Ricoh GR vs. Nikon Coolpix A Review

Moire

The filterless design of both the Coolpix A and the Ricoh GR means that they deliver more sharpness while having an increased risk of exhibiting moire artifacts (aliasing) compared to traditional sensors that do feature anti-aliasing filters.  The artifacts come in two flavors: false color and repeating patterns.

Because their lenses are so sharp, both cameras are at a high risk of moire up to F11. Traces of moire can even linger at F13 if you're unlucky.

Is moire a deal-breaker for these two cameras?  No.  The kind of sharpness that these cameras deliver is unprecedented in such a small form factor.  In this case, the pros greatly outweigh the cons, we believe.  But if you do decide to pick up one of these cameras, be careful, as moire can easily sneak up on you.  We were able to get both cameras to exhibit significant moire when photographing a distant building:

100% crops are shown in the table below:

f/	Coolpix A	GR
2.8
4
5.6
8
11
13
16

The GR features an in-camera moire removal tool that works quite well.  The Coolpix A does not, though the Nikon Capture desktop software, which is inclued, does have such a tool.

With its small, traditional sensor, the GRD IV will likely never have any problems with moire.

100% crop from the GRD IV