Sigma SD1 Merrill vs Ricoh CX4

In this comparison, we will evaluate the Sigma SD1 Merrill and the Ricoh CX4, highlighting the advantages of each over the other, discussing their pros and cons, shared strengths and weaknesses, and providing a rating based on their available features and specifications to assist you in choosing the one that best suits your needs.

Sigma SD1 Merrill was introduced in April 2012 and Ricoh CX4 was introduced in August 2010. Let us first list highlights of the models.

Now that we've looked at the most essential specifications and gained a basic understanding of these cameras, we can delve into more details and see the differences between them.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Sigma SD1 Merrill over Ricoh CX4.

This section shows those features and specifications which are the reason to choose Ricoh CX4 over Sigma SD1 Merrill.

We already listed pros and cons of each model. However, you may also find useful to look at their common strengths and weaknesses shown side-by-side.

Screen

Sigma SD1 Merrill and Ricoh CX4 have 3.0" Fixed screens with 460k dot and 920k dot resolutions respectively.

Optical (pentaprism) Viewfinder on Sigma SD1 Merrill

Sigma SD1 Merrill has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 96% coverage and 0.95x (0.63x 35mm equivalent) magnification. There is no built-in or optional viewfinder available on Ricoh CX4.

Sigma SD1 Merrill features a 15 megapixel APS-C CMOS (Foveon X3) sensor with dimensions of 24 x 16 mm and a total area of 384 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 6,400. Ricoh CX4 features a 10 megapixel 1/2.3-inch BSI-CMOS sensor with dimensions of 6.17 x 4.55 mm and a total area of 20.7 mm². Its native ISO range is 100 - 3,200.

Ricoh CX4 has BSI-CMOS sensor, short for Backside Illuminated Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor sensor. In traditional CMOS sensors, the wiring and circuitry are located on the front side of the sensor, which can block some of the incoming light. BSI technology flips this design by placing the photosensitive elements (pixels) on the backside of the sensor, allowing more light to reach the pixels. This significantly enhances light sensitivity and improves low-light performance. BSI-CMOS sensors are particularly effective in low-light conditions, as they can capture more light, resulting in brighter and less noisy images. This makes them well-suited for indoor and night photography. BSI-CMOS sensors deliver a higher SNR and reduced cross-talk.

Sigma SD1 Merrill is equipped with Dual TRUE II processor and can take pictures up to 4800 x 3200 resolution. Ricoh CX4 is equipped with Smooth Imaging Engine IV processor and can take pictures up to 3648 x 2736 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolution like 3648 x 2432, 2736 x 2736, 3648 x 2048, 2592 x 1944, 2048 x 1536, 1728 x 1296, 1280 x 9601, 640 x 480 with 1:1, 4:3, 3:2 aspect ratios.

No Low-Pass Filter on Sigma SD1 Merrill

There is no optical low-pass filter (OLPF), also known as an anti-aliasing filter, in front of the sensor on Sigma SD1 Merrill. This results in a slightly sharper image but may also introduce moiré patterns and aliasing artifacts when photographing subjects with fine, repetitive patterns or details.

Ricoh CX4 has an image stabilization.

USB Inputs

Both models have USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) inputs for data transfer.

Battery

Ricoh CX4 comes with DB-100 battery pack.

External Storage Slots

Sigma SD1 Merrill has a single CompactFlash (Type I, UDMA compatible) card slot. Ricoh CX4 has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC card slot.

Shutter

Shutter speed can go up to [] on Sigma SD1 Merrill, and up to 1/2000 sec on Ricoh CX4. Ricoh CX4 can shoot continuously up to 5.0 fps.

Focusing

Sigma SD1 Merrill has Ricoh CX4 has . Sigma SD1 Merrill has detection range from 0 to +18 EV.

Flash

Ricoh CX4 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 4.00 m. Sigma SD1 Merrill has no built-in flash but an external flash may be connected via Hot Shoe. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec on Sigma SD1 Merrill.

Sigma SD1 Merrill body has dimensions of 146 x 113 x 80 mm (5.75 x 4.45 x 3.15") and Ricoh CX4 body has dimensions of 102 x 59 x 29 mm (4.02 x 2.32 x 1.14"). Sigma SD1 Merrill weighs 790 g (1.74 lb / 27.87 oz) and Ricoh CX4 weighs 205 g (0.45 lb / 7.23 oz).

Sigma SD1 Merrill

Ricoh CX4

146 mm

113 mm

102 mm

59 mm

113 mm

59 mm

80 mm

29 mm