Introduction and features
If you’re after a camera that’ll survive some rough and tumble, the Ricoh WG-4 is built to shrug off plenty of abuse. It’ll survive a 14-metre-deep dunk in the drink, a two-metre drop and -10-degree temperatures, plus it’s crushproof to 100kg. Within this armoured exterior there’s a 16.0-megapixel sensor and a 4x optical zoom lens.
Full HD video recording and GPS location mapping are present too, and all for around £309.99/$329.95. Alternatively the WG-4 is also available without GPS for £279.99/$279.95, making it a well-priced rival to the likes of the Canon PowerShot D30, Nikon Coolpix AW120, Olympus Tough TG-3 and Panasonic Lumix FT5.
The WG-4’s toughness credentials really make it stand out. Its 14-metre waterproof rating falls short of the 25m-capable Canon D30 and the Nikon AW120’s 18m rating, but neither of these cameras is built to survive the same 100kg crushing force that the WG-4 will withstand.
The camera’s 4x optical zoom lens has a focal length range of 25-100mm (in 35mm-camera terms) and will open to an f/2.0 aperture to help low light and fast action photography. Ricoh’s Shake Reduction system is also present to help tame camera shake.
Opt for the WG-4 GPS and its GPS system will record the coordinates at which your images were captured, allowing you to plot your travels when you get home.
Image capture is taken care of by a 16.0MP, 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor capable of a maximum ISO6400 sensitivity, with the results then displayed on a 3.0″, 460k-dot screen.
If all this sounds rather familiar, that’s because the WG-4 is actually almost identical to last year’s Pentax WG-3. Apart from being rebranded by parent company, Ricoh, the new camera gains a shutter priority mode, but loses the WG-3’s wireless Qi charging ability.
Build quality and handling
Build quality is especially important for a camera designed for extreme environments, and thankfully the WG-4’s construction doesn’t disappoint. Although the casing is primarily plastic it exudes solidity, and easily withstands multiple drops and bashes with barely a scratch. Double locks secure the door covering the battery, memory card and connection ports, preventing accidental opening when underwater.
Considering this is an action-orientated camera, it’s a pity there isn’t much to grip on to. Those ridges on the front are mainly for show, and there’s nowhere to rest your thumb either.
Controls on the WG-4 are relatively large and well-spaced, with many also being textured. It all helps make them easy to use when underwater or while wearing gloves. Sealing the buttons against water intrusion has made them fairly stiff and spongey to operate, with the shutter release being especially difficult to press.
It’s a quirk that you soon get used to though, and in most other respects the camera is very easy to operate. The menu system is certainly showing its age design-wise, but it’s simple to navigate and makes changing settings quick and easy. There are also nifty shooting overlays, like an electronic level to help keep horizons straight.
The low, wide shape of the WG-4 means it gets a similarly-sized, widescreen-format screen. Sounds great, and it is when you’re recording widescreen video. However for shooting stills in the default, squarer 4:3 format, you’re left with wasted screen space on either side of an image preview that’s really only around 2.5″. The 460k-dot resolution is average for the class but nothing special, and the display brightness could also be better. Viewing angles are good though.
Things improve at the front of the camera where six LEDs surround the lens. These illuminate close-up subjects which would otherwise be cast in the camera’s shadow when using its 1cm macro mode. Hold down the green button on the rear of the camera and they can be manually activated to use as a torch.
Finally, the WG-4 GPS also features a small, front-mounted LCD screen. It’ll display the time, as well altitude and air pressure. It’s also backlit for darker conditions and is a useful addition if you don’t fancy taking your watch underwater.
Performance and verdict
The Ricoh WG-4 powers up and is ready to shoot in a whisker over one second; it goes on to autofocus almost instantly in bright conditions. There’s a brief pause of up to a second whilst the camera focuses in darker surroundings, but it’s still a nippy performance.
The camera’s exposure metering system is also impressive, producing accurate exposures that capture reasonable highlight and shadow detail. Colour reproduction is very good as well, with vibrant yet realistic tones that give images plenty of visual impact. Occasionally auto white balance spoils things by adding a warm colour cast to some shots taken indoors or under fluorescent lighting, but it’s an rare issue.
At low sensitivity settings up to ISO400, the 16MP sensor is capable of resolving good detail from close to medium-range subjects. Shooting landscapes reveals some smoothing of fine detail, though the results are still sharp enough to avoid looking painterly. Push on to ISO800 and noise levels noticeably increase with more grain and some colour speckling being visible. At ISO1600 grain isn’t too intrusive, but colour speckling is obvious in shadow areas, even when viewing at 50% image size. Consequently the noise levels at ISO3200 and above mean such sensitivity settings are best avoided.
Fortunately the relatively wide-aperture f/2.0 lens (at maximum wide-angle) means plenty of light can reach the sensor so higher ISO sensitivities aren’t required as often. With only a 4x optical zoom range, distortion isn’t an issue, though the lens does produce noticeable chromatic aberration (purple fringing) on high-contrast boundaries. Corner sharpness is also slightly lower than the centre of frame, but you’ll need to be a serious pixel-peeper to notice that.
The WG-4 GPS’ features are a bit of a mixed bag too. Its GPS system is easy to set up and use, though it won’t do the 240-shot battery life any favours, especially as it continues to stay active even when the camera is switched off. Maintaining a stable satellite link in a built-up area can also be tricky.
Although the camera does have some Digital Filer special effects, they can only be applied once the image has been captured. The resulting retro, colour and contrast enhancement looks aren’t terribly eye-catching either. HDR mode is more useful though, allowing you to capture noticeably increased shadow and highlight detail than in standard Auto Picture mode.
It’s a pity there’s isn’t an automatic panorama mode, however, given the low-resolution panoramas generated from other cameras in the class, this omission is hardly a deal-breaker.
Verdict
If you’re after a tough and dependable waterproof camera, the Ricoh WG-4 GPS makes a good case for itself. Its build quality is up there with the best cameras in the class and consequently it feels like it will survive plenty of abuse.
Action-orientated features and GPS give the WG-4 GPS additional appeal as a sporting companion, especially as a range of optional accessories are available to mount the camera to a bike or kayak.
Image quality is nothing special, but it’s easily a match for any rival camera at ISO400 and below. Colour speckling at higher sensitivities and above-average chromatic aberration just prevent the WG-4 from producing the highest overall image quality of the current crop of tough compact cameras.
We liked
Great build quality and useful features make the WG-4 GPS a capable action camera that also performs well and usually produces attractive images.
We disliked
The wide-format screen with its small image preview trails the competition, as does the relatively modest waterproof depth rating and Digital Filter effects which can’t be applied as you shoot. Better hand grips would also be welcome.
Final verdict
The Ricoh WG-4 GPS is a very good toughened and waterproof camera that’s well built and produces respectable image quality in good light.
It’s a pity the camera is actually little more than a rebranded Pentax WG-3 GPS though. Trading that camera’s wireless Qi charging capability for a new shutter priority mode is the only change, and it’s arguably not a particularly appealing one.
Given the Canon D30 and Olympus TG-3 both offer significant improvements over their predecessors, we’d have liked the Ricoh WG-4 GPS bring more to the table. However, it has enough going for it to still make a decent all-rounder.
Sample images
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There’s good colour reproduction here despite the low light, however some colour speckling is visible if you scrutinise this ISO320 shot.
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The red hues in this image really pop and detail is also crisp.
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Here’s another example of the punchy and vibrant colours that the WG-4 GPS produces.
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Despite harsh lighting the camera has generated a pleasing, colourful exposure with no lens flare.
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The camera’s 16MP sensor can resolve very good detail levels at close-range.
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Shot with the camera’s lens set to maximum wide-angle, equivalent to 25mm in 35mm-camera terms…
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…and zoomed in 4x to a 100mm-equivalent focal length.
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The combination of distant detail, low light and an ISO1600 sensor sensitivity really put the WG-4 through its paces. Grain noise is taking its toll on detail and the image is best viewed at 50% or smaller.
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Here the WG-4 is in its element, producing an accurately focussed and well exposed image with great colour and detail.
Digital filters
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