Ricoh GR IIIvs A1
Ricoh
Ricoh GR III (2019)
Starting from £899 new
Best for Street photography & urban reportage
View Ricoh GR III
VS
Sony
A1 (2021)
Starting from £5999 new
Best for Professional sport, wildlife, portrait & hybrid shooting
View A1
GearScore™ Verdict — Which should you buy?
Street Photography & Urban Reportage — Ricoh GR III (2019): The purest street photography compact — APS-C sensor, 28mm perspective, IBIS, and cult-favourite JPEG rendering in a shirt pocket.
Professional Sport, Wildlife, Portrait & Hybrid Shooting — A1 (2021): 50MP, 30fps, 8K — the Sony A1 is the most complete professional camera ever made.
Who should buy what
Ricoh GR III (2019)
- Street photographers who want a classic 28mm perspective in a pocketable body
- Documentary photographers who want a discreet, fast APS-C compact
- GR IIIx buyers who prefer the wider 28mm field of view
- Anyone who wants serious APS-C image quality without carrying a bag
A1 (2021)
- Professional photographers who need resolution and speed without compromise
- Sports and wildlife photographers demanding the absolute fastest Sony
- Studio and fashion photographers who also shoot sport or events
- A9 III or A7R V owners who want a single body that does everything
Quick take: The a1 has the highest resolution at 50mp; the ricoh gr iii is the most affordable; only the a1 is weather sealed. Scroll down for the full spec breakdown.
Full specifications
| Specification | Ricoh GR III (2019) | A1 (2021) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £899 | £5,999 |
| Sensor | 24.2MP APS-C CMOS | 50.1MP Full-Frame Stacked BSI CMOS Exmor RS |
| Resolution | 24.2MP | 50.1MP |
| Video | 1080p/60p | 8K/30p, 4K/120p, 1080p/240p |
| Autofocus | Hybrid contrast/phase-detect AF with subject detection | Real-time Tracking, AI subject recognition — 759 phase-detect points |
| Stabilisation | 4-stop IBIS (Shake Reduction) | IBIS — up to 5.5 stops |
| Burst Rate | 4fps | 30fps electronic with full AF/AE |
| Battery Life | 200 shots (CIPA) | ~430 shots (CIPA) |
| Weight | 257g | 737g (with battery) |
| Dimensions | 109.4 × 61.9 × 33.2mm | 128.9 × 96.9 × 80.8mm |
| Weather Sealed | No | Yes |
| Viewfinder | None | EVF, 9.44M dots, 0.90× magnification, 240fps |
| Screen | 3.0" fixed touchscreen | 3.0" fully tilting touchscreen |
| Mount | Fixed 28mm-equiv f/2.8 lens | Sony FE mount (full-frame E-mount) |
| Memory Cards | Single SD UHS-I | Dual CFexpress Type A / SD UHS-II |
| Connectivity | USB-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth | USB-C, Wi-Fi 5GHz, Bluetooth, Ethernet, HDMI |
Suitability by genre
| Genre | Ricoh GR III | A1 |
|---|---|---|
| Street | — | |
| Travel | — | |
| Documentary | — | |
| Portrait | ||
| Landscape | ||
| Vlogging & Video | ||
| Sports | — | |
| Wildlife | — | |
| Wedding | — |
More comparisons with Ricoh GR III
Camera family history