In late February, Ricoh announced its high-end compact camera Ricoh GR III. However, after the first batches have been shipped, it turned out that some series have issues with the control dial pad button. It’s extremely wobbly in some cameras, so the company is offering free repairs to those who have bought faulty cameras.
Ricoh’s new Theta Z1 360° camera shoots 23MP DNG raw and can automatically erase you from the shot
Coming out of CP+ 2019, Ricoh has today announced their latest 360° camera, the Ricoh THETA Z1. The new model expands on the previous Theta V with a number of new features, the most noticeable of which is the somewhat giant leap from 12 to 23-megapixel still images – which can now be shot in Adobe DNG raw format as well as jpg. It also features a new processing algorithm offering HDR, interval composite shooting for things like star trails, as well as bracketing for up to 19 shots.
Ricoh announces high-end GR III and rugged WG-6 compact cameras
Ever since I posted my review of the Godox XPro-P trigger for Pentax, I’ve been hanging out in some Pentax communities on Facebook. They’re an interesting bunch of photographers, and very loyal to their brand. They’ve been speculating on what Ricoh might be getting ready to announce.
They’ve been hoping for a Pentax K3 Mark III (although, they’ve been hoping for that one for a couple of years now). But no, Ricoh has today announced a couple of new compact cameras. The new Ricoh GR III high-end compact is now out of development, and the new rugged Ricoh WG-6.
Ricoh adds FlashAir card compatibility to their rugged WG-60 compact camera
The Pentax line of waterproof compact cameras has built up a pretty good track record over the years. Going from simple waterproofing to a full rugged build, the line was continued when Pentax was bought by Ricoh. And they’ve now announced the new Ricoh WG-60.
The WG-60 appears essentially identical to the popular WG-50. It has the same physical look and mostly the same specs. But what they have done is (sort of) given it WiFi capability by adding support for FlashAir WiFi SD cards.
Ricoh announces development of the 24MP GRIII with 3-axis IBIS
The Ricoh GRII was announced way back in June 2015. It contained a 16MP APS-C sized CMOS sensor with a 28mm equivalent lens and became very popular, especially amongst street photographers.
Now, Ricoh has announced the development of its successor. Yup, you guessed it, the GRIII. While the focal length and maximum aperture stay the same, it does see some significant changes. The sensor’s gone up to 24MP, they’ve taken away the flash and it gets 3-axis IBIS.
Pentax releases SDKs for Pentax DSLRs to let you make your own apps
This is something that I really wish more manufacturers would do. Pentax has released Software Development Kits (SDKs) for their range of DSLRs allowing programmers write apps to communicate with them for the desktop, iOS and Android devices. This would allow anybody to be able to make software to talk with Pentax DSLRs, and without any kind of hacks or reverse engineering.
Ricoh finally release 4K 360° camera with the new Theta V
It’s been a long time coming, and one of the things that’s put many off buying into Ricoh for their 360° needs. The Theta S was, undoubtedly, a fantastic little 360° camera. But the lowly 1080p resolution was a big deal breaker for many. With other manufacturers coming out with their own 4K 360° cameras, Ricoh needed to catch up quick. And it looks like they finally have.
The Theta V shoots both 4K UHD 360° video as well as 12MP still photographs. As well as pre-recorded video, it also supports 4K streaming. It doesn’t state to which platforms it can live stream, but presumably at least the standard Facebook and YouTube. It also contains a built in 4 channel microphone, to provide “surround sound”.
Ricoh introduces WG-50, a $280 rugged compact camera with 5x zoom
Ricoh has introduced WG-50, their new rugged compact camera. It’s a durable little point-and-shoot: it’s freeze-, crush-, water-, dust- and shockproof. It features a 5x optical zoom lens (35 mm equivalent 28-140mm), and it’s equipped with six LED lights around it. With these features, this camera has you covered in all kinds of adventures and allows versatility in shooting. And, it costs only $280. Let’s take a peek at the rest of the features and full specs.
Ricoh may be considering killing off the Pentax brand
UPDATE: Ricoh are denying the report. For the full update see the end of the post
Just when Pentax seemed like it might be starting to pick up, Nikkei Asian Review are reporting that Ricoh may be dropping the brand. There’s no doubt that smartphones are continuing to eat into camera sales, and Pentax has become a “money-losing” business.
Nikkei say that Ricoh plan to “radically review” a production and manufacturing strategy targeting the Pentax and GR brands. One of the options includes withdrawing from the segment completely.
New Pentax KP has ISO 819,200 and it’s now available for preorders
Ricoh has introduced their newest DSLR camera, Pentax KP. On the first sight, it’s just another DSLR. But it has a unique feature: ISO of 819,200. Yup, you read it right. This tiny titan can see in the dark. It’s equipped with 24.32MP APS-C CMOS sensor, and features 5-axis in-body image stabilization for maximum sharpness.
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