The Ricoh WG-50 could be your perfect underwater dive buddy

Hot on the heels of the Olympus Tough TG-5, Ricoh has taken the wraps off another new rugged compact camera, the WG-50.

As you’d expect, the WG-50 has some strong tough credentials – it's waterproof to a depth of 14m/45.9ft and shockproof from a fall of up to 1.6m/5.2ft, while it should withstand a force of up to 100kg/220lbs. It's also dust-proof, and can operate in temperatures down to -10°C/14°F.

While Olympus has opted to reduce the resolution from 16MP to 12MP on the TG-5 in an effort to improve image quality at higher sensitivities, Ricoh has opted to stick with a 16MP back-illuminated sensor with an ISO ceiling of 6400. For video, there’s no 4K capture – instead movies are recorded at Full HD at 30p.

Light up your underwater world

The 5x optical zoom has a pretty broad focal zoom range, from 28-140mm, while there are six LED macro lights dotted round the front of the lens barrel to deliver bright and uniformed lighting round your subject – ideal when shooting underwater subjects.

The macro lights also provide other useful functions, such as the LED Lighting mode, that uses the lights for adding light to portraits in poor light – it should deliver a more flattering look than the WG-50’s dedicated flash.

The WG-50 also features a range of optional camera-mounting accessories allowing it to be fixed to the likes of bikes and canoes.

The Ricoh WG-50 comes in orange or black, and will be available at the end of June priced at $279 / £249; Australian pricing is still to be confirmed.