Pentax Optio W60
Digital Camera Review
Sep 16, 2008
- By Steve Morgenstern
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The Pentax Optio W60 is meant to be your foul-weather photographic friend, oblivious to water (whether a splash or a full-on immersion) and freezing cold. You wouldn't know it at a glance, though - the 10-megapixel W60 is as sleekly styled and pocketable as any non-ruggedized compact camera. You do pay a premium price for weatherproofing, though, at $329.95. After running the camera through our complete suite of lab and field testing, we like the W60 for snowboarders and poolside pleasures, but the lack of manual controls and slow shooting performance are concerns. The full review follows.
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The Pentax Optio W60 is meant to be your foul-weather photographic friend, oblivious to water (whether a splash or a full-on immersion) and freezing cold. You wouldn't know it at a glance, though - the 10-megapixel W60 is as sleekly styled and pocketable as any non-ruggedized compact camera. You do pay a premium price for weatherproofing, though, at $329.95. After running the camera through our complete suite of lab and field testing, we like it for snowboarders and poolside pleasures, but the lack of manual controls and slow shooting performance are concerns. As for ruggedness, we recently reviewed the Olympus contender in the laugh-at-the-elements category, the
1030 SW, which is built tougher (including the ability to function at 33-foot depths, versus 13 feet for the W60), but costs more ($399.99) and is also bulkier. We compare the Pentax W60 head-to-head with the 1030 SW and several other compact models in the following review.
Section
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The Good
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The Bad
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Tour
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Sharp-looking waterproof camera small enough for your pocket
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Battery/memory/port door feels flimsy
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Testing/Performance
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Decent resolution and manual noise scores
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Meltdown on auto noise test, mediocre speed and responsiveness
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Components
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Better-than-expected flash, 5x zoom with no external lens movement
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No protection against the elements for lens
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Design/Layout
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Feels secure in the hand, sophisticated look for rugged camera
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Buttons tough to push, not enough buttons to access some key functions directly
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Modes
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Three different auto modes lots of useful custom, lots of useful custom image presets
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Stores at higher compression setting than necessary by default
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Control Options
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Good macro focus options, manual focus available
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Lack of manual exposure controls makes handling challenging shooting situations difficult |
Image Parameters
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Nice selection of fun in-camera editing options...
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... though precise image editing controls are lacking
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Connectivity/Extras
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Strong software provided for PC and Mac
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Proprietary cables for USB and video
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Value
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Nice choice for snowboarders and beachgoers to chronicle their outdoor adventures
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Serious outdoorsmen will prefer the more capable Olympus 1030 SW
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