Hot on the heels of the newly announced GoPro editions, today, Ricoh announced the latest addition to their competing line of WG “adventure” cameras, the WG-30w.
The biggest feature additions here being the wireless connectivity, and a brand new imaging sensor that should give the WG-30w some good low light performance.
As with any action or “adventure” camera, you expect things like waterproofing and shockproofing, and the WG-30w doesn’t disappoint. The Ricoh WG-30w is not only waterproof up to 40 feet deep, but is also shockproof up to 5 feet, as well as dust and freeze proof. This is also all possible right out of the box, no special cases or anything required, which is a nice advantage over other systems which require special cases and such for underwater use.
Ricoh WG-30w Specifications
- 16MP 1/2.3″ Backlit CMOS Sensor
- Ricoh 5x Optical Zoom Lens
- 28-140mm f/3.5-5.5 (35mm Equivalent)
- Water, Dust, Crush, Shock, and Coldproof
- 2.7″ 230k-Dot LCD Monitor
- Full HD 1080p Video Recording at 30 fps
- Built-In Wi-Fi Connectivity
- Pixel Track and Digital Shake Reduction
- Digital Microscope Mode & Built-In LEDs
- High-Speed Continuous Shooting: 10 fps
Another really neat feature of the WG-30w is the 28-140mm equivalent lens. Most action cameras are a single focal length, so having the ability on the WG-30w to actually change your field of view is pretty awesome. The F/3.5-5.5 aperture range could leave a lot to be desired in low light situations, but that is what the built in LED lights are meant to help with.
I am pretty impressed with these little Ricoh adventure cameras. I can see myself getting some fun use out of them. I mean, they still don’t touch the top end GoPro cameras with 4K and other features, but for the cost savings, these still look like great little cameras that would serve someone well.
The WG-30w comes in two colors, Carbon Gray and Flame Orange, and are going to be sold for $276.95. If you are interested, you can pre-order them now, and be the first to get one once they start shipping around December 15th.
