Pentax WG-90 vs Ricoh WG-60

The Pentax WG-90 and the Ricoh WG-60 are two digital cameras that were officially introduced, respectively, in November 2023 and October 2018. Both the WG-90 and the WG-60 are fixed lens compact cameras that are equipped with a 1/2.3-inch sensor. Both cameras offer a resolution of 15.9 megapixels.

Below is an overview of the main specs of the two cameras as a starting point for the comparison.

Headline Specifications

Pentax WG-90		Ricoh WG-60
Fixed lens compact camera		Fixed lens compact camera
28-140mm f/3.5-5.5		28-140mm f/3.5-5.5
15.9 MP – 1/2.3" sensor		15.9 MP – 1/2.3" sensor
1080/60p Video		1080/60p Video
ISO 125-6,400		ISO 125-6,400
No viewfinder, LCD framing		No viewfinder, LCD framing
2.7" LCD – 230k dots		2.7" LCD – 230k dots
Fixed screen (not touch-sensitive)		Fixed screen (not touch-sensitive)
8 shutter flaps per second		8 shutter flaps per second
Waterproof body (14m)		Waterproof body (14m)
300 shots per battery charge		300 shots per battery charge
123 x 62 x 30 mm, 194 g		123 x 62 x 30 mm, 193 g

Check WG-90 price at
amazon.com
Check WG-60 offers at
ebay.com

Going beyond this snapshot of core features and characteristics, what are the differences between the Pentax WG-90 and the Ricoh WG-60? Which one should you buy? Read on to find out how these two cameras compare with respect to their body size, their imaging sensors, their shooting features, their input-output connections, and their reception by expert reviewers.

Body comparison

The side-by-side display below illustrates the physical size and weight of the Pentax WG-90 and the Ricoh WG-60. The two cameras are presented according to their relative size. Three consecutive perspectives from the front, the top, and the back are available. All width, height and depth dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The WG-90 can be obtained in two different colors (black, blue), while the WG-60 is also available in two color-versions, but different ones (black, red).

In this particular case, the Pentax WG-90 and the Ricoh WG-60 have exactly the same width and height, and, thus, have identically-sized bodies. Moreover, the two cameras also share the same weight. In this context, it is worth noting that both cameras are splash and dust-proof and can, hence, be used in inclement weather conditions or harsh environments. More than that, both cameras are water-proof and can, thus, be used for underwater photography.

The adjacent table lists the principal physical characteristics of the two cameras alongside a wider set of alternatives. If you want to switch the focus of the display and review another camera pair, you can move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible camera comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Pentax WG-90	123 mm	62 mm	30 mm	194 g	300	Y	Nov 2023	US$ 279	amazon.com
2.		Ricoh WG-60	123 mm	62 mm	30 mm	193 g	300	Y	Oct 2018	US$ 279	ebay.com
3.		Canon SX600	104 mm	61 mm	26 mm	188 g	290	n	Jan 2014	US$ 249	ebay.com
4.		Canon SX610	105 mm	61 mm	27 mm	191 g	270	n	Jan 2015	US$ 249	ebay.com
5.		Canon SX620	97 mm	57 mm	28 mm	182 g	295	n	May 2016	US$ 279	ebay.com
6.		Fujifilm XP120	110 mm	71 mm	28 mm	203 g	210	Y	Jan 2017	US$ 229	ebay.com
7.		Fujifilm XP130	110 mm	71 mm	28 mm	207 g	240	Y	Jan 2018	US$ 229	ebay.com
8.		Fujifilm XP140	110 mm	71 mm	28 mm	207 g	240	Y	Feb 2019	US$ 229	ebay.com
9.		Nikon L840	113 mm	78 mm	96 mm	538 g	590	n	Feb 2015	US$ 299	ebay.com
10.		Nikon W300	112 mm	66 mm	29 mm	231 g	280	Y	May 2017	US$ 389	ebay.com
11.		Sony WX800	102 mm	58 mm	36 mm	233 g	370	n	Oct 2018	US$ 399	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The price is, of course, an important factor in any camera decision. The listed launch prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The two cameras under review were launched at the same price and fall into the same market segment. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Sensor comparison

The imaging sensor is at the core of digital cameras and its size is one of the main determining factors of image quality. A large sensor will generally have larger individual pixels that offer better low-light sensitivity, provide wider dynamic range, and have richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Moreover, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more control over depth-of-field in the image and, thus, the ability to better isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tend to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

Both cameras under consideration feature a 1/2.3-inch sensor and have a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 5.6. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the review cameras among the smaller-sensor digicams that favor affordability and compact design. Both cameras feature a native aspect ratio (sensor width to sensor height) of 4:3.

The two cameras under review do not only share the same sensor size, but also offer an identical resolution of 15.9 megapixels. This similarity in sensor specs implies that both the WG-90 and the WG-60 have the same pixel density, as well as the same pixel size. It should, however, be noted that the WG-90 is much more recent (by 5 years) than the WG-60, and its sensor will have benefitted from technological advances during this time. Coming back to sensor resolution, it should be mentioned that neither of the two cameras has an anti-alias filter installed, so they are able to capture all the detail the sensor resolves.

The Pentax WG-90 has a native sensitivity range from ISO 125 to ISO 6400. The Ricoh WG-60 offers exactly the same ISO settings.

In terms of underlying technology, the WG-90 is build around a BSI-CMOS sensor, while the WG-60 uses a CMOS imager. Both cameras use a Bayer filter for capturing RGB colors on a square grid of photosensors. This arrangement is found in most digital cameras.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service determines an overall sensor rating, as well as sub-scores for low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"), dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), and color depth ("DXO Portrait"). The following table provides an overview of the physical sensor characteristics, as well as the sensor quality measurements for a selection of comparators.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Pentax WG-90	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	20.9	12.8	1570	54
2.		Ricoh WG-60	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	20.6	12.2	1072	51
3.		Canon SX600	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/30p	20.0	11.4	620	45
4.		Canon SX610	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	1080/30p	20.2	11.6	712	47
5.		Canon SX620	1/2.3	20.2	5184	3888	1080/30p	20.4	11.8	838	49
6.		Fujifilm XP120	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	20.5	11.9	900	49
7.		Fujifilm XP130	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60p	20.6	12.1	1000	51
8.		Fujifilm XP140	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	4K/15p	20.7	12.2	1102	52
9.		Nikon L840	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	1080/60i	20.2	11.6	721	47
10.		Nikon W300	1/2.3	15.9	4608	3456	4K/30p	20.5	12.0	938	50
11.		Sony WX800	1/2.3	18.0	4896	3672	4K/30p	20.6	12.2	1070	51
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but also of capturing video footage. Both cameras under consideration are equipped with sensors that have a sufficiently high read-out speed for moving images, and both provide the same movie specifications (1080/60p).

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a variety of features. The WG-90 and the WG-60 are similar in the sense that neither of the two has a viewfinder. The images are, thus, framed using live view on the rear LCD. The adjacent table lists some of the other core features of the Pentax WG-90 and Ricoh WG-60 along with similar information for a selection of comparators.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Pentax WG-90	none	n	2.7 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	8.0/s	Y	n
2.		Ricoh WG-60	none	n	2.7 / 230	fixed	n	1/4000s	8.0/s	Y	n
3.		Canon SX600	none	n	3.0 / 461	fixed	n	1/2000s	3.9/s	Y	Y
4.		Canon SX610	none	n	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/2000s	2.5/s	Y	Y
5.		Canon SX620	none	n	3.0 / 922	fixed	n	1/2000s	2.5/s	Y	Y
6.		Fujifilm XP120	none	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
7.		Fujifilm XP130	none	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
8.		Fujifilm XP140	none	n	3.0 / 920	fixed	n	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
9.		Nikon L840	none	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/4000s	7.4/s	Y	Y
10.		Nikon W300	none	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/4000s	7.0/s	Y	Y
11.		Sony WX800	none	n	3.0 / 922	tilting	Y	1/2000s	10.0/s	Y	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

The Pentax WG-90 and the Ricoh WG-60 both have an intervalometer built-in. This enables the photographer to capture time lapse sequences, such as flower blooming, a sunset or moon rise, without purchasing an external camera trigger and related software.

Both the WG-90 and the WG-60 have zoom lenses built in. Both optics have identical focal length range and aperture specifications (5-25mm f/3.5-5.5). Both cameras offer the same maximum aperture.

Concerning the storage of imaging data, both the WG-90 and the WG-60 write their files to SDXC cards.

Connectivity comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Pentax WG-90 and Ricoh WG-60 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Pentax WG-90	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Ricoh WG-60	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	-	-	-
3.		Canon SX600	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
4.		Canon SX610	-	- / -	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
5.		Canon SX620	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
6.		Fujifilm XP120	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	-
7.		Fujifilm XP130	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
8.		Fujifilm XP140	-	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
9.		Nikon L840	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
10.		Nikon W300	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	-	Y
11.		Sony WX800	-	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-

The WG-90 is a recent model that features in the current product line-up of Pentax. In contrast, the WG-60 has been discontinued (but can be found pre-owned on ebay). There has not been a direct replacement model for the WG-60 from Ricoh. Further information on the features and operation of the WG-90 and WG-60 can be found, respectively, in the Pentax WG-90 Manual (free pdf) or the online Ricoh WG-60 Manual.

Review summary

So what conclusions can be drawn? Is the Pentax WG-90 better than the Ricoh WG-60 or vice versa? A synthesis of the relative strong points of each of the models is listed below.

Arguments in favor of the Pentax WG-90:

• More modern: Reflects 5 years of technical progress since the WG-60 launch.

Advantages of the Ricoh WG-60:

• More heavily discounted: Has been around for much longer (launched in October 2018).

If the count of relative strengths (bullet points above) is taken as a measure, the match-up finishes in a tie (1 points each). However, the relevance of individual strengths will vary across photographers, so that you might want to apply your own weighing scheme to the summary points when reflecting and deciding on a new camera. A professional sports photographer will view the differences between cameras in a way that diverges from the perspective of a street photog, and a person interested in family portraits has distinct needs from a landscape shooter. Hence, the decision which camera is best and worth buying is often a very personal one.

How about other alternatives? Do the specifications of the Pentax WG-90 and the Ricoh WG-60 place the cameras among the top in their class? Find out in the latest Best Travel-Zoom Camera listing whether the two cameras rank among the cream of the crop.

In any case, while the specs-based evaluation of cameras can be instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it says little about, for example, the shooting experience and imaging performance of the WG-90 and the WG-60 in practical situations. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased.

Expert reviews

This is why expert reviews are important. The following table reports the overall ratings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]). As can be seen, the professional reviewers agree in many cases on the quality of different cameras, but sometimes their assessments diverge, reinforcing the earlier point that a camera decision is often a very personal choice.

Expert Camera Reviews

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Pentax WG-90	..	..	..	..	..	..	Nov 2023	US$ 279	amazon.com
2.		Ricoh WG-60	..	..	..	..	..	..	Oct 2018	US$ 279	ebay.com
3.		Canon SX600	..	+	..	..	4/5	4/5	Jan 2014	US$ 249	ebay.com
4.		Canon SX610	..	..	..	..	4/5	4/5	Jan 2015	US$ 249	ebay.com
5.		Canon SX620	..	..	..	..	..	4/5	May 2016	US$ 279	ebay.com
6.		Fujifilm XP120	..	o	..	..	3.5/5	4/5	Jan 2017	US$ 229	ebay.com
7.		Fujifilm XP130	..	o	..	..	3.5/5	4/5	Jan 2018	US$ 229	ebay.com
8.		Fujifilm XP140	..	+	..	..	3.5/5	4/5	Feb 2019	US$ 229	ebay.com
9.		Nikon L840	..	+ +	..	..	3.5/5	4/5	Feb 2015	US$ 299	ebay.com
10.		Nikon W300	..	+	..	..	4/5	4/5	May 2017	US$ 389	ebay.com
11.		Sony WX800	..	..	..	..	..	..	Oct 2018	US$ 399	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

Care should be taken when interpreting the review scores above, though. The assessments were made in relation to similar cameras of the same technological generation. A score, therefore, has to be seen in close connection to the price and market introduction time of the camera, and comparisons of ratings among very different cameras or across long time periods have little meaning. Also, please note that some of the review sites have changed their methodology and reporting over time.

Check WG-90 price at
amazon.com
Check WG-60 offers at
ebay.com

Other camera comparisons

Did this review help to inform your camera decision process? In case you are interested in seeing how other cameras pair up, just make a corresponding selection in the search boxes below. There is also a set of direct links to comparison reviews that other users of the CAM-parator app explored.

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Check WG-90 price at
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