Pentax kicks out the waterproof Optio W60
By Nilay Patel 
posted May 22nd 2008 6:00PM
posted May 22nd 2008 6:00PM
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13 feet? That's more water-resistant than water-proof. This might be suitable for Bob and Betty tourist on their once-in-a-lifetime snorkeling adventure, but it's worthless for divers or other serious underwater hobbyists. How hard can it be to make a stock camera that can survive 60-80ft without an enclosure more expensive than the camera itself?
I think it's ment for a different audience. I saw this and thought it would be perfect for the new Jetski I bought yesterday. Something that can get splashed or in the water a bit a still work. However, even at that price I am not going to run out and get one. I think it would be really cost prohibitive to meet the requirements you are looking for. As it shows with just the price of the case for my SD8xx canon. I would rather spend $3xx on this and have a separate camera over $18x for just a case.
I've got the W30 and I think the target audience are outdoorsy people...
It's a tough little camera, I can take it with me anywhere without fear that if I fall off a log into a pond my camera will be wrecked, or that if I want to take some shots at the beach, lake, etc, that I will need to be extra careful. It's great if you're a boater or kayaker too because you don't have to be constantly worried about the camera.
It beats water-resistant designs, like the ones from Olympus, because it can actually stand up to being dunked or kept in the pocket of sopping wet clothes.
As for no lens cap... it sucks yes, BUT... if you're putting the camera into situations where the lens cap would save you, then you've got a lot bigger issue (LCD) that you should be worried about anyway.
@ $3xx this is not designed for divers... frankly considering the cost of other diving gear I would assume that is pretty obvious? :^)
bears a slight resemblance to one Olympus 770 SW.
I have an earlier version of this camera - the WPi. It's a lot tougher than the listed specs - I lost it in the rapids of a mountain river and came back four hours later when the hydro dam that controls the water level shut its gates. I found it about forty feet from where I lost it - slightly scratched up but in perfect working condition. I'd love to upgrade to this version soon.
No lens cover = Kiss my rosy red a$$, Pentax
You would think that makers of waterproof cameras would expect them to be submerged in shallow waters, like pools, rivers, or at the beach, and should fashion them with contrasting (read: noticeable) colors, not blue and silver such that the camera could blend into the background.
Excellent point.
I bought the W30 series from pentax and I absolutely love the camera. I don't have to worry about this camera around water at all and it's fun to say OH SHI.... i just dropped my camera in the water. I attached two colorful keychain floaties to it because it doesnt float. The keychains also help with visibility if dropped while surfing.
I wonder, in real world testing, how this stacks up against the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW? the stylus has a few better listed specs from what i've found and i've seen it take some abuse... Shockproof 2m (6.6ft), Waterproof 10m (33ft), 220lb/ft crush proof PRICE: 399.99 MSRP
While the 1030 SW does have the shockproof qualities and is able to go deeper, the photo quality is not the best. I've dealt with the faults of the 1030 SW by saying, "At least I got the shot." But compared to my other digital (Canon SD1000), it's quality is way below par.
I owned the first generation of the W series (W10), and it's battery life was bad, camera photos/startup speeds was slow, but the photo quality seemed OK. A lot of time has passed since then, so my suggestion with this or any other camera would be to check the quality of the photos first in the conditions you most shoot in.
Oh yeah, and make sure you tie something to it that will float -- or religiously use the strap.
The weakness of the Olympus is in its picture quality, IMHO. It produces a rather dull and unimpressive photos above water. If you make some picture of food, it won't make your mouth water. It's great for engineering purposes, but you can't really show off with it. Pentax has better photo quality, at least judging from its predecessors.
Oh, and the Olympus one has two BIG drawbacks. It uses the dreaded proprietry xD card (although 1030 does allow microSD with an adapter), and the mini-USB connector is the A connector that nobody else uses.
Here's another little fault with the Olympus: A friend of mine on a kayaking trip for a few days didn't wash his camera in fresh water every day. Result? Corrosion of the metal flap that covers the lens when the unit is switched off, to such an extent that the flap refused to retract and the camera became unusable.
And while we're on the subject of that little metal flap...another friend reports that if the camera gets wet then each time the camera is switched on the retracting flap drags water across the lens.
I think the Optio W60 is perfect for the majority of vacationers who want to take it to the beach and maybe into the water to take some quick picts of fish.
I would want to wait until we got some serious reviews before purchasing it and using it for even snorkeling. With waves, salt water and the camera bouncing off rocks I'n not sure that even the W60 will be able to survive.
Of course the closest option (for only a bit more money) is the Canon brand of cameras. Most can have an optional water proof case that is sturdier than any Optio (It is what I use for my underwater pictures). At only $150 in addition to the camera (which is better picture quality then the W series) you get significantly better pictures.
So I think I'm going to pass on the W60, for those who already have a digital P&S, $150 for 30 feet is better deal.
Tesseract
http://www.hyperphotocube.com - How to maximize your photography techniques and the value you get out of your camera equipment.
The design is really cool but i doubt also the picture quality of Pentax PaS.
hey!! i would like to know if pentax w60 have also smile shutter and face detection ? thats a great thing for me & anyone have mention anything about it..
another thing is that i would like to know who´s better, "pentax W60" or "olympus 790 SW" because i already saw that both have like same things but the difference is the smile shot, so if its true that when i smile the camera would autoshutt its better the pentax.
how ever the camera wold autoshutt or only recognize?
Does new W60 have an Interval Shooting mode - as the W30?
I have use the w20 for a couple of years and it is really a good camera. I cant wait to switch to the w60 for the wide angle and the hd movie capabilities.
I take kitesurfing pictures with the camera attach to my kite and I use the interval mode. this is for me one of the most interesting feature.
you can see some nice example of if on my website : http://www.pepette.com
Especially the pictures from Maui.
I've had two different canon s-series cameras, both with Canon's waterproof housings. They are fine for underwater shots, but in the end not very practical if you're a traveler who wants something that takes up less space in your belongings. The housings are bulky without a doubt. In addition, the canon housings are plastic, and crack very easily. I've had both of mine crack, and both on the latch that closes them (made of easily breakable plastic). What's the point of weather proofing a camera with a housing if you have to baby the housing to prevent breakage? It seems both the Olympus SW series and the Pentax W series have a huge advantage in that the whole weatherproof camera is much less bulky, and will withstand more abuse - something to be expected for those outdoorsy types who this camera type is marketed towards.
One additional advantage of this new Pentax W60 - it takes higher resolution movies than the Olympus SW series, although there is no mention of whether there is a limit on the _length_ of those high resolution movies. If the length is only limited by the size of the memory card, then this is a great improvement for sure.
I had the 4mp version, and am now using the W30.
I do a lot of whitewater rafting, and both cameras have served me well. I retired the 4mp version when I started to lose pixels - the W30 is in its second year of pretty heavy service, and while I agree the image quality is only fair to good, the device is very tough and an absolute must for water-sport types. I'll be considering the W60 when it becomes available.
Lack of a lens cap has never been an issue for me - only complaints are that the W30's LCD is a little hard to see in bright sunlight, and the flash is a little anemic.
Pentax debuts weatherproof Optio W60
http://forum.digitalcamerareview.com/showthread.php?p=19692
Drive Modes:
One Shot, Continuous, High Speed Continuous, [b]Interval[/b], Auto Bracket, Self Timer, Frame Composition
[b]Interval[/b] - is it the same as the W30's Interval Shooting mode?
Thanks!
What do you think about this, mostly underwater pictures (http://public.fotki.com/primoz/) and movies (http://www.dailymotion.com/playlists/primoz) taken with Pentax W series cameras?
All Olympus SW cameras are limited to only 10 sec of 640x480, 30 fps movies. And the quality of both, pictures & movies, is really poor.
Not true, Primus. The Olympus 1030sw allows 640x480 vid recording up to the capacity of the card w/ a firmware update:
http://www.olympusamerica.com/cpg_section/cpg_support_downloads.asp?id=1363&os=w