I’ve posted a detailed hands-on review of the Ricoh WG-50 separately. The short version is that it’s waterproof, crushproof, freezeproof, and dustproof, all in a compact package. And it’s competitively priced.
This is the Orange version. It’s also available in black.
It’s one of a category of cameras I call adventure cams in that they’re ready for pretty much anything, as comfortable below the water as above it, and still offer the kinds of image quality and features that you’d expect from a standard compact camera.
So here’s a small collection of sample images taken with a WG-50 under various conditions and with different kinds of scenes. The camera produces JPGs at up to 16MP with dimensions of 4608 x 3456 pixels.
These have been imported into Lightroom, but for nearly all of them, the processing is only with a very light touch. The ones of the icebergs have a little more processing mostly to make the most of the detail in the highlights. You can click on each image to open a full-size version for a closer look.
Photos taken with a Ricoh WG-50 waterproof camera
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₁₂₅₀ sec at f/4.2.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₈₀₀ sec at f/4.2.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 1600 at ¹⁄₄₅ sec at f/3.5.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₅₀₀ sec at f/4.2.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 2000 at ¹⁄₄₅ sec at f/3.5.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 800 at ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec at f/5.5.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₈₀₀ sec at f/4.2.
This shot isn’t as sharp as it could be, suffering from some camera shake. Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₄₅ sec at f/3.5.
In this low-light shot of part of the harbor of Copenhagen at night you can see some very aggressive noise suppression. Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 6400 at ¹⁄₂₀ sec at f/3.5.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₁₅₀₀ sec at f/4.2.
A shot taken while kayaking along the face of a glacier in Svalbard. Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₁₂₅₀ sec at f/4.2.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 3200 at ¹⁄₅₀ sec at f/3.8.
With the combination of low light and similar tones, this is a good example the extraordinary amount of noise reduction that’s applied to high-ISO images. It’s quite overpowering in this shot and well beyond what I’d normally consider usable. Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 1600 at ¹⁄₂₅ sec at f/3.5.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec at f/3.5.
This shot is useful to test two things: the sharpness at the corners and the amount, if any, of chromatic aberration. Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₂₀₀ sec at f/4.2.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₅₀ sec at f/3.5.
With its many high-contrast edges, this shot is a good test of both sharpness and chromatic aberration at the corners. You can see it’s a bit soft at the corners and there’s some chromatic aberration (purple fringing), although neither is overpowering. Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₄₀₀ sec at f/4.2.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₅₀₀ sec at f/4.2.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₈₀₀ sec at f/4.2.
With a top shutter speed of 1/4000, there’s plenty of room to move for very bright scenes in sunlight and snow and ice. Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₁₅₀₀ sec at f/4.2.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₄₅ sec at f/3.5.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₁₂₅₀ sec at f/4.2.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₄₀₀₀ sec at f/4.2.
Another example of the very aggressive noise reduction on high-ISO images. Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 4000 at ¹⁄₄₅ sec at f/3.5.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 1250 at ¹⁄₄₅ sec at f/3.5.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 200 at ¹⁄₄₅ sec at f/3.5.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 1000 at ¹⁄₄₅ sec at f/3.5.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₅₀₀ sec at f/6.0.
Another example of the very high amount of noise reduction that’s applied in camera to the JPGs at high ISOs. Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 1600 at ¹⁄₂₀ sec at f/3.5.
In macro mode the usable image size drops down to 2MP and the aspect ratio switches to 16:9. Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 800 at ¹⁄₁₂₅ sec at f/3.8.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 125 at ¹⁄₁₀₀₀ sec at f/4.2.
Photo taken with a Ricoh WG-50 at ISO 3200 at ¹⁄₄₅ sec at f/3.5.
I take photos for a living. Now based in Washington, D.C., I have spent the last 30+ years shooting across seven continents — from underwater environments to mountain peaks. My images and time-lapses have appeared in major newspapers, magazines, museums, professional sports stadiums, and even on massive architectural scrims covering world-famous buildings.
I started this site in 2009 to field-test gear, share problem-solving solutions, and share what I've learned in shooting around the world. I only review gear and services I have personally used. No armchair opinions — just real-world experience. Because, for me, the fun is in the making of the photo.
