Ricoh announces new ultra-rugged WG-70 camera

Ricoh has a new ultra-rugged camera on the way known as the WG-70, which has a 5x optical zoom and a 28mm wide-angle lens. The WG-70 is built around a 16-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensor and a feature called anti-shake protection to keep images crisp. The camera’s real selling points are what it can do in macro mode and when shooting underwater.

A new setting called digital microscope mode uses the camera’s six-LED macro lights to highlight details in extreme close-ups. The camera is waterproof to a depth of 46 feet, shockproof from heights of five feet, and freeze-proof in temperatures as low as 14°F. It’s new underwater shooting mode automatically optimizes color, contrast, and white balance, which can be challenging during submerged shooting. The large LCD monitor’s brightness can be easily adjusted for shooting in bright outdoor conditions. The camera shoots HD video in 1920 or 1280.

The compact rugged camera weighs 0.42 lbs with battery and memory car and is 4.8 inches wide and 2.4 inches high—small enough to come on any adventure and certainly more sturdy than your phone. The WG-70 will be available mid-March for $280.