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Ricoh announces Pentax WG-8 and WG-1000 waterproof compacts

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Ricoh announces Pentax WG-8 and WG-1000 waterproof compacts


The Pentax WG-8 “Adventure Proof” compact

Image: Ricoh

Ricoh has announced two new Pentax WG waterproof compacts: the range-topping WG-8 and the entry-level WG-1000.

The WG-8 replaces the Pentax WG-6 (and the Ricoh-branded WG-6 that came before it) at the top of the lineup. It’s a 20MP camera with a Type 1/2.3 sensor (6.3×4.7mm) that’s waterproof to a depth of 20m (65.6ft) for two hours: the deepest yet offered by the range. Ricoh says this is equivalent to an IPX8 or JIS Class 8 rating.

It’s also shockproof from 2.1m (6.5ft), able to withstand 100kg force (220lb of force) and can withstand temperatures as low as -10°C (14°F). It has a 3.0″ 1.04M dot (720 x 480px) rear LCD.

The WG-8 has a 28-140mm equivalent zoom lens with an F3.5-5.5 maximum aperture and a six LED ringlight around the lens. It can shoot up to 4K/30 video and can act as a webcam. It includes GPS and compass.

Pentax WG-1000

Image: Ricoh

The less expensive WG-1000 has a 16MP sensor and a 27-108mm equiv zoom. This has a maximum aperture of F3.0-6.6. It makes do with a 2.7″ 230k dot (320 x 240px) rear display. It can only shoot video up to 1080/30.

Its durability specs are also lower, with waterproofing rated to 15m (49.2ft), shockproof from 2m (6.5ft). It also lacks its more expensive sibling’s GPS and compass features.

The WG-8 will be available in late July at a recommended price of $399.95. The WG-1000 will arrive in mid July, costing around $229.95.

Press Release:

Ricoh expands its lineup of waterproof digital compact cameras with the PENTAX WG-1000 and the PENTAX WG-8

PARSIPPANY, New Jersey, June 5, 2024 — Ricoh Imaging Americas Corporation today announced it has expanded its lineup of waterproof, digital compact cameras with two new models: the entry-level PENTAX WG-1000 and top-of-the-line PENTAX WG-8. The newest additions to the WG series of all-weather adventure cameras both feature a rugged chassis, plus the waterproof, dustproof and shock-resistant features the series is known for.

| The PENTAX WG-1000 |

The WG-1000 is designed for casual underwater photography to a depth of 49.2 feet (15 meters) for up to one hour of continuous operation. Lightweight yet rugged, the new camera is also well suited for a range of land-based activities – it is dustproof against dirt and stains and shockproof against a fall from a height of 6.5 feet (2 meters). It comes equipped with a carabiner strap for carrying convenience and a protective jacket to shield the camera body from scratches.

The WG-1000 features a four-times optical zoom lens with a focal-length coverage from 4.9 mm to 19.6mm (equivalent to approximately 27mm to 108mm in the 35mm format). When coupled with its Digital Zoom function, the camera’s zoom range can be extended by approximately 24 times for high-magnification zoom photography. Its back-illuminated, 16.35-megapixel CMOS image sensor delivers sharp, clear, high-resolution images, even at a super-high sensitivity of ISO 3200.

Available in gray or olive, the WG-1000 offers seven image capture modes and a variety of color modes, enabling users to enhance their images based on their shooting environment and add their own personal aesthetic to the finished photos. The color modes include conventional Black and White and Sepia modes, as well as more creative options like Japan Style, which enhances bluish hues; Italian Style, which enhances greenish hues; and French Style, which enhances reddish hues.

|The PENTAX WG-8 |

Developed to be the toughest of the PENTAX WG series, the WG-8 boasts outstanding waterproof, shockproof and cold-resistant performance. This top-of-the-line model is waterproof to a depth of 65.6 feet (20 meters), shockproof against a fall from heights of 6.8 feet (2.1 meters), and able to operate in temperatures as low as 14°F (-10°C). Even in demanding conditions, it captures super-high-resolution still images of approximately 20 effective megapixels and high- quality 4K-resolution movie clips.

The WG-8 features a five-times optical zoom lens with focal-length coverage from 5mm to 25mm (equivalent to approximately 28mm to 140mm in the 35mm format). The lens’s minimum focusing distance of one centimeter allows the user to capture a wide range of images, from eye-catching close-ups to sweeping landscapes. Its Intelligent Zoom function extends the zoom range by approximately 40.5 times without compromising image quality.

The WG-8 has a host of advanced features and user-friendly functions, including a multi- application ring light, ideal for close-up macro photography, and web camera capability when connected to a computer for live-streaming of high-quality, high-resolution images. Its heavy-duty construction ensures that the WG-8 performs superbly and dependably in harsh, demanding outdoor conditions and on worksites.

Available in black or green, the WG-8 effectively replaces the current-model RICOH WG-6 camera as the premium offering in the product line

| Pricing and Availability |

The WG-1000 will be available mid-July at www.us.ricoh-imaging.com as well as at Ricoh Imaging-authorized retail outlets nationwide for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $229.95

The WG-8 will be available late July at www.us.ricoh-imaging.com as well as at Ricoh Imaging- authorized retail outlets nationwide for a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $399.95



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Tips for taking epic shots of tonight’s ‘blood moon’ total lunar eclipse

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Tips for taking epic shots of tonight’s ‘blood moon’ total lunar eclipse


A lunar eclipse, captured by Jamie Malcolm-Brown in November 2021. Used with permission.

Editor’s note: This article was originally published in 2022. We have updated it with information about the current eclipse as a service to readers.


Starting tonight, March 13, through the early hours of tomorrow, March 14th, skywatchers in the Americas will be able to view the first total lunar eclipse of the year. The moon will turn a ‘blood red’ hue for a brief period as it passes entirely into the Earth’s shadow when lined up with the sun. Depending on where you are located, there is a specific time you can witness this phenomenon.

Time and Date, a top-ranking site for times and timezones, created a useful tool that allows you to make a plan by entering your viewing location. From there, it gives you pertinent information, including the total duration, what time each phase of the eclipse starts and the direction it’ll travel, plus altitude during these phases. A helpful animation gives you a visual of how it will appear, minute by minute, once it starts.

Details of the March 13  2025 total lunar eclipse
Time and Date created a free tool to help you plan your total lunar eclipse viewing, depending on your location. This is the data for Seattle, WA, where DPReview’s headquarters is located.

If you plan on bringing your camera out for the ‘blood moon’, photographer Jamie Malcolm-Brown has some helpful tips for camera settings. Describing his process for capturing a lunar eclipse in 2021, he tells DPReview that ‘it was taken with [a] 200-600mm lens at 600mm, ISO 800, F6.3, at 1/3 sec. I bracketed the shots at 5 shots with an EV (exposure value) change of 1. Next time I would probably bracket 5 shots but with only an EV change of .3. The final image was cropped fairly significantly to fill the frame with the moon.’

While useful for capturing more detail on the moon’s surface, you don’t necessarily need a long lens that extends to 600mm to photograph the blood moon. John Weatherby released a quick, helpful tutorial on Instagram outlining his process for getting the best images possible. For one, you can shoot at a focal length between 100–200mm if you want to include a foreground.

Weatherby also explains that having a sturdy tripod and ball head is an absolute necessity. Ensuring that the lens is locked in securely will yield clearer images of the moon. Using the camera’s shutter delay or self-timer, or an external remote, will also help prevent blurry shots as the camera is likely to shake a bit once you press the shutter. PhotoPills, an app that helps you identify where the moon will travel in accordance with your specific location, is recommended as well.

It’s important to check the weather in your area as cloud coverage can potentially conceal the moon completely. Windy.com is a free app available on desktop, iOS and Android that, in my opinion, does a decent job of forecasting weather patterns. It’ll give you a visual of where clouds will appear at specific dates and times so you can determine the best place to set up in your state or country.

Screen Shot 2022-05-15 at 12.59.27 AM
Windy.com, a free app, is an effective tool for forecasting weather elements, including cloud coverage.

The next total lunar eclipse will take place on September 7, and will be visible in parts of Asia, Africa and Australia. If skywatching interests you, you’re in or near one of the locations where the eclipse is visible and weather permits, I recommend getting out for a few hours and witnessing this wonderful event first-hand.





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Fast and fun: Photographer captures the thrill of Formula 1 with Lego

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Fast and fun: Photographer captures the thrill of Formula 1 with Lego


Photo: Benedek Lampert

This weekend marks the start of the 2025 Formula 1 season, and one photographer is kicking things off with a series of photographs to celebrate. With a fine focus on detail and many hours of work, toy photographer Benedek Lampert has recreated F1 moments using Lego. This project is just the latest for Lampert, who has previously created life-like scenes of Lego versions of the Eiffel Tower and Shackleton’s Endurance.

In September 2024, Lego and F1 announced a partnership that included releasing numerous F1 Lego sets, some of which featured more realistic-looking models of F1 team cars. Lampert managed to get his hands on the entire starting grid and set to work on creating highly detailed, life-like photographs of the Lego F1 cars.

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Photos: Benedek Lampert

As with all of Lampert’s work, nearly everything was done in camera. “It’s extremely important to me that these are actual photos and not AI-generated graphics,” he explained. That meant lots of hands-on time to build sets and problem-solve special effects. He built the track scenery and crafted unique sets that allowed him to get motion blur, spinning wheels, smoke and water vapor without any editing work. Lampert explained that the only thing he added while editing was the cloud texture in the sky and rear lights in one image.

All said and done, Lampert says the project took 70 hours for the 10 final images. The photo shoot portion of the project took five days, with ten to twelve-hour days at times. You can see how he meticulously created each image in the behind-the-scenes video below, as well as the photos in the gallery above.



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Inspiringly simple: Sigma BF review-in-progress

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Inspiringly simple: Sigma BF review-in-progress


When you use DPReview links to buy products, the site may earn a commission.
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Product photos: Richard Butler

The Sigma BF is a minimalist 24MP full-frame mirrorless camera that offers distinctive design and an unconventional user interface.

Key specifications

  • 24MP full-frame CMOS sensor
  • Phase detection AF with human and animal detection
  • No mechanical shutter
  • 3.2″ 2.1M dot rear touchscreen
  • Pressure-sensitive buttons with haptic feedback
  • 6K video up to 30p, 4K up to 30p
  • 1080 up to 120p
  • Leica L-Log profile
  • Zebras and False Color exposure displays
  • 230GB of internal memory
  • 10Gbps USB-C port, external mic compatible

The Sigma BF is available in Black or Silver at a cost of $2000. Sigma has also made versions of all its i-series primes to match the silver version of the camera.

Index:


What is it?

Sigma BF rear controls

The Sigma BF is explicitly not trying to be a do-everything, Swiss Army Knife of a camera. Sony’s a7C II already exists, bringing an EVF, multiple dials, a mechanical second-curtain shutter mechanism and in-body image stabilization, for a list price just 10% higher than the BF’s.

But if Sigma was trying to go head-to-head with Sony in the mass market, it probably wouldn’t be spending seven hours milling each camera out of blocks of aluminium, nor doing so in Japan: neither of which is the approach you take if you’re primarily driven to hit a specific price point.

Similarly, just looking at the specs, the BF might be mistaken for an unstabilized Panasonic S9 in a fancier body, but despite sharing a sensor, the two cameras couldn’t be more different.

Instead Sigma explicitly says the BF is designed for ‘everyday’ photography. An elegant object designed to be carried with you, rather than a utilitarian device you take when you’re taking photos. It’s absolutely not optimized for rapid operation, it’s not teeming with clever features. Instead it includes only the bare essentials for photography (or, arguably, slightly less than that, given its lack of mechanical shutter).

Sigma BF with notebook

Think of it like a Moleskine notebook: in many respects it’s not as practical for taking notes and recording ideas as the smartphone you’re already carrying, but the very process of carrying it with you acts as a prompt to look at the world and capture the thoughts you were having. The BF is trying to do the same.

It’s the difference between a camera that you’d grab when you want to go and take photos of something, vs a tool that encourages you to look for things to photograph.


Body and controls

Sigma BF top plate

User interface

The best way to understand the BF is to note the dedicated settings display towards the top right-hand corner on the back of the camera. This displays one of ten parameters:

Drive mode File format Aspect ratio Focus mode White balance
Shutter speed Aperture value Exp comp. ISO Color mode

These are also the ten parameters that appear on the main screen if you press the center button on the back of the camera, in the pattern shown in the table above.

You can navigate between them by pressing the cardinal points on the rear dial, then scroll the dial to change the current setting.

Sigma BF settings display
Pressing the center button lets you see and edit the camera’s core ten parameters, but the chosen setting is also shown in the dedicated settings display to the top right of the screen.

In this instance the aperture value is shown in dark grey because it’s being controlled from the lens.

But you don’t have to press the center button and bring them up on the main screen: once you’ve learned their relative positions (and chances are it’s the ones in the bottom row you’ll change regularly), you can navigate around them just using the settings display. And, for me, that’s the key to understanding the BF: it’s designed so that the core settings can be adjusted without looking at the main screen. You can set the camera to show all the settings on the main screen,

In keeping with this idea, the touchscreen is almost solely used for positioning the AF point or selecting a subject to track: even if you summon-up the settings on the main screen, you can’t tap to change settings, just choose what to focus on.

Exposure modes

The BF has no mode dial, so exposure mode is set by selecting which parameters you want to be controlled by the camera. This is done via the main screen. Press the center button to bring up the settings then press it again to edit them, and the ISO, aperture value and shutter speed indicators show ‘Auto’ options above them, letting you engage and disengage automated control of each parameter.

Any of the exposure parameters that can’t be changed by spinning the dial, either because they’re set to Auto or because aperture value is being set by an aperture ring, is rendered in darker grey, both in the settings display and on the main screen display.

Other settings

Sigma BF other settings display
Ten further settings, including the level gauge and options to display information such as focal length and focus distance are accessed via the three-dot button. Navigating down to the word ‘System’ takes you to the menu where fundamental settings such as date and time are edited.

Another ten settings, six of which relate to how much detail appears on the main screen (exposure parameters, guides, virtual horizon, etc), can be accessed by pressing the ‘three dots’ settings button. At the bottom of this settings menu is the word ‘System’ which gives you access to a ten-option-long list of fundamental camera settings, including firmware information, copyright information, menu language and date/time.

That’s the extent of the BF’s interface: ten top-level parameters, ten settings and ten menu options. But what this doesn’t fully convey is the degree to which it’s a camera in which Shutter speed, Aperture value, Exposure compensation and ISO can all be set using just the settings display, leaving the monitor solely for focus and composition.

Handling

Sigma BF at a diagonal

The BF is a very solid-feeling camera, as you might expect from something hewn from a solid block of metal. The body itself is relatively light but the weight adds up as soon as you mount a lens of any appreciable size on it.

Despite it’s minimalist appearance, it’s quite easy to hold. The textured front-plate and raised thumb rest at the back mean you can get a pretty solid grip on the camera, and you can cradle the weight of the lens in your left hand if you’re working with anything larger than one of the compact primes offered by Sigma or Panasonic.

However, we found that it was common for our ring finger to wrap around to the base of the camera as we held it, which quickly makes apparent how sharply angled the edge of the BF is. It’s not hard to imagine users adding a little tape to the lower edge of the camera or being tempted to chamfer the edge with a fine file, once they come to live with the camera.

I’ve primarily used it with the Sigma 35mm F2 prime and the Panasonic 20-60mm F3.5-5.6 lenses, both of which are small and light enough that it’s been comfortable to use.

Battery

Sigma BF with BP-81 battery

The BF uses a new 11.88Wh BP-81 battery. This will power the camera to a CIPA rating of 260 shots per charge. As always, the CIPA figure will tend to under-represent how many shots you’re likely to get, and we found it’s the camera’s propensity to show its charge percentage on its settings display that caused us to worry a little disproportionately.

Still, a rating of 260 is pretty low and means you may want to consider carrying a power bank if you plan to do more than occasional shots each day. Putting it on to charge overnight, just as you might do with your phone will probably be sufficient for everyday casual use, though.

A gentle press of the power button puts the camera into standby mode, but the battery will continue to drain at an appreciable rate. The BF starts up from cold quickly enough that this is usually a better approach.


Initial impressions

By Richard Butler

Sigma BF with lens cap
Even the body cap is an over-engineered delight.

The Sigma BF is one of the most unusual cameras we’ve ever encountered. On paper it looks like an under-specced rival to the Panasonic DC-S9 or even the Sony a7C II. Or, perhaps even a slightly re-purposed Sigma fp. But, even though it shares components and a small rectangular body, the BF is quite unlike any of these cameras.

Sigma’s CEO, Kazuto Yamaki talked about completely re-thinking the camera’s interface to pare it back to the fundamental things a camera needs to offer, in an attempt to make it simple to use, with the aim of making a camera for everyday use. And the more I use the BF, the more I think I understand this intent.

The idea of a dedicated settings display, leaving the main screen as a means of composing your image and positioning the focus point is a refreshingly simple one, undermined only by the challenge of viewing a fixed LCD in bright light. The decision to display only one setting, rather than a full array of settings and icons makes it very quick to interpret and I did find it made me consider what changes I wanted to make, shot-to-shot, in a way I don’t on a more conventional twin-dial camera.

Sigma BF full playback info
Playback mode has three levels of information that can be displayed, this is the most detailed, but you can also opt just to see the top two rows of information, or just the first.

Touching, rather than pressing, the playback button lets you review the last image you shot, without entering the full playback mode, for as long as your finger remains on the button.

This really hit home when I realized I prefer to set aperture from the camera, rather than using an aperture ring; I think the camera works best with everything controlled from the settings display, rather than trying to increase the number of control points.

Another surprise was how good the BF’s autofocus appears to be. Its subject tracking is very simple to use and impressively tenacious, while its eye detection works well and can be left turned on without minimal risk of the camera prioritizing nearby faces ahead of a different subject you’ve selected.

There are distinct downsides, though. The lack of mechanical shutter not only means there’s a risk of rolling shutter and that the camera can’t be used with flash, it also means it’s quite prone to banding caused by the inherent flicker of artificial lights. This can be fairly subtle at longer shutter speeds but becomes increasingly apparent in short exposures, limiting its use as an indoor camera, despite a sensor that works well in low light.

BF 00250
Sigma 35mm F2.0 | F4.0 | 1/500 sec | ISO 400

Photo: Richard Butler

Sigma’s sometimes quite dramatic color modes may not be to everyone’s tastes, and I’m not wholly convinced by the ‘Light Source Priority’ auto white balance mode, that tries to maintain some of the character of the detected light source. But even when the results are unexpected, they’re often interesting.

The BF’s battery life is also quite short. An external charger is available, if you want to keep a second battery topped-up, but mainly it’s a case of remembering to put the camera on to charge regularly, just as you might for your smartphone.

Other than a slight concern about the sharp lower front edge, I’m really looking forward to spending more time with the BF. It’s not a camera that lets you respond quickly to the unexpected; instead it’s one that makes you slow down and look for the photos you might otherwise not notice.

Sigma BF sample gallery

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