RICOH WG-5 announced!

1. Heavy-duty construction for underwater shooting down to 14 meters deep, for up to two continuous hours

The solid, airtight body of the WG-5 GPS is not only waterproof to a depth of 14 meters and for up to two hours of continuous operation (equivalent to IPX 8 or JIS Class 8), but also shockproof against a fall from heights of 2.2 meters,* dustproof (equivalent to IPX 6 or JIS Class 6), cold-resistant to temperatures as low as -10°C, and crushproof against weights up to 100kgf (kilogram force).** Thanks to this dependable, heavy-duty construction, the WG-5 GPS performs superbly and dependably in harsh, demanding outdoor conditions.

* Measured under RICOH IMAGING-original testing standards — from a height of 2.2 meters, onto a surface of 5cm-thick plywood — conforming to Method 516.5-Shock of the MIL-Standard 810F.
** Measured under RICOH IMAGING-original testing standards.

2. Exceptional image description, thanks to a large-aperture zoom lens and the latest imaging technologies

Since the WG-5 GPS comes equipped with a bright zoom lens with a maximum aperture of F2.0 at its wide-angle end, it produces beautiful, noise-free images, even with poorly illuminated subjects. With its four-times optical zoom coverage from 4.5mm to 18mm (equivalent to approximately 25mm to 100mm in the 35mm format), this versatile zoom lens accommodates a wide range of applications, from macro shooting of flowers to wide-angle photography of sweeping landscapes.

3. High-quality image reproduction

The WG-5 GPS features a state-of-the-art, back-illuminated CMOS image sensor, which excels in high-sensitivity and low-noise characteristics, and assures high-speed readout of image data signals. Coupled with a high-performance imaging engine, this image sensor delivers a top sensitivity of ISO 6400 and super-high-resolution images with approximately 16.0 effective megapixels. The WG-5 GPS also provides advanced image processing functions, made possible by the latest super-resolution technology, to assure sharp, clear, high-resolution images. It even provides such innovative features as Handheld Night Snap mode, which automatically captures several images of the same nighttime scene and produces a single blur-free composite image from them. When shooting in the Landscape scene mode, it is programmed to optimize the white balance to depict woods and forests in brilliant shades of green.

4. A comprehensive selection of underwater shooting modes

The WG-5 GPS is programmed to reproduce vivid shades of red, which are often lost in underwater photography, by optimizing the color and contrast of images recorded underwater in the Mermaid and Mermaid Movie modes using actual image data of those underwater scenes. It is also designed to produce sharp, clear images by effectively compensating for the degradation of contrast caused by the diffusion of light in the water. The aperture and shutter-speed regulation program has been also reviewed to minimize camera shake in underwater shooting. In the Mermaid mode, a (Flash Off + Flash On) mode has been newly added to the list of flash modes to consecutively capture two images of the same scene — one without a flash illumination and another with it — with a single shutter release.

5. Dual anti-shake protection for sharp, blur-free images

The WG-5 GPS’s dual anti-shake protection system combines an image-sensor-shift-type SR (Shake Reduction) mechanism with a Digital SR mode to more effectively compensate for the adverse effects of camera shake and subject shake in shake-prone conditions, such as when photographing a poorly lit subject using ambient light only, or when shooting sunset scenes.

6. Six Macro Lights to assist close-up shooting

With six LED Macro Lights positioned around the circumference of the lens barrel for macro shooting, the WG-5 GPS provides bright, uniform illumination on the subject when the Digital Microscope mode is selected.*** Thanks to these Macro Lights, the user can clearly see on the camera’s LCD monitor a magnified view of the microscopic world undetectable by the naked eye, and effortlessly capture it in beautifully illuminated, eye-catching images. In order to minimize camera shake and subject shake, the instant illumination enhance function allows for the use of a higher shutter speed by automatically raising the illumination level of the Macro Lights at the moment of shutter release. The Macro Lights also provide other useful functions, such as Self-Portrait Assist mode, which uses the blink of an LED lamp to check if the subject’s face is safely captured within the picture frame, and the LED Lighting mode that uses the Macro Lights as a lighting device in the dark.

*** When this mode is selected, the recorded size is fixed at 2.0 megapixels (at 16:9 proportions).

7. Full HD movie recording for extended shooting of high-quality movies

The WG-5 GPS provides Full HD movie recording in the H.264 recording format, allowing the user to capture high-quality, extended movie clips (1920 x 1080 pixels, 16:9 proportions) at a frame rate of 30 frames per second. It also provides such creative movie-shooting tools as a high-speed camera function**** for slow-motion playback of captured movie clips, and a fast-forward movie function.***** A micro-HDMI terminal (Type D) is also provided on the camera body for simultaneous output of Full HD movie clips and sound to external audio-visual devices.

**** When this function is selected, the recorded size is fixed at 1280 x 720 pixels.
***** When this function is selected, the recorded size is fixed at 640 x 360 pixels.

8. 3.0-inch, wide-frame LCD monitor for wide-angle viewing

The WG-5 GPS comes equipped with an large, 3.0-inch LCD monitor with horizontally extended 16:9 proportions. Its wide-view design provides a clear view of an on-screen image from approximately 170 degrees horizontally and vertically, making it possible to check the image from different angles. Its AR (Anti-Reflection) coating minimizes annoying glare and reflections to assure a sharp, clear on-screen image even under the harsh sunshine often found in outdoor shooting.

9. GPS functions, pressure/altitude/depth gauge and digital compass to facilitate outdoor shooting

The WG-5 GPS has a built-in GPS module, which automatically records position data and travel log data onto captured images and adjusts the built-in clock to local time. Its pressure sensor and digital compass also allow the user to check the data of a shooting location (pressure, altitude/underwater depth, and direction) on the camera’s LCD monitor.

10. Other features