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May 8, 2006 – Japanese camera manufacturer Ricoh announced the water resistant Caplio 500G Wide today, an 8-megapixel digital camera that has a sturdy shell to it. Like some recent releases, the Ricoh Caplio 500G Wide can withstand immersion in water to a meter and can take a drop from one meter as well. The "Wide" suffix to the camera’s title refers to its 28-85mm, 3x optical zoom lens that is relatively wide when compared with most compact models’ lenses. Pricing and availability has not yet been announced.
The Ricoh Caplio 500G Wide updates the 400G Wide that was launched over two years ago. This line of digital cameras is water and dust-resistant, similar to the Pentax Optio W-series cameras and the new Olympus Stylus 720SW. The sturdy Ricoh 500G packs a more powerful flash and a new anti-blur system that increases the ISO sensitivity and shutter speeds simultaneously. The ISO sensitivity ranges from 64-1600, helping the camera capture pictures in low light.
Besides its wide angle 3x optical zoom lens, the Ricoh 500G has an optical viewfinder, 2.5-inch LCD screen, and a built-in flash for its main components. The built-in flash is particularly powerful, reaching up to 10 meters. This is almost double the capability of previous Ricoh G-models.
The new digital camera has large buttons that are designed to be easy to use even with gloves on. That is because part of the 500G’s target audience includes business owners and those who will use it on a construction site or when otherwise wearing gloves. With that audience in mind, Ricoh also included functionality with the Construction CALS program and other business systems. The Ricoh Caplio 500G Wide’s scene mode list reflects its business-oriented tastes: high sensitivity, skew correction, firefighting, text, and zoom macro.