Ricoh has announced its latest ultra-rugged compact camera, the WG-70.

The compact camera is specifically made for trying environments and features dedicated shooting modes for underwater and macro photography.

The WG-70 has a 16 Megapixel 1/2.3” backside-illuminated CMOS sensor with a maximum sensitivity of ISO 6400. In addition to stills, the camera captures 1080p (Full HD) video. The onboard lens features a 28–140mm 35mm-equivalent focal length, has an aperture range of F3.5-F5.5 depending on the focal length and is constructed of 11 elements in 9 groups. In addition to the optical zoom, the camera also offers an additional 7.5x zoom when using the onboard ‘Intelligent Zoom’ feature (which is limited to 7 Megapixel).

The camera uses a 2.7-inch ‘outdoor-friendly’ LCD display that has an anti-reflective coating. A ring of six LEDs around the lens of the camera offers a unique means of capturing macro images. Ricoh has included a new ‘Digital Microscope’ mode that enlarges the subject being captured. A standard Macro mode is also included, in addition to the underwater shooting mode, which compensates for the color shift that happens when snapping underwater shots.

The WG-70 is waterproof down to 14m (46ft), shockproof from falls up to 1.6m (5ft) and freezeproof down to -10ºC (14ºF). The WG-70 works with Ricoh’s lineup of WG-series mount accessories, which allow you to mount the camera much like you would an action camera.

The Ricoh WG-70 will be available in mid-March at participating retailers for $280.