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Ricoh WG-5 GPS

 
Ricoh WG-5 GPS front
 
Portability
90
Imaging
40
Features
44
Overall
41

Ricoh WG-5 GPS summary

Ricoh WG-5 GPS is Ricoh's Waterproof camera initially released on February of 2015. It houses a 16 MegaPixel, BSI-CMOS 1/2.3" size sensor with a full resolution of 4608 x 3456.

Ricoh introduced this camera in order to replace the previous Ricoh WG-4 GPS (Read Full Comparison) & afterwards introduced the fresher Ricoh WG-6 (Read Full Comparison) in order to update this camera.

The WG-5 GPS ranks at #15 out of 75 in Waterproof cameras & overall #637 out of 1465 for digital cameras in our list. Please look at our Advanced camera finder to see camera ratings based on your custom criteria.

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Here is a chart of various factors used in the rating system.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS family

The Ricoh WG-5 GPS has a history of related digital cameras. Listed below, you can identify all older and the latest models alongside key specs.

ModelVisualizeLensResolutionSensor SizeReleased
Ricoh-WG-80 front thumbnailRicoh WG-80
WG-5 GPS vs WG-80
28-140mm
F3.5-5.5
16MP1/2.3"2022
Ricoh-WG-70 front thumbnailRicoh WG-70
WG-5 GPS vs WG-70
28-140mm
F3.5-5.5
16MP1/2.3"2020
Photography Glossary
Ricoh-WG-6 front thumbnailRicoh WG-6
WG-5 GPS vs WG-6
28-140mm
F3.5-5.5
20MP1/2.3"2018
Ricoh-WG-50 front thumbnailRicoh WG-50
WG-5 GPS vs WG-50
28-140mm
F3.5-5.5
16MP1/2.3"2017
Ricoh-WG-5-GPS front thumbnailRicoh WG-5 GPS25-100mm
F2.0-4.9
16MP1/2.3"2015
Ricoh-WG-30W front thumbnailRicoh WG-30W
WG-5 GPS vs WG-30W
28-140mm
F3.5-5.5
16MP1/2.3"2014
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Ricoh-WG-30 front thumbnailRicoh WG-30
WG-5 GPS vs WG-30
28-140mm
F3.5-5.5
16MP1/2.3"2014

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Pros and Cons

Here is a selection of benefits and drawbacks of the Ricoh WG-5 GPS based on factors that are often regarded as important in a camera.

built-in flash
built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
does have HDMI port
good MP (16 megapixels)
good zoom range (25-100mm 4.0 x zoom)
high video quality (1920 x 1080 pixels)
manual focus
provides face detection focus
provides tracking autofocus
quite wide (25mm)
screen size is good (3")
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
weather sealing
can't switch lens (fixed lens mount)
can't use external flash
display is not selfie friendly
does not have external microphone port
does not have headphone port
lack of aperture priority mode
lack of manual exposure
max zoom aperture not good (f4.9)
more heavy than competition in class (236 grams)
no phase detect auto focus
no RAW support
pixelated screen (460 k dot)
screen is fixed
small sensor size (1/2.3")
terrible battery life (240 per charge)
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Ricoh WG-5 GPS Sensor features

The dimension of the sensor in the Ricoh WG-5 GPS is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor is able to capture 4608 x 3456 pixels using aspect ratios of 1:1, 4:3 and 16:9. The camera comes with Image Stabilization (Sensor-shift). Optical stabilization is superior than digital stabilization as the latter might lead to cropping.

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The BSI-CMOS sensor has 16 megapixels and delivers a native ISO range of 125 - 6400. Sadly, RAW files are not supported therefore the user has less margin for error.

The picture below illustrates the WG-5 GPS's sensor size compared to other common sizes. The WG-5 GPS sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is presented in green.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS sensor size Japan-exclusive Leica Leitz Phone 3 features big sensor and new modes

To get a sense of different aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Camera sensor aspect ratios

Ricoh WG-5 GPS dimensions

Ricoh WG-5 GPS is 0.52 lb (236g or 8.32 oz) & has outer measurements of 125mm x 65mm x 32mm (4.9" x 2.6" x 1.3"). The weight of average Waterproof camera is 195g so the Ricoh WG-5 GPS is heavier as compared to various rivals.

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Listed below is a visual of the Ricoh WG-5 GPS next to a soda so you can get a sense of its size.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS dimensions scale

The top view below will show the button layout on the WG-5 GPS.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS topview buttons dials

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Lens features

The WG-5 GPS features a built-in lens offering a focal range of 25-100mm making it a 4.0 x zoom which is not huge but it will be useful in a few cases.

At it's widest 25mm, the lens comes with an aperture of f2.0 making it awesome for low light conditions and getting good bokeh. It will also make it easier to set a much lower ISO in order to get crisper photographs. With the long end, 100mm comes with f4.9 which is quite slow and you would have to utilize slow shutter speeds.

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Ricoh WG-5 GPS Connectivity

The WG-5 GPS has the following connectivity:

  • USB Yes
  • HDMI Yes
  • GPS Yes

Digital cameras that include NFC and Bluetooth support can be used wirelessly with smartphones. You will be able to send pictures and sometimes adjust camera settings with no need to connect directly with the camera.

Many apps also give a Liveview and release the shutter whenever you are not near the camera. If the camera contains a HDMI port, it can be connected to an external display. Virtually all cameras will allow you to recharge the battery pack with the USB socket.

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Ricoh WG-5 GPS Video features

The highest possible video resolution in the Ricoh WG-5 GPS is 1920 x 1080 and you can record in MPEG-4 and H.264 format. 1080p resolution offers a decent balance for quality and file size but 1080p is not going to give you any room to downsample. The body does not offer a microphone and headphone port which means that you get absolutely no control over the sound. It is perhaps a better idea to take a look at another camera should you want better sound for your video clips.

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Ricoh WG-5 GPS Weather Sealing

Ricoh WG-5 GPS has got weather proofing making it a fantastic selection for use for challenging environments. This is particularly useful any time you are not sure about the elements you may encounter for outdoor photography.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Display and Viewfinder

The Ricoh WG-5 GPS is equipped with a 3" fixed screen having a resolution of 460k dots.

Please note that the screen has no touch support.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS screen and viewfinder Samsung Releases Faster Versions of EVO MicroSD Cards

The View Finder specs for Ricoh WG-5 GPS are below:

  • ViewFinder None

Viewfinders are really handy for bright outdoor situations which will make the camera display washed out and very difficult to see.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Shutter features

Ricoh WG-5 GPS continuous shooting speed is 14.0 frames/s. The highest shutter speed is 1/4000 sec.

Photography Glossary

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Flash and Hot shoe features

Ricoh WG-5 GPS comes with just built-in flash lacking external flash support.

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Autofocusing features

Ricoh WG-5 GPS comes with only Contrast Based Autofocus & lacks Phase Detect Autofocus. Phase Detection focusing is a lot faster and accurate as compared to Contrast Based focusing. The camera supports Face detect making it valuable for portrait photography.

The Sensor supports 9 focus points to choose from. It also includes Tracking Autofocus for moving subjects. Ricoh WG-5 GPS features manual focusing in case it is required for low light scenarios or you need to have more precise control on focusing.

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Ricoh WG-5 GPS Battery life

The battery life (D-LI92) in the Ricoh WG-5 GPS is built to last for 240 pictures according to the CIPA standards making it lower in comparison with it's competition. The average Waterproof camera battery life is 275. Olympus TG-4 features the best (380) battery life for this range of cameras.

Listed below is a list of Waterproof cameras that have the highest battery life:

Ricoh WG-5 GPS for various forms of photography

The following diagram indicates a summary of the Ricoh WG-5 GPS for various forms of photography. To understand more, visit the specific paragraph below.

Portrait photography with Ricoh WG-5 GPS

The Ricoh WG-5 GPS gets a points tally of 41 which is really bad, meaning that it is simply not appropriate to use for portraits. Taking portraits leans heavily to sensor dimensions, support for RAW photos in addition to the option to use off-camera flash.

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you can focus manually
good megapixels (16MP)
supports face detect autofocus
manual mode not available
no external flash support
sensor size is very small (1/2.3")
doesn't have RAW support

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Street photography information

Having a modest score of 59, the Ricoh WG-5 GPS is reasonably suitable to buy for street photography. A very good street photography camera offers a fine balance of image quality plus portability.

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built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
weather proof
fixed screen
sensor is small (1/2.3")
does not have RAW support
more heavy than others in class (236g)

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Sports photography advice

A moderate sports photography points tally of 48 means the Ricoh WG-5 GPS is somewhat acceptable for photographing sports. A camera must have great autofocus and shutter speeds for sports photography.

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built in image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
decent MP (16 megapixels)
supports tracking autofocus
weather proof
sensor size is tiny (1/2.3")
bad battery pack (240 shots)
lack of phase detect AF

Travel photography with Ricoh WG-5 GPS

Size is very important in choosing a camera for travel. All round, the Ricoh WG-5 GPS gets a nice 69 for a travelling camera which makes it a very decent fit to take on your vacations.

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weather proof
MP count good (16 megapixels)
built-in flash
fairly wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
low battery life (240 CIPA)
more heavy than others (236 grams)
does not have selfie friendly display

Ricoh WG-5 GPS as a Landscape photography camera

If you find yourself looking to buy a camera for landscape pictures, the most critical aspect is going to be image quality. The Ricoh WG-5 GPS and it's moderate score of 54 for a landscape camera is somewhat suitable among its competitors.

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you can focus manually
quite wide (25mm)
good max aperture (f2.0)
nice screen size (3 inch)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
MP count good (16 megapixels)
weather sealing
fixed lens (fixed lens mount)
no manual control
small sensor size (1/2.3")
does not have RAW files
terrible battery pack (240 CIPA)

Ricoh WG-5 GPS as a Vlogging camera

A camera for vlogging should have a articulating display screen, microphone port and preferably image stabilization. Considering everything, the Ricoh WG-5 GPS is simply not appropriate for vlogging as it receives a really bad score of 34.

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decently wide (25mm)
very good maximum aperture (f2.0)
image stabilization (Sensor-shift)
includes face detection focus
high res video (1920 x 1080 pixels)
doesn't have selfie friendly display
lack of external mic port
heavier than competition (236 grams)

Ricoh WG-5 GPS Alternatives

If you are searching for alternatives to the WG-5 GPS, here is a range of the highest ranked cameras that fall into the family of Waterproof.

The diagram below gives you a summary of the WG-5 GPS compared to it's top rated competitors suggested earlier.

There are a bunch of cameras you may consider as alternatives. To browse through a full comparison, click the "compare" link.

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Specifications

General Information
Make
Ricoh
Model type
Ricoh WG-5 GPS
Category
Waterproof
Announced
2015-02-10
Body design
Compact
Sensor Information
Sensor type
BSI-CMOS
Sensor size
1/2.3"
Sensor measurements
6.17 x 4.55mm
Sensor surface area
28.1mm²
Sensor resolution
16MP
Anti alias filter
Aspect ratio
1:1, 4:3 and 16:9
Max resolution
4608 x 3456
RAW photos
Max native ISO
6400
Lowest native ISO
125
Autofocusing
Focus manually
Touch to focus
Continuous autofocus
Autofocus single
Autofocus tracking
Selective autofocus
Center weighted autofocus
Autofocus multi area
Autofocus live view
Face detect focus
Contract detect focus
Phase detect focus
Total focus points
9
Lens
Lens support
fixed lens
Lens zoom range
25-100mm (4.0x)
Largest aperture
f/2.0-4.9
Macro focusing distance
1cm
Crop factor
5.8
Screen
Display type
Fixed Type
Display sizing
3"
Resolution of display
460k dot
Selfie friendly
Liveview
Touch display
Viewfinder Information
Viewfinder type
None
DXO scores
DXO Overall rating
not tested
DXO Color Depth rating
not tested
DXO Dynamic range rating
not tested
DXO Low light rating
not tested
Features
Minimum shutter speed
4 secs
Fastest shutter speed
1/4000 secs
Continuous shutter speed
14.0 frames/s
Shutter priority
Aperture priority
Expose Manually
Custom white balance
Image stabilization
Integrated flash
Flash distance
10.40 m (at Auto ISO)
Flash options
Auto, flash off, flash on, auto + redeye, on + redeye
External flash
AE bracketing
WB bracketing
Exposure
Multisegment exposure
Average exposure
Spot exposure
Partial exposure
AF area exposure
Center weighted exposure
Video features
Video resolutions
1920 x 1080 (30p), 1280 x 720 (60p, 30p)
Max video resolution
1920x1080
Video format
MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone jack
Headphone jack
Connectivity
Wireless
None
Bluetooth
NFC
HDMI
USB
USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
GPS
BuiltIn
Physical
Environment seal
Water proofing
Dust proofing
Shock proofing
Crush proofing
Freeze proofing
Weight
236g (0.52 lbs)
Dimensions
125 x 65 x 32mm (4.9" x 2.6" x 1.3")
Other
Battery life
240 images
Type of battery
Battery Pack
Battery ID
D-LI92
Self timer
Yes (2 or 10 secs)
Time lapse shooting
Type of storage
SD/SDHC/SDXC, internal
Storage slots
One
Retail pricing
$500