Ricoh WG-70 Camera Lets You Take Macro Photos Underwater
Today the latest version of their digital compact WR series camera line with the WG-70. This is the camera line that Ricoh makes to command the rugged handheld digital camera market, doing so with claims that rival the vast majority of other hobby cameras. The ruggedness of this camera seems almost more important than the media which it's meant to capture – it's tough!
Before we go any further with the standard specifications run-down, listen to this: This camera has a Digital Microscope Mode. This device's six-LED macro lights around the lens, coupled with the extreme close range at which focus begins (around 0.01m (1cm)) makes for an ideal take-anywhere extreme close-up camera. With waterproofing, you'll be able to capture photos of your favorite sea creatures closer than most any other camera can.
This camera works with a 16-megapixel 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor with several focus modes – 9-point AF, Spot AF, and Auto tracking AF. The focus range on this camera is surprisingly large, going from 0.01 – 0.3m / 0.03 – 0.98ft. (middle zoom position, for 1cm Macro), and from 0.5m – infinity / 1.64ft. – infinity (entire zoom range) in Standard mode.
This camera has a RICOH lens with 11 elements in 9 groups (5 aspherical elements) with a focal length between 5 and 25mm (28-140mm 35mm format equivalent). This camera setup's aperture is listed as F3.5(W) – F5.5(T), and the camera's capable of up to 5X optical zoom. The digital zoom rolls out to around 7.5X at 7M, and "Intelligent Zoom" is around 36X at 640! Assuming the quality is up to par, that'll be wildly impressive!
Ruggedness of this camera is more than that which the average person will ever find need. Ricoh suggests that this hardware has the equivalent of JIS Class 8 waterproofing and JIS Class 6 dustproofing. Those are the highest marks on the scale – effectively "protected against the effects of continuous immersion in water" and "dust tight / no ingress of dust." Hefty claims right there!
UPDATE: Ricoh's specific claims (beyond the general "equivalent" business above) are that the Ricoh WG-70 is waterproof to a depth of 46 feet (14 meters). They've also claimed that this camera is shockproof against a fall from a height of five feet (1.6 meters), and that the camera is freeze-proof in temperatures as low as 14°F (-10°C).
There's a 2.7-inch "wide" LCD on the back with an AR coating (cover only) on the back for viewfinding, and both built-in memory (around 68MB) and a standard SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card slot. Battery power is provided by a rechargeable D-LI92 lithium-ion battery. You'll charge this device and transfer data with a USB 2.0 (micro-b) cord, or output video/imagery with the camera's Type D HDMI output terminal.
The Ricoh WG-70 camera will be made available through retail outlets and Ricoh's online portal in mid-March of 2020. This camera rill cost approximately $280 USD.