Pentax Optio W60 Digital Camera Review

by Steve Morgenstern
Published on September 16, 2008

Navigation
Intro	Physical Tour
Color and Resolution	Noise and Video
Speed and Timing	Components
Design / Layout	Modes
Control Options	Image Parameters
Connectivity / Extras	Overall Impressions
Conclusion	Sample Photos
Specs / Ratings

Viewfinder
Like most compact cameras we’ve seen lately, the Optio W60 doesn’t have an optical viewfinder, relying solely on its LCD screen for composing photos. The downside? An optical viewfinder always works, even when glaring sunlight makes an LCD hard to see. A viewfinder is also useful when you’re trying to eke out a few more shots from a nearly drained battery. And as SLR shooters will tell you, holding a camera up to your eye helps steady your hands.

LCD Screen (3.00)
The 2.5-inch LCD display offers the near-standard 230,000-pixel resolution we see on most cameras today. The brightness is adjustable in seven steps through the Settings menu. Even at its default setting, the display handles bright daylight well, and the anti-reflective coating does make a difference. At the beach or other blindingly bright environment we still miss an optical viewfinder, but the Optio display stands up well in comparison to other compact cameras we've tested.

While shooting, the LCD display toggles between four settings. The normal display includes indicators for shooting mode, zoom status, remaining storage capacity, battery level, time, aperture and shutter speed, EV compensation, and the focus frame. Pressing OK adds a live histogram to the display. In addition to the histogram itself, sections of the screen that are overexposed blink red, and sections that are totally black blink yellow – looking at a problematic exposure is like watching a traffic light at a busy intersection. Another OK press clears the screen except for the focus area indicator. And finally, a third press turns the screen off entirely, for no apparent reason. The camera has no optical viewfinder, so the ability to turn off the screen and take a photo without seeing what you’re shooting seems ridiculous.

Zoom Lens (5.50)
A more powerful zoom lens is a key advantage of the Optio over its primary waterproof competition, the Olympus 1030 SW. The Olympus provides a 3.6x optical zoom. The Pentax lens spans a 5x range, equivalent to a 28 – 140mm on a 35mm camera. The aperture starts at f/3.5 at the widest angle setting and f/5.5 at maximum telephoto – not ideal for low-light photography without flash. As for wide-angle coverage, the 28mm setting equals the Olympus (the Pentax gain is entirely on the telephoto side).


One area that did impress us regarding the lens is the extreme close-up macro capability. We were able to shoot close-ups of subjects within 1 cm (2.5 inches) of the front of the lens, with very good sharpness and fast auto focus performance.

Digital zoom, up to 5.7x the optical zoom range is also available. While we’d never use digital zoom when shooting in high resolution (far better to crop with computer software later), shooting at reduced resolutions (7 megapixels or less) allows the use of “intelligent zoom,” which uses the sensor resolution not required for the smaller image size to create a virtual zoom effect, without resorting to mathematically altering the image.

The zoom occurs entirely within the camera: there’s no snout moving in and out. This doesn’t make much difference under ordinary circumstances, but is handy when you want to use an accessory case to reach greater depths underwater.

An oddity here is the lack of any lens covering. The Olympus Stylus 1030 SW has an automated lens cover that closes when the camera powers down, a desirable feature on a camera built for rugged lifestyles. The Pentax lens is unprotected, vulnerable to grime and far more destructive incursions.

The zoom lens control buttons pivot stiffly from the center point. They work fine if you poke at them with a fingernail, but pressing with the ball of the thumb can be frustrating. This is particularly difficult on the left, zoom-out part of the switch, which is mounted very close to the raised lens bezel. On the plus side, lens movement is smooth and precise, not moving into a series of predetermined positions or wobbling noticeably when you let up on the control.