Pentax Optio WG-2 Digital Camera Review

Color

Color performance is acceptable. The WG-2 earned a respectable score, but with a qualifier. The smallest color error we measured in our lab was 2.87 (anything below 3.0 is quite good) with 91 percent saturation (low, but not low enough to incur a penalty), shot with Natural color mode. More on how we test color.

But in the real world, we had much better results with the Bright color mode—the camera's default setting. Technically the colors aren't as accurate—they're deeper and more vivid than they should be—but Natural mode produces flat, lifeless hues in most situations. It's particularly bland underwater, where saturation and contrast are naturally reduced. We'd recommend always shooting in Bright mode, which produced a 3.31 color error (still decent) with 103 percent saturation.

NOTE: Because of the way computer monitors reproduce colors, the images above do not exactly match the originals found on the chart or in the captured images. The chart should be used to judge the relative color shift, not the absolute captured colors.

Aside from the WG-1, the rest of the cameras in this comparison tend to over-saturate their colors—technically less accurate, but better-looking for outdoor and underwater shooting.

Color Modes

Three color modes are offered: Bright (default), Natural, and Monochrome.

White Balance

Automatic white balance is strangely inconsistent. Most cameras handle daylight without a problem, but the WG-2 is noticeably warmer than it should be. It does handle incandescent lighting better than most, and white fluorescent lights pose no problem. And custom white balance evens out the issue. But it's bizarre to see a camera made for the outdoors struggle in sunlight.

White balance modes include automatic white balance, daylight, shade, tungsten light (incandescent), fluorescent light, and custom white balance.