New Ricoh/Pentax Camera

A new camera will soon be joining the Ricoh (formerly Pentax) WG waterproof outdoor lineup.  

The new compact pictured above, which will be known as the Ricoh WG-M1, appears to be a video-oriented device with a nontraditional form factor.  It inherits some of its styling from the current WG-4.

Its specifications are as follows:

• Waterproof to 10 meters for up to 1 hour
• Shock, dust, and coldproof (-10° C)
• Full-HD video recording at 30FPS
• 120FPS high-speed videos at 848x480
• Support for endless recording (i.e. limited by card size only)
• Time-lapse videos
• 14-megapixel 1/2.3" CMOS sensor
• 1.5-inch LCD with 115k dots
• 16.8mm (eqv.) lens with 160-degree field of view
• 6 elements in 6 groups
• 2 aspherical elements
• Variable field of view underwater
• Minimum focusing distance 0.6m (0.8m underwater)
• Micro SDHC card slot
• Built-in Wi-Fi w/ remote shooting capabilities
• 42.5x66.5x89.5 mm
• Weight: 151g (190g with battery and card)

This alongside the recently-launched WG mounting accessories shows that Ricoh is trying hard to expand the appeal of its products by following the same route that led GoPro to success.

The presence of built-in Wi-Fi in this camera is of particular interest, as this would be a first for a Pentax/Ricoh.