Ricoh WG-M2 Review

Conclusion

The Ricoh WG-M2 is a solid action camera, with crisp 4K footage and an impressively wide field of view, but it comes with its fair share of caveats. We don't think it'll sway anyone from buying a GoPro, but for the Pentax faithful it provides an interesting in-brand option.

First, the good stuff: The WG-M2 is capable of producing very sharp, high-res footage. Clips shot at 4K resolution look great on a 4K monitor or TV, and even better when downsampled to 1080p. Colors are generally accurate and even without stabilization on, the super wide angle lens keeps jitter and distortions caused by movement to a minimum. Nighttime footage is surprisingly decent—grainy but still sharp, with good color. The controls are simple and easy to learn, and the built-in LCD is handy when you're shooting handheld. The water- and shockproofing seem quite well thought-out, as well.

But unfortunately, it's not all good. The 204-degree lens brings as much pain as it does pleasure, with excessive flare, chromatic aberrations (purple fringing), and wild fisheye distortion. That may be a useful feature in a lot of cases—including many that action cams are designed for—but it does limit the camera's usefulness. (GoPro, for instance, offers several different FOVs that help compensate for fisheye distortion when an ultra-wide perspective isn't needed; Ricoh's "Narrow" setting doesn't do nearly as much to help.) Shooting with the sun anywhere near the frame causes both video and photos to wash out, compounding the WG-M2's unfortunate tendency toward overexposure when using matrix metering. Stills are pretty awful, though they might serve for Instagram posts. And the lens covers... well, be sure you buy some felt pouches to store them in. It's a shame Ricoh didn't give them the same ruggedized treatment as the rest of the camera. 

Then there's the WiFi. To put it nicely, it's no good. To put it a bit more bluntly, it's an exercise in frustration that will have you tearing your hair out. If you're thinking about buying the WG-M2 for easy social sharing, don't.

Even at $299, the WG-M2 isn't a very appealing option—especially given the number and quality of other action cameras on the market. You'd be better served to wait for the GoPro Hero4 Black to go on sale—or opt for the Hero4 Silver, if you don't need 4K at 30fps. But if you need a ruggedized 4K action cam and wants to say in the Ricoh/Pentax family, this is your best and only choice.

Pros

  • Rugged and durable (lens protectors aside)
  • Sharp 4K footage
  • Ultra-wide lens
  • LCD useful for handheld shooting
  • Accurate colors
  • Simple, straightforward menus
  • Ergonomic design

Cons

  • Flare, aberrations, distortion
  • Washed out footage w/ sun near frame
  • Ultra-wide lens
  • 1080p footage a bit muddy
  • Very poor still photo quality
  • Awful WiFi implementation
  • Scratch-prone lens protectors

Rating

Handling 
 7
Features 
 8
Build Quality 
 7
4K Image Quality 
 8
HD Image Quality 
 6
Still Image Quality 
 3
Value 
 3
Overall 
 6.0 (Average)

Comments

 

 


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