Ricoh has announced the latest iteration of its waterproof, rugged compact camera, introducing the 16-megapixel Ricoh WG-50, price tag £249.99.
Replacing the WG-40, the Ricoh WG-50 is waterproof to a depth of 14 metres, shockproof from a height of 1.6 metres, crushproof against weights up to 100kgf (kilogram force) and freeze-proof to temperatures as low as -10°C.
On the front of the new Ricoh camera is a 5x optical zoom lens with a focal-length coverage from 5mm to 25mm (equivalent to approx. 28mm to 140mm in 35mm format).
The WG-50’s lens also offers a minimum focusing distance from just 1cm when shooting in macro mode, while an Intelligent Zoom function can extend the zoom range to approximately 36x (equivalent to 1008mm in the 35mm format).
Also of use for shooting close up are six LED Macro Lights built into the circumference of the lens barrel to provide uniform lighting when the Digital Microscope mode is selected.
An Instant Illumination Enhance function allows users to shoot at higher shutter speeds by automatically raising the discharge level of the Macro Lights at the moment of shutter release.
Pre-order the Ricoh WG-50 from Adorama
The Macro Lights can also be used in Self-Portrait Assist mode, which very quickly flashes the LED lamps to check that your face is within the frame. And an LED Lighting mode employs the Macro Lights as a lighting device for when you are shooting in the dark. It’s worth noting that when shooting in this mode, the image size is fixed at 2 megapixels (at 16:9 proportions).
New Underwater and Underwater Movie modes are designed to optimise colour and contrast to compensate for the diffusion of light in water. During Underwater mode, the Flash Off + Flash On option allows the user to consecutively capture two images with a single shutter release — one without flash and another with flash.
Other features of the WG-50 are Full HD video recording (1920 x 1080), anti-shake protection and a top ISO of 6400.
The Ricoh WG-50 price tag is £249.99, with a release date set for June 2017.