I took the WG-8, a sturdy digital camera that can easily handle underwater photography, out to the river and took some photos. Here's a review.
Ricoh's digital camera '
WG-8 | Products | RICOH IMAGING
https://www.ricoh-imaging.co.jp/japan/products/wg-8/
The WG-8 is a digital camera with features such as 'capability of continuous shooting at a depth of 20m for 2 hours,' 'clearance of drop tests from a height of 2.1m,' 'load-bearing structure capable of withstanding weights up to 100kgf,' and 'cold resistance capable of operating even at temperatures as low as -10°C.' You can check the appearance of the WG-8 in detail in the following article. This time, I took the WG-8 outside and took some sample photos.
A detailed review of the appearance of the 'WG-8' rugged digital camera that is extremely tough even when dropped underwater - GIGAZINE
Below is a photo I took immediately after arriving at the river. The WG-8 is waterproof to JIS Class 8 and dustproof to JIS Class 6, so you can shoot without worry even in wet or sandy environments. Unless otherwise noted, the examples in this article were taken in AUTO mode and are posted without any editing other than resizing. You can also click on the image to see the original photo before resizing.
The WG-8 is equipped with a GPS, so you can embed location information at the time of shooting in the photo data. The location information is recorded in the Exif information, so you can check the shooting location by opening the photo with a compatible photo viewer. If you use the standard Windows photo app, you can check the shooting location on a map as shown below.
Another attractive feature is that you can set the rear monitor to a fairly bright screen for shooting.
This way, you can take pictures while clearly seeing the monitor even in 'a very bright place like a midsummer sunny day where the sunlight is reflecting off the water.'
The WG-8 has a narrow range of brightness that can be recorded in one photo, so when shooting a scene with a large difference in brightness, some parts will be crushed in the dark or blown out. In the example below, the blue sky and white clouds are clearly captured, but the trees are crushed in the dark.
On the other hand, if you expose for the trees, the sky will be washed out.
In that case, you can use HDR mode. I took the same composition as the photo above using HDR mode, and it turned out to be a shot with less black crush and white blowout. However, be aware that in HDR mode, there is a processing delay of several seconds for each photo you take.
The WG-8 can also take pictures underwater. As a test, I plunged the WG-8 underwater and took some pictures.
Photographing the river bottom.
I also tried taking some photos in slightly deeper places.
Photographed the moment when the foot plunges into the water.
You can easily take dynamic photos.
The WG-8 also supports video recording at 4K and 30fps. Below is a video of someone jumping into a river, recorded at 4K and 30fps.
The WG-8 is also capable of macro photography, so you can quickly take macro shots of rare plants, insects, and other things you come across while outdoors.
I also wanted to check how food was captured, so I went to
However, be aware that the flash will automatically turn on in dark places. We recommend turning off the auto flash in places where it would be inconvenient to have the flash turn on.
The WG-8 also has a 'Microscope Mode' that allows you to take close-up shots of minute subjects using the macro function and ring light. You can see examples of Microscope Mode in the following article.
I tried taking pictures of the microscopic world with the microscope mode of the sturdy digital camera 'WG-8' - GIGAZINE
The black model of the WG-8 is available at electronics retailers and other stores, and at the time of writing, it is sold on Amazon.co.jp for 58,400 yen including tax.
Amazon | Pentax PENTAX WG-8 Black Full-scale outdoor camera [Full-scale 20m waterproof] 20 million pixels [Wide angle 28mm 5x optical zoom] [Equipped with 6 multi-function ring lights] [Useful for construction and work sites / Equipped with 'CALS mode'] [Equipped with webcam function] [4K video] [Built-in high-performance GPS] | Compact mail order
In addition, the green model is sold exclusively at official EC shops such as Ricoh Imaging Store and PENTAX Clubhouse. Ricoh Imaging Store is also listed on Amazon.co.jp, and at the time of writing, the green model is available for 59,850 yen including tax.
Amazon | Pentax PENTAX WG-8 Green Full-scale outdoor camera [Full-scale 20m waterproof] 20 million pixels [Wide angle 28mm 5x optical zoom] [Equipped with 6 multi-function ring lights] [Useful for construction and site use / Equipped with 'CALS mode'] [Equipped with web camera function] [4K video] [Built-in high-performance GPS] 1500 | Compact mail order
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