Sony Nex-5N vs Ricoh GRD IV

Two pictures. One taken with the Sony Nex-5N, one with the Ricoh GRD IV. JPEG straigh from the camera*. Can you guess which one is from which?





100% crop:





-you should get the details from EXIF. The Ricoh was set to ISO 400, the Sony 800.

With its APS sized sensor, I expect the Sony to have at least one stop of ISO performance advantage. It didn't. (*Oddly I had to adjust the picture from Sony by +0.9 EV to make them about the same brightness for comparison; both JEPGs were resized for web.) Obviously they meter differently and the white balance are handled quite differently as well. I can try to live with the lack of direct controls on the Sony, but in side to side comparison against a 1/1.8" sized Ricoh GRD IV the Sony's lack luster performance doesn't warrant more attention from me, and its AF system leaves much, much to be desired, when compared to the Ricoh.

Picture quality may improve when RAW support becomes available. Until then, we have a clear winner in straight JPEG competition, and that's the pocket-sized Ricoh.

Another thing to note is Sony's 16mm f/2.8 lens. You'd think it can't be too off with a prime? Think again.