Ricoh WG-50 Review

It is shockproof from a fall of up to 1.6 meters (5.2 feet), and it should be able to sustain a force of up to 100 kilograms (220 pounds). The WG-50 is waterproof to a depth of 14 meters (45.9 feet), and it is shockproof from a fall of up to 1.6 meters (5.2 feet). It is also resistant to dust and can function in temperatures as low as -14 degrees Celsius (-10 degrees Fahrenheit).

While Olympus chose to drop the resolution of the TG-5 from 16 megapixels to 12 megapixels to enhance image quality at higher sensitivities, Ricoh chose to maintain a back-illuminated sensor with 16 megapixels and an ISO ceiling of 6400. There is no 4K capture available for video; instead, movies are captured in Full HD at 30 frames per second.

Get : Best Memory Cards for Ricoh WG-50

The Ricoh WG-50 is a brand-new rugged compact camera that is resistant to water, shock, freezing temperatures, and crushing. The WG-50 can withstand temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius, falls from a height of 1.6 meters, and is shockproof against such falls. Additionally, it is waterproof to a depth of 14 meters.

In addition, it has a back-illuminated 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor with a resolution of 16 megapixels, a 5x optical zoom lens, the ability to record movies in Full HD, and six LED Macro Lights that are positioned around the lens barrel for use in macro photography. The Ricoh WG-50 can be purchased for £249.99 (or $379.95) and comes in black and orange color options.

Ricoh WG-50 Build Quality

The WG-50 from the Ricoh brand is a new action camera that can withstand water, dust, and shock, and it is available for your perusal. It arrives styled in much the same futuristic, rugged camera meets Blade Runner manner as its predecessors, and it is brightly colored enough that you won’t lose it in the snow or at the bottom of the pool, going by the satsuma orange version that we had to arrive on the test slab here at the Photography Blog.

The matte black finish is an additional choice for the camera body. The official measurements for the unit are 61.5 by 122.5 by 29.6 millimeters, and the loaded and ready weight of the WG-50 is 193 grams. IN OTHER WORDS, it can be stored just as easily in a pair of shorts during the summer or a jacket during the winter as it can in your actual camera bag.

The headline effective resolution of this camera is 16 effective megapixels from a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, just like its competitor, the Nikon Coolpix W300. Additionally, it is freeze-proof to temperatures as low as -10 degrees Celsius, which is relatively usual for a camera in this category.

Additional specifications, such as its internally stacked 5x optical zoom, which provides the wide-angle equivalent of 28-140mm in terms of 35mm film, also read like an exercise in box-ticking.

The Ricoh WG-50 is only waterproofed to depths of 14 meters, whereas its competitor’s cameras are waterproofed to depths of 30 meters. Additionally, the Ricoh WG-50 is only shockproofed against drops of 1.6 meters, whereas the Nikon’s cameras are shockproofed against drops 2.4 meters in height. Additionally, Full HD video is captured at 30 frames per second rather than 4K video.

The WG-50 is more than $100 less expensive than the W300 when it is first released, which is nothing to scoff at. Six macro LED lights are positioned around the lens in a circular ring-flash-like array. These lights have the purpose of providing additional and even lighting for macro photographs if they are required. This cool feature has been carried over from earlier versions of the Ricoh.

Ricoh WG-50 Image Quality

The JPEG option with 16 megapixels was used to capture the sample photographs for this evaluation. This setting results in an image that is around 5 megabytes in size on average.

The Ricoh WG-50 has a 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, which is quite normal, and it produces 16 effective megapixels. Comparing the Ricoh WG-50 to its most recently announced competitors, the Nikon W300 and the Olympus TG-5, the Ricoh WG-50 is on par with them. Even though we were certain we had a solid grip on the camera, we discovered that several of the sample photographs we took showed evidence of image shaking. This was especially the case when the weather was cloudy.

Even though these are not the sharpest images, we have seen overall in terms of those images which are relatively sharp and en pointe – which, to be fair, would be the case for any snapshot with this size of the sensor and pixel configuration – the results are generally acceptable, with colors that err on the side of naturalistic, leaning towards warm.

The results that we see while gradually increasing the light sensitivity levels are also to be expected for a sensor of this size and with this many pixels. Maintaining an ISO of 800 or below is good, but when we increase the ISO beyond that, the photos become less sharp, and the edge detail becomes more blurry.

Once more, none of this should come as a surprise, and it certainly shouldn’t come as a letdown. In any case, you won’t be thinking of this camera as your only digital picture-capture device. Instead, you’ll probably be thinking of it as a backup camera that you may use when you wouldn’t risk your DSLR or compact system camera. The Ricoh WG-50 performs admirably in light of this information.

Ricoh WG-50 Specs

Lens RICOH lens, 11 elements in 9 groups (5 aspherical elements)
Focal Length5 – 25 mm
(in 35mm format equivalent)Approx. 28 – 140mm
Maximum ApertureF3.5(W) – F5.5(T)
ZoomOptical Zoom5X
Digital Zoomapprox. 7.2X
Intelligent Zoomapprox. 7.5X at 7M, approx. 36X at 640 (including optical zoom)
Motion Blur ReductionStillPixel Track SR
Hi-sensitivity anti-shake mode (Digital SR)
MovieMovie shake reduction mode (Movie SR)
FocusType9-point AF, Spot AF, Auto tracking AF
Focus Range
(From lens face)
Standard: 0.5m – infinity / 1.64ft. – infinity (entire zoom range)
Macro:0.1 – 0.6m / 0.33 – 1.97ft. (entire zoom range)
1cm Macro:0.01 – 0.3m / 0.03 – 0.98ft. (middle zoom position)
Infinity-landscape, Pan Focus, Manual Focus: available
Face detectionFace Detection AF&AE is available for all modes up to 32 faces. Smile Capture, Self-portrait Assist, Self-portrait Assist + Smile Capture, Blink Detection
Pet detectionDetect up to 1 pet’s face(auto)
Number of Effective pixelsApprox. 16 megapixels
Image Sensor1/2.3″ CMOS
Number of Recorded pixelsStill16M(4608 x 3456), 12M(1:1)(3456 x 3456), 12M(16:9)(4608 x 2592), 7M(3072 x 2304), 5M(16:9)(3072 x 1728), 5M(2592 x 1944), 4M(16:9)(2592 x 1464), 3M(2048 x 1536), 2M(16:9)(1920 x 1080), 1024(1024 x 768), 640(640 x 480)
* In Digital Microscope mode, recorded pixels is fixed to 2M(1920×1080).
* In continuous shooting mode(High), recorded pixels is fixed to 5M(1600×1200) or 4M(2592×1464) per frame.
* In Report mode, select from 3M (2048 x 1536), 2M (1600 x 1200) or 1280 (1280 x 960).
* In Original Frame mode, recorded pixels is fixed to either 5M(2592 x 1944) or 4M(2592 x 1464).
Movie1920(1920 x 1080): approx. 30fps, 1280(1280 x 720): approx. 60/30fps
Sensitivity (Standard Output Sensitivity)AUTO, Manual (ISO 125 – 6400)
White BalanceAuto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light(D:Daylight Color, N:Daylight White, W:White Light), Manual
Display2.7″ Wide LCD, approx. 230K dots, AR Coating(Cover only)
Exposure ControlMetering SystemMulti-segment metering, Center-weighted metering, Spot metering
Exposure Compensation± 2EV ( 1/3EV steps)
Scene modesAuto Picture, Program, HDR, Handheld Night Snap, Movie, High Speed Movie, Digital Microscope, Landscape, Flower, Portrait, Underwater, Underwater Movie, Interval Shot, Interval Movie, Surf & Snow, Kids, Pet, Sport, Night Scene, Night Scene Portrait, Fireworks, Food, Digital SR, Report, Green
Playback modesSlideshow, Image Rotation, Small Face Filter, Ink Rubbing Filter, Collage, Digital Filter(B&W / Sepia, Toy Camera, Retro, Color, Extract Color, Color Emphasis, High Contrast, Starburst, Soft, Fish-eye, Brightness, Miniature), HDR Filter, Original Frame, Movie Edit, Red-eye Edit, Resize, Cropping, Image Copy, Protect, Start-up Screen
Shutter Speed1/4000 – 1/4sec.(Mechanical and electronic shutter), 4sec at most. (Night Scene mode setting)
Built-in flashModesFlash-on and Flash-off modes. “Red-eye” compensation function employs a pre-discharge.
Flash RangeWide:approx. 0.2 – 5.5m / 0.66 – 18 ft. (ISO Auto)
Tele:approx. 0.2 – 3.5m / 0.66 – 11 ft. (ISO Auto)
Drive ModesOne shot, Self-timer, Continuous Shooting, Burst Shooting, Remote Control, Auto Bracketing
Storage MediaBuilt-in Memory (approx. 68MB), SD/SDHC/SDXC Memory Card
Eye-Fi Card
Power Source Rechargeable D-LI92 lithium-ion battery
Battery lifeStill*: approx. 300 shots (Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery)
Playback**: approx. 260 min. (Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery)
InterfacesUSB2.0(Micro-B), HDMI output terminal(Type D)
Water proof / DustproofEquivalent to JIS Class 8 waterproof and JIS Class 6 dustproof capabilities
DimensionsApprox. 122.5 (W) x 61.5 (H) x 29.5 (D)mm /4.8 (W) x 2.4 (H) x 1.2 (D) inches (excluding controls and projections)
WeightWith battery & SD cardApprox. 193g / 6.8 oz. (loaded and ready)
BodyApprox. 173g / 6.1 oz.(without battery and SD memory card)
Others* Intelligent zoom not applicable under Report Mode
* Waterproof (Up to 14m (45ft.) for 2hours)
* Shock proof (Up to 1.6m (5.2ft.))
* Operating Temperature -10℃ to 40℃
* Eye-Fi Compatible
* Macro light
* Changing Folder name function supported
* HDMI Type D (Micro) port
* Remote control compatible
* Outdoor View Setting

Ricoh WG-50 Conclusion

The Ricoh WG-50 is an affordably priced hardened camera that allows you to take still images and films in harsh environments where you wouldn’t want to put your ordinary CSC or DSLR in danger of being damaged. In this case, we are provided with 16 effective megapixels from a completely ordinary 1/2.3-inch CMOS chip, which obviously cannot compete with the quality of either of those formats.

However, given those constraints, the level of detail that has been offered is entirely sufficient, and the colors that the JPEG files have portrayed provided range from realistic to warm. In addition to that, we get footage in full high definition, which is quite helpful.

Whether you go with this particular camera or one of its just-as-recently-released competitors, such as the Olympus TG-5 or the Nikon W300, will come down to your personal preferences, such as whether or not you need 4K shooting and GPS functionality, or whether you are content with having something that gives you all the basics and is capable enough to capture life’s rough and tumble moments.

When it comes down to it, you’re probably just going to be thinking about purchasing this camera as a backup or secondary device to use for taking images in situations in which you usually wouldn’t.

The Ricoh WG-50 may not be anything groundbreaking or revolutionary in terms of technology or market positioning; however, as something to take into the pool or the sea with the kids this summer, it’s pretty much spot on as a viable and affordable example of its action/travel camera ilk (at a street price of approximately $250 or less).

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