Ricoh WG M2 Review | 96 Data compared

The Ricoh WG-M2, a stylish 4K action camera, features a bright f/2.0 lens for improved low-light performance and an integrated color screen for easy framing. Its compact, rugged design requires no extra housing for standard use, while offering simple, intuitive controls. However, the camera is limited by a lack of advanced settings, such as extra white balance options, and restrictive video frame rate selections. While suitable as a simple point-and-shoot, it may not meet the needs of users requiring deep manual control.

The Ricoh WG-M2 action camera offers a highly durable, fist-sized design featuring exceptional waterproofing capable of diving down to 65 feet (20 metres) without requiring an external housing. For videographers, it provides high-quality 4K video recording at 30fps and features a dramatic, ultra-wide 204-degree field of view using its default dome lens. The inclusion of a 1.5-inch LCD display is a major highlight that makes it highly functional for occasional action tracking, such as capturing underwater reefs or snowboarding runs. Additionally, swapping the front dome lens for a flat-glass lens when switching to underwater mode helps eliminate distorted underwater shots. However, the camera is severely limited for general travel use and still photography due to "absolutely horrendous" chromatic aberration and a lack of sharpness. The 65-foot depth limit also restricts its usefulness for advanced scuba divers who frequently go deeper. The camera's biggest failure is its deeply flawed, counterintuitive, and buggy Wi-Fi connection through the Ricoh Image Sync app, which makes multi-photo selection agonizingly frustrating. Combined with a high retail price of $299.95, these extensive flaws make it difficult to...

The Ricoh WG-M2 action camera serves as a budget-friendly alternative to GoPro, standing out with its impressive ability to shoot 4K video at 30 frames per second (fps). It features an extremely wide-angle lens with a 204-degree field of view and offers a strong battery life capable of lasting through a three-hour mountain bike ride, which includes about 80 minutes of continuous 4K recording. A major physical advantage is its rugged, standalone design; the camera is shockproof against falls up to two meters and waterproof down to 66 feet without requiring an external housing unit. Additionally, it features a unique in-camera video editing tool on its built-in LCD screen for quickly slicing and saving still images, alongside a highly secure, tight-fixing mounting mechanism. Despite these strengths, the camera has notable limitations, particularly its lack of high-quality, high-fps shooting modes for slow-motion footage. Its highest setting for slow-motion is restricted to 720p at 120 fps, which produces noticeably grainy footage compared to GoPro's superior high-speed clarity. Photo performance is also a weaker point, yielding only 8-megapixel still images in a 4:3...

The Ricoh WG-M2 features a highly durable, rugged design with an intuitive top-facing LCD, ample physical controls, and a versatile 204-degree field-of-view. While it offers electronic image stabilization at lower resolutions and a built-in tripod thread, its 4K performance is undermined by an interpolated, soft image quality and significant vignetting, with no stabilization available in 4K mode. Furthermore, the camera produces poor-quality 8MP stills and has limited time-lapse and burst modes.

The Ricoh WG-M2 is a budget-friendly 4K action camera that prioritises a rugged build and basic functionality over high-tech features. Selling at a low street price around $200 (MSRP $300), its main pros include out-of-the-box waterproofing down to 65 feet without a separate housing, a standard 1/4-inch tripod socket for easy mounting, and a built-in LCD screen that simplifies navigation and shot framing. The device is highly durable, easy to use, and ships with curved and flat lens protectors for versatile above- and below-water environments. However, the camera suffers from significant performance cons, notably very soft image quality that muddles fine details despite its 4K marketing tag. It entirely lacks image stabilization, voice controls, and advanced data-tracking features like GPS or an accelerometer. Furthermore, its ultra-wide 204-degree lens causes extreme distortion that softens the edges of the frame, and the "wide" perspective cannot be changed or cropped when shooting in 4K mode due to sensor resolution limitations.

The Consumer Reports review identifies the Ricoh WG-M2 as a compact, budget-friendly action camera featuring an integrated rugged design capable of diving up to 20 meters without housing, alongside 2-meter drop protection and 14°F cold resistance. Key functional pros include a 1.5-inch LCD screen, built-in Wi-Fi, and a tactile button layout that provides vibration feedback for recording status. However, the camera suffers from significant image quality limitations, including an ultra-wide 204-degree lens that produces heavily softened edges. Furthermore, the sensor struggles with light metering, leading to poor exposure in varying light conditions, while the lack of advanced settings restricts its performance, notes the review.