14 DAY TRIAL // Ricoh surprised everyone with today's announcement regarding its camera and lens lineup for the upcoming CP+ Camera & Photo Imaging Show, mostly because there were no previous rumors to hint at it, like Panasonic's and Sony's upcoming press releases.
Besides the CP+ 2014 lineup, the Nippon manufacturer and owner of the Pentax brand has also introduced the previously leaked rugged camera models, the WG-20, WG-4, and WG-4 GPS, all bearing the Ricoh moniker instead of the previous Pentax branding.
Ricoh WG-20 is the successor of Pentax WG-10 outdoor camera, but it comes only as a rebranded model integrating with pretty much the same feature as the previous Pentax rugged camera.
The new Ricoh WG-20 features a 14MP 1/2.3'' CCD sensor and a 5x wide-angle optical zoom lens that has a 35mm equivalent focal length of 28-140mm at an aperture of f/3.5-5.5. The camera is waterproof up to a depth of 10m / 33ft, shockproof if dropped from a height of up to 1.5m / 5ft, freezeproof up to -10°C / 14°F, and crushproof against weights up to 100kgf / 220lbs.
Moreover the WG-20 comes with a Digital Microscope mode that will magnify the subject, allowing you to take amazing macro photos. Ricoh WG-20 will be available on market shelves starting March at a price of $199.95 / €150.
The other two rugged camera models, Ricoh WG-4 and WG-4 GPS, also come with similar specs as their older Pentax siblings (WG-3 and WG-3 GPS) including a 16MP BSI CMOS sensor, a 35mm equivalent focal length 25-100mm f/2-4.9 lens and sensor-shift image stabilization.
Both models come with the same rugged specifications, as follows: waterproof up to 14m /45ft, coldproof to -10°C / 14°F, crushproof against weights up to 100kgf / 220lbs, and shockproof to a 2m /6.6ft drop.
Ricoh WG-4 and WG-4 GPS will be launched in March at a price of $326.95 / €242 and $376.95 / €280, respectively. The cameras are already available for pre-order on BHphoto online store.
