Rated Top Ten
 Search
 Advanced SearchView Cart   Checkout   
 Location:  Home » Photo & Camera » Digital Cameras » Pentax Optio W60 Waterproof 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom (Silver)October 12, 2008  
Categories
Electronics
Computers
Software
PC & Video Games
Photo & Camera
DVD
Tools & Hardware
Wireless
Musical Instruments
Apparel
Music
VHS
Books
Office Products
Toys
Sporting Goods
Outdoor Living
Pet Supplies
Health Care
Magazines
Jewelery
Baby
Beauty
Kitchen
Gourmet Food

Information
Back to the Blog Rated Top Ten
Bitchnews
Classifieds List
Download Wallpapers

Related Categories
• Digital Cameras
Pentax
Custom Brands
Custom Stores
Specialty Stores
• Point & Shoot Digital Cameras
Digital Cameras
Camera & Photo
Categories
Electronics
• 4x to 5.9x
Optical Zoom (feature_three_browse-bin)
Digital Cameras (281052)
Refinements
Electronics
• 10 to 11.9 MP
Megapixels (feature_two_browse-bin)
Digital Cameras (281052)
Refinements
Electronics
• 2 to 5.9 Inches
Digital Frame Display Size (feature_three_browse-bin)
Digital Cameras (281052)
Refinements
Electronics
• Video Player
GPS Features (feature_two_browse-bin)
GPS Units
Refinements
Electronics
• Waterproof
GPS Features (feature_two_browse-bin)
GPS Units
Refinements
Electronics
• 2 to 2.9 Inches
GPS Display Size (feature_three_browse-bin)
GPS Units
Refinements
Electronics
• USB
Hard Drive Connection Type (feature_three_browse-bin)
Hard Drives (172483)
Refinements
Electronics
• LCD
TV Display Technology (feature_three_browse-bin)
TVs & HDTVs (172659)
Refinements
Electronics
• 20" & Under
Display Size (size_browse-bin)
TVs & HDTVs (172659)
Refinements
Electronics

Pentax Optio W60 Waterproof 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom (Silver)
Pentax Optio W60 Waterproof 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom (Silver)
enlarge
List Price: $329.95
Buy New: $256.95
You Save: $73.00 (22%)
Buy New from $256.95

Avg. Customer Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars(based on 6 reviews)
Sales Rank: 1385
Category: Photography

Publisher: Pentax
Studio: Pentax
Brand: Pentax
Label: Pentax
Media: Electronics
Floppy Disk Drive: None
Optical Zoom: 5
Display Size: 2.5
Maximum Focal Length: 25
Minimum Focal Length: 5
Maximum Resolution: 10
Has Red Eye Reduction: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 3.9 x 2.2 x 1

MPN: W60 Silver
Model: W60 Silver
UPC: 027075125261
EAN: 0027075125261
ASIN: B0019V2CW8

Release Date: July 8, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Features:
  • Includes camera and USB Cable I-USB7 (39551); AV Cable I-AVC7 (39552); Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery D-LI78 (39741); Battery Charge Cradle D-BC78(A); AC Plug Cord (39477); Strap O-ST20 (39195); Software CD-ROM S-SW81
  • 10 Megapixels for large, detailed images up to 3648x2736 resolution for stills
  • 5X optical zoom in a slim 1-inch body is equivalent to 28-140mm if it were a 35mm camera
  • Wide-angle 28mm zoom lens ideal for landscape, indoor, or group photos
  • Waterproof to 4m (13 feet) protects from rain and spills, as well as allowing underwater photos and video

Accessories:

  • Vista Explorer 60" Lightweight Tripod with Tripod Bag
  • MyStudio? 20 Deluxe Expanded Professional Tabletop Photo Studio w/ 5000K Lighting for Product Photography, 40x20x12 inches
  • MyStudio? 32 Professional Tabletop Photo Studio Background for Product Photography, 32x32x16 inches
  • MyStudio? 32 Deluxe Expanded Professional Tabletop Photo Studio Background for Product Photography, 64x32x16 inches
  • MyStudio? MiniCyc Fiberglass Tabletop Photo Studio Cyclorama for Product Photography, 60x42x32 inches

Similar Items:

  • Transcend 8GB SDHC CARD (SD 2.0 SPD Class 6)
  • SterlingTek's POWWER Pentax DL-i78 900mAH Battery pack Equivalent
  • Pentax D-LI78 Replacement Rechargeable Battery
  • Pentax Optio W60 Waterproof 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom (Ocean Blue)
  • Transcend 16GB SDHC CARD (SD 2.0 SPD CLASS 6) with Compact Card Reader

Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Take your PENTAX Optio W60 to new extremes. With 10 megapixels and a 5X internal zoom, this waterproof Optio shoots deeper, wider and at colder temps. A new design allows the Optio W60 to operate up to 13 feet underwater for two hours and at extreme temperatures well below freezing. Perfect for photography in adventurous settings, the Optio W60 captures a wide variety of scenes including expansive landscapes, architecture, and group photos in confined spaces as well as close-up telephoto shots. The Optio W60 also features High-Quality Movie mode, Face Recognition, Smile Capture, and Blink Detection. 2.5 inch IPS (In Plane Switching) LCD monitor with Anti-Reflective coating is viewable at wide angles, even in bright sunlight Coldproof for use in extreme, sub-zero temperatures HD movie capture to vividly capture moving memories in widescreen 720p Advanced Face Recognition technology sees up to 32 faces in 0.03 seconds, with Smile Capture and Blink Detection PENTAX Shake Reduction system automatically sets ISO up to a high 6400 to prevent subject blur. Movie Shake Reduction also available Focus modes - 9 point AF, Spot AF, Auto Tracking AF, Macro, Super Macro, Infinity Landscape, Pan focus, Manual focus Capture Modes - Mode selection - Auto Picture (Standard, Landscape, Portrait, Night Scene Portrait, Night Scene, Sport, Flower), Program, Night Scene, Movie, Underwater, Underwater Movie, Landscape, Flower, Portrait, and more Programmed AE electronic lens shutter Unit Dimensions (W x H x D) - 3.9 x 2.2 x 1.0; Weight - Without battery or removable memory - 4.4 oz


Customer Reviews:   Read 1 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars Love These Cameras   September 10, 2008
  2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I have now owned 4 cameras in this series and loved them. The first, the original Optio WP was resold, I broke the second one at an amusement park and bought two of these for my wife and for me.

They are waterproof! I've taken them into pools and the ocean and they take excellent shots. After loosing two digital cameras to quick dips in the lake these put all my fears to rest. I can use them in and near water without fear. Some of the underwater shots I used as cards and my 5 year old son has taken some excellent underwater photos of us.

This model has 10 megapixels, stability control, face recognition and a bunch of new features matching other digitals that aren't waterproof. It is a huge feature leap over the W30 but is also larger.

I love these and can recommend it without reservation.



5 out of 5 stars well pleased   August 27, 2008
  1 out of 1 found this review helpful

have used the Pentax W60 for several weeks now, and have been pleased with results... while not the picture quality of an SLR, it produces pictures that I am more than pleased with, as well as those on the receiving end... my requirements was something that i could hang around my neck, under a life jacket, pull out while paddling Class IV and V whitewater, point and shoot... it needed to be light, have good optical zoom, be WATERPROOF, and not require a bunch of fiddling around with... ... this camera does all that... having a wider field of vision (than competition), and macro capabilities have been plusses... maybe those higher end pros and knowledgeable hobbyist will ask for more, but for the avid boater, climber, hiker, and general outdoors enthusiast this is the real deal... only thing wishing for - is write time to disk could be bit faster, but shooting at highest quality level - could drop pic quality, however knew about write time up front, and enjoy being able to blow up and crop... uses standard SDLC, according to Pentax Support - higher quality level II or III cards, will result in only minimally faster write times... have gotten a couple extra batteries for longer trips


2 out of 5 stars Sent it back because the video was noisy   August 25, 2008
  1 out of 1 found this review helpful

Lets start by saying that I loved my old Pentax Optio WP. I made the mistake of going into the water with the a little sand in the battery door causing some water damage. I bought this on to replace the WP. It actually takes really good photos. My problem is when shooting video, you can hear the lens focusing the entire time the video clip gets played back. I sent an email to Pentax but received no response. So I sent it back to Amazon. Their return policy is great and I've already gotten my refund.


4 out of 5 stars Great "Fun" Camera   August 16, 2008
  16 out of 16 found this review helpful

UPDATE: This review was updated on 9/1/08 to reflect the announcement of the Olympus 1050SW.

I am a self confessed camera freak. I have owned the Pentax WPi, W10, W30, and now, the W60. My other primary cameras are the Canon SD 870 (with waterproof housing for diving) and a Canon SLR system with L series lenses, etc. I live in Hawaii and I travel for a living and I can say that without a doubt, the Pentax W series of cameras have been my "go to" cameras for any activities that involve water, snow, sand, or dirt. They take A LOT of abuse even if they don't advertise that fact like Olympus. For optical quality in a "friendly" environment when I don't want to lug my SLR, I prefer my Canon SD 870 which has noticeably better optics.

Like many people who somehow trashed their previous W series camera, I have been waiting over a year for the W30 upgrade and I can report that all in all, the W60 is a worthy upgrade to the W30 if only for the 28mm lens. In addition, it's lighter, the screen is brighter, and it's got a couple of useful software upgrades. I've been using the camera for a month now.

Make no mistake, this is a "fun" outdoors camera. If you're not going to take your camera in the water, to the beach, or mountain biking stop reading now and find a camera with better optics. The W60 is just o.k. and certainly no worse than the W30. As for the barrel distortion at 28mm, it's probably just slightly worse than my Canon SD 870 which means that the distortion is there and is noticeable, but for a group shot at the beach or trying to get the full length of a kayak AND an isle in the background, I'll live with the ever so slight distortion. You can always just click the lens down to 37mm and eliminate the distortion just like any other compact.

I'll also confess that I'm a Mac user and therefore don't know how to read manuals. Because of this, I find the "smile detect" and "blink detect' features amazingly annoying although they seem to work as long as your subjects are not wearing sunglasses. Fortunately, for illiterate and/or lazy idiots such as myself, you can ignore most features and easily find the important ones like underwater white balance.

Here's what I like and dislike about this particular model.

LIKES

1) Nothing beats not worrying about sand, water, dirt, or mud. I had the Olympus 1030SW for two days before sand screwed up the retractable lens cover (great idea, poor execution which has been addressed on the recently announced 1050SW). Also, if you let your kids take photos like I do, you can worry less about camera damage when one of them inevitably throws your camera at the other one or tries to hit them over the head with it in the pool.

2) 28mm lens. Wide angle (vs. the typical 38mm) is an option I'd rather have than not. Also, there is a crazy "wide" feature that's a bit different than panoramic stitch that actually works pretty well. In a nutshell, two portrait shots are stitched in camera into a 5MP 21mm image. It's by no means "publishable" quality, but I've actually been having quite a bit of fun with it.

DISLIKES

1) HD movie clips. I was very disappointed that the 720p movie clips are only 15 fps. My old Canon S80 had the same specs and I find the jerkiness at 15 fps too distracting. The initial press release (specs since updated) didn't disclose this. Oh well. I'd still buy it. 640 movie clips at 30 fps are as clean as expected and the shake reduction works fairly well (but reduces the frame to something less than 28mm). Also, a note on reviewers who complain about sound recorded from the focusing drive, switch to infinity focus which works fine in 90% of all situations and that annoying sound will be eliminated).

2) Noticeable barrel distortion at 28mm. Like I said earlier, better to have the option available and zoom in when able. Even at 28mm, your shot won't be ruined. Also, if you have a mother-in-law you can cleverly position her at the end of the frame and the distortion will make her look slightly thinner (in case she accuses your SLR of making her look fat).

3) Still no travel charger included or officially available (which I find inexcusable) although inelegant third party solutions exist online (and the multi battery use ones still work even though they've changed the battery model).

4) No external user replaceable lens protecter. Come on Pentax engineers. How hard would it be to design an exterior casing that allowed for a user replaceable transparent protective "filter" like an SLR. There's a reason I've bought four models. I trash them.

Now for the important feature: Underwater Imaging

If you want a camera for scuba diving stop reading now and go buy yourself a Canon with any of their factory built cases. This is not a diving camera.

If you want a camera for snorkeling, kayaking, surfing, or kiteboarding; or if you plan to take your camera to the beach; or if you like hiking in the rain or mountain biking, you will be stoked with this camera. (Previous W series models I owned worked fine in the snow and cold whereas my compact Canons sometimes freeze) The Olympus 1030SW is a close second for me for the following reasons. 1) I like the rectangle form factor of the Pentax a tad more; 2) I find SD cards more convenient than XD cards (plus I own a bunch and my computer has a slot for them); 3) a personal bad experience with the 1030SW retractable lens cover; 4) movies on the Olympus models are capped at 10 seconds (vs. the size of your memory card on the Pentax - 30 minutes on my 4GB card); and 5) the Pentax is noticeably lighter (but does not feel cheap). I think there's also some merit to the fact that this is Pentax's sixth generation of W series cameras. They've learned a lot. Also, I should mention that I used to use a Sony compact with a waterproof "Sport" case and besides making the whole camera "fat", the picture quality suffered greatly.

UPDATE regarding the new Olympus 1050SW: While i have not used this camera (to be released on 10/31/08) from the specs and photos I can see that they have addressed the retractable lens cover issue with a Sony style system however they have increased the focal length to 38mm (equivalent). I'd still prefer a 28mm. Also, 640 movies are still inexplicably capped at 10 seconds vs. the size of you memory card for the Pentax models.

Underwater videos of kids in the pool rock (set focus to infinity in the Settings menu to avoid mechanical noise). Videos of them surfing are priceless (buy yourself a neckstrap). Being able to wash your camera off at the end of the day is amazing. It's also kind of fun to drop it in a mug of beer at the Hofbrauhaus in Munich and freak your friends out.

I highly recommend the Pentax W60 for anyone that has an outdoor lifestyle and likes to record memories. It's a great secondary camera when paired with something a bit more serious like an SLR. It is not the best camera for going out for a night on the town and it's not the best camera if you're going on the vacation of a lifetime that doesn't involve a lot of water or dirt. Have fun!



5 out of 5 stars Exactly what I was looking for   August 7, 2008
  5 out of 6 found this review helpful

I'm very impressed with this little camera!
I was in need for a camera that was small enough I could take it with me without a camera bag and all the hoopla. I was finding more & more often I would leave my camera at home because it was such a project to lug it around with me, so I needed something small. Since I'm into camping, hiking & kayaking I also wanted a camera that could withstand my adventures.
I've had the Pentax W60 for a few days now and I'm quite impressed. The macro feature is amazingly simple to use and takes great images. This camera doesn't have all the same features of my "bigger" camera, but it has all the ones that I actually use. So its definitely the right fit.

I haven't taken it in the water yet, but it looks pretty solid. The battery, SD card & USB port are all under one sliding door that automatically locks shut. The controls are ridiculously easy to figure out, and common controls aren't buried in the "menu".

I thought the blue case was pretty but I bought the silver case cause I figured if I drop it in the lake, I'd be able to see it to fish it out.





Included with most items on sale are editorial reviews and customer reviews