If you ever wanted to get a child into photography but were always afraid to spend a ton of money, the new Pentax WG-8 might be the remedy. It can go down to 65.6 feet of water for up to two hours — which Ricoh is claiming to be the equivalent of an IPX8 rating without confirming their certification. It can also fall from 6.8 feet and keep working. Unless you’re really feeding your children steroids, that’s likely to not happen. But perhaps best of all, it works to around 14°F — which is great for when you’re out in the snow. Of course, it also sounds like a camera for anyone who bought the Apple Watch Ultra and actually uses it for its intended needs. And that’s not all that’s being announced today.
The New Pentax WG-8
If you’re wondering about the tech specs, here’s what you need to know about the new Pentax WG-8:
- 20MP 1/2.3″ CMOS sensor
- 5x optical zoom
- 28-140mm zoom equivalence
- 9 point AF
- 3.0″ LCD screen with 1040k dots
- Face detection
- Blink detection
- 1/4 to 1/4000 second shooting. 4 seconds at most in other modes
- SD card and Flash Air card
- Built-in Compass
- USB-3.0
- $399.95
By all means, even if you don’t intend on putting this camera into the hands of your kids, You could use it yourself pretty easily if you’re the outdoorsy type. Where your phone will be a great device for photographing the more pedestrian things, the Pentax WG-8 will be better for anything more Spartan. I wouldn’t take my iPhone underwater, but this camera can surely do it. As it is, I often also don’t take my phone out in super heavy snow because it sometimes doesn’t work as intended. But this new camera seems like it would work just fine.
For anyone wondering, it doesn’t shoot RAW. But that’s fine because it also has the ability to add some fun filters in the way of Ink Rubbing, Toy Camera, Retro, Fisheye, etc.
The Pentax WG-1000: There’s an “Italian-style” Picture Mode
Honestly, with the WG-1000, I think it’s less about the tech specs. At a $229.95 price point, I’m also note sure many will care too much about the tech stuff. Surprisingly, there are pours of good whiskey that cost more than this camera. However, it’s also a tough camera. With that in mind, the Pentax WG-1000 can be shot down to nearly 50 feet of water, be dropped from 6.5 feet, and comes with a few fun color modes. Here’s what the press release says:
The WG-1000 provides 20 color modes to add the desired finishing touch to captured images. In addition to the conventional Black and White and Sepia modes, it also features more creative options: Japan Style, which enhances bluish hues; Italian Style, which enhances greenish hues; French Style, which enhances reddish hues; Negative, which creates a finishing touch resembling that of negative film before a positive is made; and Sketch, which adds a visual effect resembling that of a drawing. Sketch lets the user effortlessly add the desired finishing touch, either before or after shooting.
