The latest iteration of Ricoh’s signature line of distinctively styled active lifestyle/underwater cameras, the WG-4 GPS, has added a GPS function, enabling you to categorize and sort your images geographically as well as wow your friends with the exotic locations you’ve visited. The new Ricoh WG-4 GPSretains the distinctive WG styling with an array of 6 LEDs ringing the wide-aperture 25-100mm 4X zoom lens, which is an f/2 at the wide end, and the camera is still dustproof, shockproof (to a drop height of 2 meters) and crush proof (to 220 pounds of pressure) as well as being waterproof to a depth of 14 meters. Its 16 MP CMOS sensor incorporates sensor-shift image stabilization, and the camera can record HD video, and has an HDMI terminal. As the picture I shot at the show proves, WG-4 GPSlooks pretty spiffy in black with red accents, but it comes in a range of cool colors including silver, which really makes it stand out.
The Ricoh WG-1looks more like a high-tech scientific instrument than a camera, but it’s really a mountable wearable action cam featuring tough construction and like its stable-mate, it’s submersible, this time to a depth of 10 meters. It can capture Full HD 1080p video at 30 fps, it features a fixed focal length 3mm (16.8mm equivalent) ultra-wide-angle f/2.8 lens that covers a 160-degree field of view, it incorporates a 14 MP CMOS sensor, and is designed to deliver high quality stereo sound. The WG-1can shoot bursts up to 10 fps as well as time lapse sequences and loop recordings and has a built in motion detector, which is great for capturing wildlife, etc. Despite its compact dimensions it has a relatively large built-in 1.5-inch LCD and the latest must-have feature, built-in Wi-Fi connectivity for camera control, image sharing and remote viewing. I think it looks the coolest in understated black as you can see in my picture of it shot at the Ricoh/Pentax booth, but it also comes in bright signal orange so you are less likely to lose it if it falls overboard. It may not have as many whizz-bang features as the latest upscale DSLRs, but the WG-1was definitely one of the cutest cameras at the big show.
