpha A7R II Compare

Ricoh WG-30W Key Specs

  • Announcement Date: 2014-10-09
  • 16MP - 1/2.3' CMOS Sensor
  • ISO 125 - 6400
  • 28-140 mm F3.5-5.5 Zoom Lens
  • 2.70" Fixed Type Screen
  • 1.0fps continuous shooting
  • Full HD - 1920 x 1080 video resolution
  • Built-in Wireless
  • 194g. 123 x 62 x 30 mm
  • Weather Sealed Body

Sony A7R III was replaced by Sony Alpha A7R IV. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Sony Alpha A7R III
Sony Alpha A7R IV vs Ricoh WG-30W

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Sony A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W 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 Sony Alpha A7R III over Ricoh WG-30W
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
Touch Screen
Yes vs No Easy control of camera functions
Viewfinder
Electronic vs None Better framing and control
RAW Support
Yes vs No Better image quality
Sensor Resolution
42 MP vs 16 MP 162% more pixels
Max ISO
32.000 vs 6.400 400% higher Max ISO
Number of Focus Points
425 vs 9 416 more focus points
LCD Screen Size
3″ vs 2.7 0.3 inches larger display
LCD Resolution
1.440k dots vs 230k dots 526% higher resolution screen
Max Mech. Shutter
1/8000s vs 1/4000s faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting
10.0fps vs 1.0fps 9 fps faster
Battery Life
650 shots vs 300 shots 350 more frames with a single charge
Manual Exposure
Yes vs No better exposure control
Microphone Port
Yes vs No High quality audio recording option
Headphone Port
Yes vs No better video control
Sensor Pixel Area
20.43µm2 vs 1.76µm2 1060% larger pixel area
Max Video Resolution
3840 x 2160 vs 1920 x 1080 Higher Resolution Video
AE Bracketing Range
±5 EV vs ±2 EV Wide Bracketing range is useful for HDR
Flash Sync Port
Yes vs No Connect off-camera flash
NFC Connection
Yes vs No Easy wireless connectivity with compatible devices
Pixel Shift High-Res Mode
Yes (169. 6) vs No Increased resolution with pixel shift
Bluetooth
Yes vs No Connect your camera to other devices via Blueetooth
Storage Slot
2 vs 1 Extra storage slot
Smartphone Remote
Yes vs No Remote control your camera with a smartphone
UHS Card Support
UHS-II vs none Read/Write in High Speeds
Animal Eye AF Tracking
Yes vs No Easily lock and track focus on animals
Webcam Function
Yes vs No Use your camera as a Webcam
Anti Flicker
Yes vs No Reduced uneven color and exposure under flickering light
Eye Tracking Focus
Yes vs No Autofocus system locks on the eye and tracks the subject
CHECK A7R III PRICE


Reasons to choose Ricoh WG-30W over Sony Alpha A7R III
Built-in Flash
Yes vs No Useful in low-light
Weight
194 g vs 657 g 463 g lighter
CHECK WG-30W PRICE

Common Strengths of Sony Alpha A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W
Wireless Connection
Yes vs Yes Better connectivity
Face Detection Focus
Yes vs Yes very handy for portraits
Environmental Sealing
Yes vs Yes shoot at tough conditions
Timelapse Recording
Yes vs Yes creative shooting
AE Bracketing
Yes vs Yes Useful for tough lighting conditions and HDR
Common Weaknesses of Sony Alpha A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W
LCD Screen Size
2.70" vs 2.70" Small display
Sony A7R III vs Ricoh WG-30W: 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 A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Sony A7R III has external dimensions of 127 x 96 x 74 mm (5 x 3.78 x 2.91″) and weighs 657 g (1.45 lb / 23.17 oz) (including batteries). Ricoh WG-30W has external dimensions of 123 x 62 x 30 mm (4.84 x 2.44 x 1.18″) and weighs 194 g (0.43 lb / 6.84 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Sony A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W. Ricoh WG-30W is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 4mm narrower, 34mm shorter and 44mm thinner than Sony A7R III. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Ricoh WG-30W has a built-in lens but Sony A7R III doesn't. Once you put a lens on A7R III, its thickness will increase significantly.

Sony A7R III vs Ricoh WG-30W Camera Size Comparison - Front View
Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Here is the back view size comparison of Sony A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W.

Sony A7R III vs Ricoh WG-30W Camera Size Comparison - Back View
Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W Size and Weight - Back View

Now lets look at the top view comparison of Sony A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W.
Sony A7R III vs Ricoh WG-30W Camera Size Comparison - Top View
Top View Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W Size

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Ricoh WG-30W is significantly lighter (463g ) than the Sony A7R III 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 A7R III, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Sony A7R III's 3.00" LCD screen is slightly larger than Ricoh WG-30W's 2.7 screen.

In addition to the size advantage, Sony A7R III LCD screen also has a Tilting feature where you can change the angle of the screen to make it easier to shoot from waist or over the head levels. On the other hand, Ricoh WG-30W has a fixed type screen which provides less flexibility in shooting positions compared to A7R III.
Sony A7R III vs Ricoh WG-30W: Sensor Comparison

Sony A7R III has a 42.0MP Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm ) sized BSI-CMOS sensor and features Bionz X processor. On the other hand, Ricoh WG-30W has a 16.0MP 1/2.3' (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CMOS sensor .

Sony A7R III's sensor provides 26MP more than Ricoh WG-30W'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.

Another difference between these two cameras is that Sony A7R III's sensor lacks anti-alias (Low-Pass) filter. Removing anti-alias filter increases the sharpness and level of detail but at the same time, it increases the chance of moire occurring in certain scenes.

Below you can see the A7R III and WG-30W sensor size comparison.

Sony A7R III vs Ricoh WG-30W Sensor Size Comparison
Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Sony A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W Cameras


As seen above, Sony A7R III has a 30.7x Larger sensor area than Ricoh WG-30W. 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 A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W Good for?
In this section, we rank and compare Sony A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W 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 A7R III for Portrait Photography

GOOD

Ricoh WG-30W for Portrait Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No Image Stabilization
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Street Photography

EXCELLENT

Ricoh WG-30W for Street Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing
Tilting LCD Screen
Medium sized Body
Read the details
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 Image Stabilization
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Sports Photography

GOOD

Ricoh WG-30W for Sports Photography

POOR
Image Stabilization
Electronic Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Continuous Shooting: 10.0fps
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/8000s
425 Focus Points
Good Battery Life: 650 shots
Good Low Light ISO
Wireless Connection
Read the details
Environmental Sealings
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
Wireless Connection
140 mm Tele Lens
No Image Stabilization
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Daily Photography

EXCELLENT

Ricoh WG-30W for Daily Photography

AVERAGE
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Anti Flicker feature
Environmental Sealings
Medium size Body
657g
Body Thickness 74mm
Read the details
Compact Body
194g
Environmental Sealings
5.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Sony A7R III for Landscape Photography

GOOD

Ricoh WG-30W for Landscape Photography

POOR
Large Full frame (35.9 x 24 mm) sensor
Very High Resolution Sensor: 42.0MP
Environmental Sealings
Live-view
Read the details
Environmental Sealings
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 16.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Read the details

Sony A7R III vs Ricoh WG-30W: 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 A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W, 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 Sony A7R III and Ricoh WG-30W scores compare:

Sony A7R III
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #11 out of 102 in SLR-style mirrorless cameras
Ranked #11 out of 1244 in all Cameras
Ricoh WG-30W
Imaging
Features
Value
Portability
Overall
Ranked #129 out of 477 in Compact cameras
Ranked #659 out of 1244 in all Cameras

Sony A7R III is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Ricoh WG-30W in all criteria except one: Portability. Ricoh WG-30W is significantly smaller than Sony A7R III. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Ricoh WG-30W. Otherwise, Sony A7R III is the better camera overall.

Sony A7R III
Sony A7R III
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Ricoh WG-30W
Ricoh WG-30W
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Ricoh WG-30W vs Sony A7R III Specs Table
Detailed comparison of specifications
General Sony Alpha A7R III Ricoh WG-30W
Brand Sony Ricoh
Announced 2017-10-25 2014-10-09
Body Type SLR-style mirrorless Compact
Sensor
Type BSI-CMOS CMOS
Size Full frame 1/2.3'
Dimensions 35.9 x 24 mm 6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area 861.60mm2 28.07mm2
Megapixels 42 megapixels 16 megapixels
Max Resolution 7952 x 5304 4608 x 3456
Max Native Light sensitivity 32,000 ISO 6,400 ISO
Max Boosted Light Sensitivity 102400 ISO -
Min Native Light sensitivity 100 ISO 125 ISO
Min Boosted Light Sensitivity 50 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 425 9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount Sony E fixed lens
Lens Focal Range no lens 28-140 mm (5×)
Max Aperture no lens F3.5-5.5
Macro Focus Range no lens 1cm
Screen
Type Tilting Fixed type
Size 3.00" 2.70"
Resolution 1,440k dots 230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Electronic None
Viewfinder Resolution 3,686k dots no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage 100% n/a
Viewfinder Magnification 0.78x n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter 1/8000s 1/4000s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Built-in Image Stabilization Sensor-shift Digital only
Built-in Flash
Flash Range no built-in flash 3.90 m (Auto ISO)
External Flash
Continuous Shooting 10.0 fps 1.0 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, AVCHD, XAVC S H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity Built-In Built-In
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight 657g 194g
Dimensions 127 x 96 x 74mm 123 x 62 x 30mm
Battery Life 650 shots 300 shots
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS None None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score 100 not tested
DxO Color Depth 26.0 not tested
DxO Dynamic Range 14.7 not tested
DxO Low Light ISO 3523 not tested
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