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In this representation of color performance,
shorter lines indicate greater accuracy.

When compared to four other cameras we’ve tested recently, the W60 is a significant notch below some of the dry-land competition, but substantially outperforms the Olympus Stylus 1030SW, it’s waterproof rival.
Resolution (8.16)
The number of megapixels a camera’s image sensor boasts doesn’t relate directly to the ability to create tack-sharp photos. Many camera systems, including optics, digital signal processing and image compression, combine to determine the final image quality. That’s why we shoot an industry-standard resolution chart with each camera, use Imatest to determine how precisely the actual photo produced by the camera captures the fine lines on the chart (scored as line widths per pixel height, or lw/ph), and from that data produce a score which lets us compare performance across camera brands, models and specs.

A close-up of the industry-standard resolution chart we use for testing
The Pentax did well in our resolution testing, with a maximum performance of 1780 lw/ph with minimal oversharpening. This result was achieved at the lens’ widest zoom setting. Moving the camera back and shooting at higher telephoto magnification did cut resolution performance noticeably. While even at maximum zoom the resolution performance is acceptable, the camera clearly favors wide-angle, scenic shooting.


The dynamic range starts out nicely at the lowest ISO, but drops off too quickly through ISO 400, at which point it effectively levels off. The strong performance at ISO 50 may help the camera’s score a bit, but once you get to ISO 400, a very moderate setting if you’re trying to stop fast action, you’re going to run into noticeable lighting problems in less-than-perfect situations.

White Balance (7.89)
Inexpensive cameras have a tough time with this one – for that matter, quite a few pricey SLRs stumble when it comes to white balance testing as well. The challenge is adjusting to the different colors of light produced by varied sources of illumination. Sunshine, for example, isn’t white – it’s warm and reddish, where fluorescent light has a green tint. When we look at a white piece of paper under these very different sources of illumination, tough, our brains compensate. Cameras try to compensate, too, with three features. The easiest to use is choosing the Automatic setting, where the camera meters the light and adjust white balance accordingly. The second is selecting from a set of presets, built into the camera, which are tailored to specific lighting conditions. Finally you can take a manual white balance reading by shooting a neutral white or gray surface under current lighting conditions.
We test the first two, shooting a color chart under varied light sources, including flash, fluorescent, shaded daylight and tungsten (incandescent), using both the automatic white balance capability and the white balance presets.
The automatic white balance system didn’t cope well at all with tungsten illumination, the kind you’d find in a household with standard incandescent bulbs – this is always a problem area, but the W60 was particularly far off, and fluorescent light was another major problem. On the plus side, flash and shaded daylight photos were quite accurate in auto mode. In the following graphic representation of Imatest results, the difference between the original and the captured colors are exaggerated – you wouldn’t see this great a difference in your actual photos.
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Exaggerated White Balance Errors |
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![]() Auto WB - Tungsten illumination |
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Exaggerated White Balance Errors (Presets) |
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Averaging the automatic and preset scores produces a decent white balance score for the W60. Keep in mind, though, that a quick settings adjustment to the fluorescent and tungsten presets will deliver notably superior results.

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