Ricoh has a sort of aesthetic going on here. I only just realized what it is the recently-released CX4 reminds me of: one of those disposable cameras. This new G700, although it looks like a totally solid camera, definitely looks like you’d throw it away when you were done.
There’s not too much to say: 12 megapixels, 5x optical zoom, ISO 64-3200, 720p video. The main thing, though, is the ruggedness. It looks to be about as rugged as those in our roundup a few months back: 5m underwater, 2m drop, dust and chemical sealed.
Nice touch: you can use the regular rechargeable battery pack, but you can switch to AAAs if you find yourself away from an outlet. I like Ricoh. Not sure why, I just like those guys. The G700 doesn’t have a US price or date yet, but I think we’ll find that out soon.