The PENTAX WG-8’s solid, airtight body is not only waterproof to a depth of 20 meters and for up to two hours of continuous underwater operation*1 and dustproof against dirt and dust*2 but it’s also shockproof against a fall from heights of up to 2.1 meters*3 crushproof against weights of up to 100kgf (kilogram force)*4 and cold-resistant to temperatures as low as -10°C*5 Thanks to this heavy-duty construction, the WG-8 performs superbly and dependably in harsh, demanding locations, such as in the snow-covered mountains and under water.
The combination of a state-of-the-art back-illuminated CMOS image sensor with approximately 20 effective megapixels and outstanding light receiving efficiency and a high-performance imaging engine mean that the WG-8 can deliver high-resolution, low-noise images that retain excellent resolution even when they are cropped and enlarged.
Within the compact, lightweight body, the WG-8 features a five-times optical zoom lens with an angle-of-view coverage from 5mm to 25mm (equivalent to approximately 28mm to 140mm in the 35mm format), covering a wide range of applications from wide-angle shooting of sweeping landscapes to telephoto shooting of distant subjects.
The WG-8 provides 4K-resolution movie recording (at 3840 x 2160 pixels).* In addition to the conventional Movie SR (Shake Reduction) mode, it also features the Movie SR+ mode in the HD and Full HD movie recording modes to assure natural, flawless movie clips free of camera shake and distortion.
The WG-8 is designed for swift, flawless operation even in harsh shooting conditions. Encased in a solid body made from a high-rigidity aluminum panel, it allows you to shift the shooting mode with a simple turn of the mode dial, while the vertical zoom button makes zooming operation easier. The control buttons positioned on its back panel are widely spaced, making it easy to operate them even with a gloved hand.
The WG-8 allows you to change default settings of the Green and ADJ (adjustment) buttons to desired functions (such as exposure compensation in still-image photography, image size, aspect ratio, ISO sensitivity, and white balance). By customizing these settings, you can personalize camera operation and react more swiftly to ever-changing shooting conditions.
The WG-8 also lets you program frequently used shooting modes and/or exposure-compensation settings to the U1 and U2 positions of the mode dial.
The WG-8 is equipped with a large, high-resolution 3.0-inch LCD monitor (3:2 proportions and approximately 1,040,000 dots). The advanced AR (Anti-Reflection) coating has been applied to its protective cover to minimize annoying glare and reflections during outdoor shooting. To optimize the visibility of the on-screen image, it also features the Outdoor View Setting function, which lets you adjust the monitor’s brightness to a desired level (±2 steps) according to changes in ambient lighting conditions.
The WG-8’s built-in GPS module receives signals from GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System), as well as ordinary GPS satellites, and automatically records position data and travel log data onto captured images. Since you can synchronize captured images with their position data on a map, or display travel log data on a map, you’ll have more fun during the post-shooting stages.
The WG-8 also lets you imprint GPS data and directional data acquired by the digital compass and UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) on the lower right corner of a captured image.
The WG-8 provides five distinctive and creative Image Tone modes to add the desired finishing touch to captured images, depending on the subject or your creative intentions. They include: Vibrant, which applies bright, rich colors; and Slide Film, which creates dynamic, high-contrast images resembling those produced by reversal film.
Positioned around the circumference of the lens barrel, the WG-8’s six-LED Ring Light unit not only allows you to adjust the light intensity at nine levels, but it also lets you select the desired set of lights. You can turn all LEDs on to light up the entire scene brightly and evenly to eliminate shadows, or select only the horizontally or vertically aligned ones to illuminate the subject more three-dimensionally and emphasize its contours. The Ring Light unit comes in handy for applications demanding delicate lighting adjustment, such as macro shooting.