photoxels
PENTAX Optio WG-2 and PENTAX Optio WG-2 GPS
Adventure proof digital compact cameras, offering underwater shooting to a depth of 12 meters and a new image sensor for much-improved, high-sensitivity images and movie clips
Mississauga, ON – February 7, 2012
PENTAX RICOH IMAGING CANADA INC. is pleased to announce the introduction of the PENTAX Optio WG-2 and Optio WG-2 GPS digital compact cameras. Featuring waterproof, dustproof and shock-resistant construction, these rugged, adventure proof models offer improved image quality in high-sensitivity shooting and Full HD movie recording capability.
Equipped with the latest back-illuminated CMOS image sensor and a state-of-the-art imaging engine, the Optio WG-2 and Optio WG-2 GPS perform superbly in high-sensitivity shooting, such as when shooting at night or in poorly illuminated indoor sports arenas, delivering much clearer, sharper images with minimized noise than previous models. With approximately 16.0 effective megapixels, they also offer high-resolution Full HD movie recording (1920 x 1080 pixels). Coupled with a new wide, high-resolution LCD monitor, assuring effortless viewing of captured images even in bright sunlight, and outstanding underwater shooting capability to a depth of 12 meters, the Optio WG-2 and Optio WG-2 GPS perform well, even under demanding outdoor conditions, and can capture a wide range of subjects and scenes in beautiful, high-quality images and movies.
The Optio WG-2 GPS is also equipped with a newly designed GPS module that offers some improvements over its predecessor, including a shorter time lag before the start of GPS operation, and a longer battery life when the GPS logging function is activated.
The Optio WG-2 and Optio WG-2 GPS will be available in Canada March 2012.
Major Features
1. Heavy-duty construction for underwater shooting to 12 meters deep for up to two hours continuously
By further enhancing the water tightness of the camera body, PENTAX has upgraded the Optio WG-2 and Optio WG-2 GPS’s underwater performance to 12 meters compared to 10 meters for their predecessor, for up to two hours of continuous operation (equivalent to IPX8 or JIS Class 8 waterproof performance). These cameras are also designed to be highly shock-resistant*, dustproof**, cold-resistant ***, and crushproof****. All these features make the Optio WG-2 and Optio WG-2 GPS dependable, heavy-duty imaging partners in harsh, demanding shooting conditions.
* Measured under PENTAX-original testing standards (from a height of 1.5 meters, onto a surface of 5cm-thick plywood), conforming to the Method 516.5-Shock of the MIL-Standard 810F, to show the stable operations.
** Measured under PENTAX-original testing standards, equivalent to IPX6 or JIS Class 6.
*** Measured under PENTAX-original testing standards, with which camera is proven to withstand temperatures as low as -10°C to show the stable operations.
**** Measured under PENTAX-original testing standards, by which weights up to 100 kgf (kilogram-force), are put on the camera to show the stable operations.
2. Newly incorporated back-illuminated CMOS image sensor for high-quality images
The Optio WG-2 and Optio WG-2 GPS come equipped with the latest back-illuminated CMOS image sensor, which offers much lower noise even when camera is set to higher sensitivities. With the combination of a top sensitivity of ISO 6400 and 16.0 effective megapixels, this image sensor delivers super-high-resolution images. The new imaging engine applies the latest super-resolution technology to its image processing operations to assure sharp, clear, high-resolution images. These models also feature the new Handheld Night Snap mode, which captures four images of the same scene, then produces a single blur-free, composite image from them.
3. Full HD movie recording for extended recording of high-quality movies
The Optio WG-2 and Optio WG-2 GPS offer a Full HD movie recording function employing the H.264 recording format, allowing the user to capture high-quality, extended movie clips (1920 x 1080 pixels) at a frame rate of 30 frames per second. They also feature a high-speed camera function* for slow-motion playback of captured movie clips and an interval movie function to simplify advanced movie-recording techniques. A micro-HDMI terminal (Type D) is also provided on their camera body allowing output of Full HD movie clips and sound to external devices.
* When this function is selected, the recorded size is fixed at VGA (640 x 480 pixels).
4. Large, high-resolution 3.0-inch LCD monitor
The Optio WG-2 and Optio WG-2 GPS feature a new high-resolution 3.0-inch LCD monitor with wide 16:9 proportions and approximately 460,000 dots. The AR (Anti-Reflection) coating minimizes annoying glare and reflections to assure a sharp, clear on-screen image even in bright sunlight, while its wide-view design offers a clear view of the monitor from approximately 170 degrees horizontally and vertically, which is useful in low and high angle shooting.
5. Digital Microscope mode with six LED Macro Lights for close observation of the microscopic world
By positioning six LED Macro Lights around the circumference of the lens barrel for macro shooting — compared to five on their predecessor — the Optio WG-2 and Optio WG-2 GPS provide brighter, more uniform illumination on the subject when 1cm Macro mode or Digital Microscope mode areselected.* With these Macro Lights, the user can clearly see a magnified view of the microscopic world, often unnoticeable with the naked eye, on the camera’s LCD monitor and effortlessly capture it in eye-catching images. Its instant illumination enhance function, which automatically raises the illumination level of the LED Macro Lights at the moment of shutter release, has also been upgraded to allow for the use of a higher shutter speed to minimize camera shake and subject shake. In addition, the Macro Lights can provide other userfriendly features, such as a Self-Portrait Assist mode to check if the subject’s face is safely captured within the picture frame using the blink of an LED lamp, and a new LED lighting mode in which the Macro Lights can be used as a lighting device in the dark.
* When the Digital Microscope mode is selected, the recorded size is fixed at 2.0 megapixels (at 16:9 proportions).
6. Advanced GPS function adds a new dimension to digital photography (available with the Optio WG-2 GPS only)
The Optio WG-2 GPS comes equipped with an upgraded GPS module, which not only shortens the time lag before the start of GPS operation, but also greatly extends the battery life when the GPS logging function is activated. The Optio WG-2 GPS allows the user to record position data when shooting a still image and take advantage of various GPS-compatible applications and services provided by the included software* and such Web sites as Google Maps™. It also corrects the built-in clock automatically to match local time of a particular shooting location. In addition, by simply carrying the camera, it automatically creates log data and stores it as a KMLformat file on to the SD memory card. With this log feature, the user can keep accurate track of the movement during outdoor shooting, and display it later on the computer using various online services such as Google Earth™.
* This function is only available with the Windows version supplied software.
7. 5X optical zoom lens with 28mm wide-angle coverage
The Optio WG-2 and Optio WG-2 GPS feature a high-performance 5X optical zoom lens covering focal lengths from 5mm to 25mm (equivalent to approx. 28mm wide angle to approx. 140mm telephoto in the 35mm format). This versatile zoom lens can capture beautiful, lively pictures in a wide range of subjects and scenes — from spectacular landscapes to family/group shots in a confined space. With their Intelligent Zoom function, the user can further extend the zoom range to approximately 36 times to cover the focal length of an approximately 1008mm super-telephoto lens (in the 35mm format) to capture extra-high-magnification images without compromising image quality.
8. Triple anti-shake protection for sharp, blur-free images
(1) Pixel Track SR mechanism
When recording still images, this sophisticated shake-reduction mechanism effectively compensates for camera shake by digitally processing affected images.
(2) Digital SR mode
When the cameras detect low-lighting conditions in still-image shooting, they automatically raise the sensitivity to as high as ISO 6400, making it possible to use a higher shutter speed to effectively minimize the adverse effects of camera shake and subject shake under poor lighting conditions.
(3) Movie SR mode*
During movie recording, this digital shake-reduction mode effectively compensates for camera shake through the use of exclusive software to produce beautiful, blur-free movie clips.
* When the Movie SR mode is selected, the angle of view becomes narrower than normal shooting.
9. Other features
1) Carabiner strap included for hooking the camera to a backpack or other outdoor gear
2) Comes with two remote-control receptors which allows the user to send in the remote signal either from front or back of the camera
3) A Macro Stand is included as a standard accessory to make extended observation effortless, even at a minimum distance of one centimeter away from the subject and also allows the use of 46mm filters such as polaizing filters to reduce glare and increase colour saturation
4) High-speed Face Detection function can capture up to 32 faces in approx. 0.03 seconds, and Smile Capture function automatically releases the shutter the instant the subject’s smile is detected
5) Instant startup with the playback mode by pressing and holding the playback button
6) Auto Picture mode automatically selects the most appropriate shooting mode from 16 different scene modes
7) 12 digital filters
8 ) Digital Wide mode composes an extra-wide-angle picture (equivalent to approx. 21mm wide angle in the 35mm format) from two separate images
9) Pet mode automatically detects the face of a dog or cat
10) Image viewing, editing and filing software included: MediaImpression 3.5 for PENTAX (Windows version compatible with Windows 7) and MediaImpression 2.1 for PENTAX (Macintosh version compatible with Mac OS X 10.7)
11) Compatible with Eye-Fi wireless LAN SD memory cards
PENTAX RICOH IMAGING CANADA INC. is a wholly owned subsidiary of PENTAX RICOH IMAGING COMPANY, LTD., with headquarters in Mississauga, Ontario. PENTAX RICOH IMAGING CANADA INC. markets ddigital SLR’s, compact cameras, lenses, camera accessories, sport optics and closed circuit television lenses. PENTAX on the web at www.pentax.ca.
