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Nikon D80

Pentax Optio W60 Waterproof 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom (Ocean Blue)

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Brand: Pentax
Category: Photography

List Price: ~~$299.95~~
Buy New: $210.00
You Save: $89.95 (30%)

New (57) Used (3) from $199.95

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

30 reviews
Sales Rank: 86

Color: Ocean Blue
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Optical Zoom: 5
Display Size: 2.5
Maximum Focal Length: 25
Minimum Focal Length: 5
Maximum Resolution: 10
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 3.9 x 2.2 x 1

MPN: B0019V2CW8
Model: B0019V2CW8
UPC: 027075144040
EAN: 0027075144040
ASIN: B0019V2CR8

Release Date: July 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Customer Reviews:

Showing reviews 6-10 of 30

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It's all about trade-off August 28, 2008
R. Li (Silicon Valley, CA)
9 out of 9 found this review helpful

Clearly, this is not a camera for everybody. It's designed for those outdoor enthusiasts who's willing to trade the picture quality for the taking anywhere feature. I wish I could have a compact camera that can be used anywhere but still has DSLR picture quality -- but that camera doesn't exist!

If the underwater capability is important to you, then there are not so many choices out there -- and the only two get head to head are Olympus 1030 and the Pentax W60. Both are 10M pixels which I don't think it's really needed -- you can't fully use the 10M capability because of the lens quality. Some important difference:
- Olympus can go 30 ft deep, Pentax 10 ft.
- Olympus is crash proof, Pentax is not
- Olympus's lens is 28-105, Pentax is 28-140
- Both can take video of 640x480, up to the size of the flash card (Olympus may need a firmware upgrade), but Pentax can take 1280x720 in 15 fps.
- Olympus can't use zoom during video taking, Pentax can, but records the zoom sound as well.
- Pentax has slightly better picture quality, but little noisier.
- Pentax uses SD/SDHC card, Olympus uses xdpicture card, which is more expensive.

Finally I decided to go with the Pentax.

Things I like besides the under water capability:
- Feature rich. There are 24 different scene mode, a good fit to novice users, and there are also face detection, blink detection, smile detection and some on-camera editing capability. You can also do the slide-show on camera.
- Easy to follow interface. I learned to use more than 90% of the functions without even reading the manual.
- Macro that closes up to 1cm, not so many cameras are capable of that.
- Picture color is normally good.
- Live histogram view

Things I don't like:
- Poor low light performance, very noisy
- The so-called image stabilizing is just to bump up the ISO, which cause noisier image
- Below average image quality (comparing other point and shoot)
- Metering/White Balance/EV Adjustment only available in the P mode! This is my biggest complaint. I don't know what's in Pentax engineer's mind. I can live with no AP/SP/manual mode, but I still need these adjustments!
- No lens cover. Even though there is a protective layer in the front, so one can't touch the real lens, but that layer can still get dirty and I'm also afraid to simply put the camera in my pocket with other stuff.

With all that said, am I returning the camera? The hell no! I have my DSLR for better image quality, but I still need a compact one that I can bring with me on trips to ski, beach, or even snorkeling!

4 out of 5 stars

Pentax W60 Underwater August 7, 2008
Frank Delle (San Francisco, CA USA)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

Aloha from Hawaii.

This is the place for snorkeling and underwater photography, among many other things. I bought the W60 specifically for this vacation to complement a Canon G7 + underwater housing for snorkeling and photo op events. I am trying to add some real perspective to the vast amount of very subjective reviews, this one being no different.

If this is your only camera for occasional underwater photos, it is a true companion. It beats by any strength of imagination all the remaining 35mm 400 ASA cheap plastic enclosed (and oversized) cameras available. You're already spending a fortune on air travel, accommodations, food, souvenirs, etc., so make the memories and last and don't mind the $300+ bucks for this camera. The Pentax is equally well positioned for all your holiday photos and it comes in a small handy package. It's the perfect travel companion in your back pockets. But that's it.

Underwater, the W60 has a decent quality to it. Photo quality is sharp but a little less low contrast (contrast, saturation settings can be changed). Close up images are superior, focusing is quick and easy. If you want quantities of decent photos, the camera get's you there very quickly. I would not expect high-gloss tourist guide book under water pics. For that you will need scuba gear and $5000 worth of photo gear anyway.

Comparing the W60 image quality to my true and tried Canon G7 + housing, it's day, and somewhat night. The Pentax is not too far off. I have taken better pics with the Canon, but at the expense of a much bulkier setup and a slower response for focus and shutter release. When snorkeling, I take one or the other, both are producing satisfying results.

I have no second thoughts taking this camera anywhere, from the ocean beaches, mountain hiking, ski vacation, to the desert heat (last two are not tried, but I plan..)

Positives: smallest package for underwater snapshots. Lot's of options. Fast response. Fast shutter release. Good battery life (one charge is fine for a typical Hawaii day, including pool photos and review of the day's results). Goes anywhere without adding backpack real estate.

Negatives: (when compared to Canon G7). Low contrast. Slight blue tinge underwater (no surprise). Outdoor photos: less nuances, whites are washed out. Focuser makes noise when taking videos.

Overall it's a winner for point&shoot camera.

4 out of 5 stars

Good waterproof camera, minor clicking on the audio. July 28, 2008
Nadine Latief
6 out of 7 found this review helpful

I wanted a camera that was good underwater, but also for everyday use (since I'm not in the water that often.) This one comes close, but not quite, hence the 4 stars.

The underwater picture was great, but you definitely need clear water, otherwise murky lake water yields fuzzy pictures.

It's not shockproof unlike the Olympus 840 SW I had which was water and shock proof. But the audio on the videos were better then the Olympus 840 SW. There is still some clicking on the Pentex Optio W60 even when I turned off Autofocus and set it to MF, PF or Infinity. To me, it's pretty minor compared to the 840 SW... but still occasionally annoying enough that I will need another camera to do videos.

The HD video is nice, but as someone else pointed out, the low 15 fps means that it isn't very smooth.

I also find the lack of cover on the lens annoying since fingerprints get on it.

Other then that, I do like that it can take pictures at very close distances, and the LCD viewer seems pretty clear to me. And the user interface pretty friendly.

I find the picture quality reasonably good, and don't even bother to use the highest 10 MB setting. I use the next lower one.

1 out of 5 stars

Waterproof is a plus, almost everything else is a minus August 30, 2008
Eugene Y. Chan (San Francisco, CA USA)
6 out of 8 found this review helpful

Bought this for a vacation in hawaii. Beaches, water, snorkeling, makes sense right?

First the good news:
* It works well as a underwater camera. We went to Hanauma Bay and took some good photos of fish and turtles.
* Shots for the most part are good--colors are a bit more vivid than the canon
* Shutter lag is noticeable
* No image stabilization--could really be used on this camera

Now the not so good news:
* There was a strange blip where it would appear to be working and then not take the photo. The camera would focus and then as long as I held the shutter down, it would still not take the photo. I recharged the battery, switched SD cards, reformatted the SD cards, nothing. After I tried everything I could think of, including writing to Pentax support, I gave up. My wife tried it about a week later and it was working again. Sigh.
* Battery life is not very good. I got about 3 to 4 hours.
* The construction feels plasticy and not well built
* No autorotation of images

Not one or the other:
* I'm an avid Canon user and had some difficulty getting used to the controls and settings, they're not as intuitive for me on the Pentax.
* It has face recognition and smile detection, but I'm not sure if they are more than just a gimmick

I'm returning this camera as it not as well built and stopped working for me randomly and the one thing that I need is reliability over features in a camera even if it is a point and shoot.

5 out of 5 stars

Great little camera! August 12, 2008
Lee Krohn
5 out of 5 found this review helpful

This is a great little camera! Waterproof (I tested it on a week long sea kayaking workshop), nice wide angle, great image quality, and "sticky" settings so you don't have to keep resetting your preferences unless desired. Auto shutoff is great, as well, especially with the tiny batteries all of these small digital cameras use and depend on. The lens does seem to shed water as advertised, and there are quite a few features built in (including image editing) that I have not yet begun to explore. On occasion, I have had trouble with the autofocus at the telephoto extension; this is usually cured by zooming back wide and then out long again. Unlike most of my other gear, this camera is also small enough to carry everywhere; I've already published two photos taken with this camera. You can see sample images, fine tuned out of the camera, on my sea kayaking workshop gallery at www.leekrohnphoto.smugmug.com

Have fun with it!
Lee

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