[RonHendriks1966]

The key information is right in front of us, the product code is for a Ricoh product, so it is not an interchangeable lens camera, and the registration is for Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Bluetooth is showing up in cameras as a replacement for NFC, as a way to painlessly connect to casual Wi-Fi networks. The only Ricoh products with such a pairing of wireless interfaces are the GR-III and Theta. The "new" WG-60 still only offers wireless connectivity through an Eye-fi SD card (which should be illegal, it is such a slow and unreliable interface) and while the WG-M2 has Wi-Fi built in, neither NFC or Bluetooth is paired with it. So take your pick, either the WG-60 or the WG-M2 gets another update (which happens on a relatively frequent basis for the WG line).

Well who knows. The WG-M2 is out of the program as it looks like. So maybe this is a new action camera.

[Mistral75]

See the link given by by MMVIII in the former page: RICOH G800SE | Digital Cameras | Industrial Products | Ricoh

RICOH G800SE comes with Bluetooth® and wireless LAN for wireless data transmission

Therefore its successor Ricoh G900 should come with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi too and it could be the camera with R02020 as internal code.

[MMVIII]

A name like "WG6" implies that it is not the first camera like this from Ricoh. Since Ricoh has already sold generations of WG, I'm guessing they know what the market for these cameras wants.

reh321, I like your approach that the WG is as it is and they can sell as many WG whatever to as many costumers as they can. But I have asked for any new rugged camera model with advanced user interface that might, or might not, cater to another user group, which starts with me as number one, and I have read some other opinions along the same lines here. And maybe we reach some of the people that were complaining that the GR was not sealed... that starts to count up...

[Rico]

I agree! The lack of raw and some weird constraints in usability make it not worth for my documentation purposes. You can, for instance, not use shutter priority and interval timer at the same time. Or something like that (doesn't matter, guess you got my point. I tried to use it in kite aerial photography, which is useless, because I can not set a short shutter speed, I can not fix the white balance and the intervalometer sucks.

Why can't a rugged camera have the same user interface as a GR, or even a Q? Yes, less buttons and wheels, I get it, but even if it would be far from convenient, just give me a full manual mode and RAW and the camera is so much more useful.

My first digital camera was the Leica Digilux 1. The best thing about the Digilux 1 was how quickly you could obtain proper exposure in any situation using manual mode.

This is how they describe it on wikipedia: Manual Exposure: Full manual exposure is possible using the jog buttons. The display mimics the exposure changes rather than brightening up as the scene moves into darker areas, so that it is possible to see what the manual adjustments are doing to the image.

I wish they would allow the GR to have a Manual Mode setting as described were Aperture and Shutter are controlled by the 4 way button pad instead of the lever and scroll wheel. The screen mimics the exposure changes etc. The Digilux 1 was a pleasure to use through this straight forward simplicity in controlling the camera.

This rugged camera segment is odd. Canon Panasonic Fuji Ricoh Nikon all have a similar camera that excludes RAW support. They are all priced relatively the same. Only Olympus does the TG-5 with RAW support. At roughly twice the price. I think the lens is rather mediocre.

I have said in the past repeatedly that Ricoh/Pentax should have the GR and a companion Pentax APS-C rugged WP compact with a 28mm lens for a (42mm 35mm eq.).

---------- Post added 02-20-19 at 05:45 PM ----------

Maybe the regular users of these cameras don't want to camp in front of a computer 'developing' raw files to get JPEG; maybe SOOC JPEG meets their needs.

Those users will always have the option to not shoot in RAW file format. They can always just shoot in SOOC JPEG file format. So they are not going to be forced to have to use RAW files.

[Merv-O]

At least it's something new....anything new from RICOH/Pentax that resembles a camera is a win....

[clackers]

reh321, I like your approach that the WG is as it is and they can sell as many WG whatever to as many costumers as they can. But I have asked for any new rugged camera model with advanced user interface that might, or might not, cater to another user group, which starts with me as number one, and I have read some other opinions along the same lines here. And maybe we reach some of the people that were complaining that the GR was not sealed... that starts to count up...

Our opinions as internet forum members - and we're contradictory - don't represent professional market research, MMVIII. I'm sure you understand a corporation doesn't work that way, and a board allocating millions of dollars to its divisions in contracting markets definitely doesn't work that way.

[MMVIII]

wait, this is now going way too far. I am the last who would impose an opinion on any company, even less just put it on the same level as proper market research. But I picked up an opinion line in this thread, that there might be some interest among users for an advanced interface on a camera with rugged physical body. Yes, it would be a niche, again, as is a rugged camera with the implementation of standards for building documentation and forensic safety to the integrity of the images taken, like the G900 from Ricohs industrial line, a line not many here are aware of and qualities and features not many here would have ever thought of but that are essential for some fields not many are familiar with. It might be now off topic, but it was a natural development of the thread.
And it does not say anything about my or others rating of the two products to be announced. Those I find very interesting after all, which I have also stated with expressing my contentment with the fact that the development of consumer and niche professional cameras share development costs.

[FozzFoster]

all this talk about a WG or a G900 whatever... can it still be an new aps-c? please? :P

[wed7]

10 more days to wait...

[FozzFoster]

10 more days to wait...

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

[RGlasel]

can it still be an new aps-c?

There is always a chance there will be a prototype at CP+, even without a radio registration filed for it.

I'll speculate that the upcoming WG update and the GR-III are Ricoh projects that were started at least a couple of years ago, but put on hold while Ricoh Company moved past the Stop the Bleeding stage of its corporate re-invention. Nothing requiring extensive testing or development of new manufacturing processes. The accelerator chip was the last really new thing released by Ricoh's Smartvision division until last summer's release of the D FA * 50. The new generation APS-C body project is even more ambitious than that project and was likely shelved until the D FA * 50 project was successfully completed and met its sales objectives. Now we are seeing the products that didn't require new investment being released, along with the DA * 11-18 which must have been close to ready by 2017, so Ricoh Company is no longer applying the brakes, but isn't willing to approve an expansion of capabilities. I expect to see the D FA * 85 in the near future, and the plant in the Phillipines could probably use a new camera body to keep everyone busy, but who knows how much work is still left on the K-3 successor? A new AF system and faster data bus were identified as needs before 2017, but there is at least 18 months of severe restraint holding up progress.

[monochrome]

I fear the Forum will have its collective hopes dashed yet again. We build up expectations based on fever dreams and reading of spreosition selection in asahi man posts until we are convinced we know the Ricoh will announce what’s e want to buy.

Then we are disappointed when they announce what they’ve said all along they would do. IIANM the APS body is in advanced development but they’ve not given any indication of release date. We have strong indications of a FF f/4 zoom in spring (before May 1st is spring to me) - that would be the prototype I expect them to show in two weeks.

Just shoot what you have.

[OoKU]

Theta.

[sbh]

Looks like they've adopted the same base design for both of them.



I actually think these look a lot smarter than their predecessors. They have a new sensor too, so they should perform a little better.

People will not ask how large the sensor is - they will ask if the resulting photos are adequate for their needs.

I bought the WG-60 and love everything about it except image quality. It's ok-ish but I'm spoiled by the K-1. The iq is the same or slightly better as my iPhone 5s which is quite old butI've always been fine with it for quick-and-easy shots. For this usecase I don't care about sensor size but more about the result.

However, the WG-60 has some advantages over a smartphone and from the outdoor perspective the WG indeed are competitors to them if they can get the iq up to the latest smartphones.

I wonder how much they can improve the iq of the WG-6 over the WG-60.

[biz-engineer]

Theta.

You seem to want to communicate something (a secret?) but can't go past the fifth letter