Ricoh WG-5 GPS review

Two challenges for underwater photography are limited light and a complete inability to hold the camera steady. To that end the WG-5’s f/2 maximum aperture is a big bonus, letting in around three times more light than an f/3.5 lens. This helps to deliver a fast shutter speed in low light without having to push the ISO speed (and noise levels) up. The WG-5’s aperture quickly shrinks as the lens is zoomed in, with f/4.9 at the long end of the zoom capturing a sixth the amount of light compared to f/2. As such, it’s best to stick to wide-angle shots in low light and particularly when underwater.

Focus was reasonably sharp throughout the frame but noise reduction obscured fine details even in brightly lit shots. We noticed a tendency to over-expose highlights and there were occasional coloured halos known as purple fringing, but image quality in bright conditions was generally respectable. The 1/2.3in sensor that’s standard issue for compact cameras meant low-light photography suffered badly from noise, but it was much less of an issue for wide-angle shots, thanks to the f/2 aperture.

^ Sharp focus throughout the image, although the subtle grass texture is reduced to smooth shades of green. (1/320s, f/6, ISO 125, 87mm equivalent)

^ These highlights are over-exposed and the corners are a little blurry but it’s another good result. (1/250s, f/2.8, ISO 125, 25mm equivalent)

^ These skin and hair textures have fared surprisingly well for a compact camera. (1/1000s, f/2.8, ISO 125, 25mm equivalent)

^ Shooting at the long end of the zoom has pushed the ISO speed up to 500. There’s a fair bit of noise, especially noticeable on skin textures, but the shot looks OK at modest sizes. (1/125s, f/4.9, ISO 500, 100mm equivalent)

^ Shooting in low light at the wide end of the zoom at f/2 gives excellent results. (1/45s, f/2, ISO 250, 25mm equivalent)

^ Zooming in pushes the ISO speed – and noise levels – up considerably. (1/60s, f/4.4, ISO 1600, 81mm equivalent)

Conclusion

There are cameras at this price that offer far better image quality (especially with some current end-of-line deals), but if you’re after a rugged, waterproof camera, the WG-5 GPS has much going for it. Its tendency to skip focusing altogether weighs heavily against it, but if you can work around that particular foible, it’s a solid choice.