Customer Reviews

Pentax Optio W90 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(27)

 

 

I read the reviews for the previous models of the Pentax, Lumix, Olympus waterproof cameras and most were mixed. I purchased this Pentax before taking a vacation in the Caribbean. I was very pleased with the performance and results of this camera. Now to be clear, it doesn't replace my Nikon D40, but complements it. This Pentax camera simply allowed me to get pictures I would never have gotten with another camera. I took it to the beach, out in the water, snorkeling underwater. It performed well underwater and was great for pictures out of the water with very acceptable resolution.

I had the camera immersed in saltwater, freshwater for extended periods of time. No signs of leaking. It is compact, durable. I like its functions, options etc. I was worried that it might work great underwater, but that I might have to compromise on normal pictures where I would have typically used another compact (non waterproof) but didn't want to carry another compact camera with me. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the pictures under normal shooting conditions.

I see a lot of use coming from this camera. Kayak trips, beach trips. just taking it places where I wouldn't want to take my other cameras.

I highly recommend this camera---but understand what you are getting, incredible flexibility with very good quality, but don't expect it to perform like your digital SLR. But some of the pictures I got with this camera, I simply wouldn't have gotten with my digital SLR because it wouldn't have been with me!

I had this camera for about three weeks, I really liked the physical appearance, ease of operation, and menus (I think the menu/user interface was really good). However, the quality of the pictures and HD video is not there for what it costs. I ordered the Panasonic TS2 last week from Amazon and compared them side by side, picture for picture. The Panasonic won hands down in my opinion. The video was clearer, did not have all the noise which plagued the Pentax (especially in sunny conditions), and you can use the optical zoom with the Panasonic (with the Pentax you are limited to digital zoom while recording video). Granted these weather/waterproof cameras don't replace dedicated DSLR's or high-end consumer camcorders (I just bought a Sony HDR-CX550v - it is GREAT), but for the price, they really should give us more quality. I paid $276 for the Pentax, and $326 for the Panasonic - well worth the extra few dollars. Kudos to Amazon for their return policy! (FYI - I also looked hard at the Olympus 8010 and 6020, while at Best buy on several occasions. While not comparing it directly with the Pentax or Panasonic, I was not happy with the slow shutter lag, menu operation, and general feel of it. Again, just my opinion. )

I recently bought this camera for a trip to Hawaii. I knew it was a good camera when i got it, but it out performed by expectations.
-- The image quality is good, colors are well portrayed in the finished images.
-- It does have Interval shooting, which it didn't say in the description but I find this option fun for time lapse.
-- The panoramic mode is also really nice. It stitches together three images as you take them. It has a kind of visual guide to help you line the pictures up. The finished product is very good.
-- I took this camera under water in the ocean. The pictures came out pretty good, but I didn't take alot because the water was colder than I thought lol. After the ocean I followed the instructions to rinse the unit in a bowl of fresh water and it worked good. No leaks.
-- The camera itself is very rugged and stands up to alot of abuse.
-- I haven't used the micro shooting function very much, but the shots I have done are very cool. The LEDs on the front of the camera work well, but again I didn't use it that much.

Over all this is an awesome camera. I am an amateur photographer, I usually shoot with my Canon 5D mark II. But for a light trip like this, the W90 worked perfect. I'm impressed with everything about it. It is a really fun camera and I highly recommend it, hence the 5 stars. Hope this helps.

I have had this PS camera for about 2 weeks now. My intentions when purchasing the device was to get something waterproof enough for my kayak and on the boat and rugged enough to stand up to my almost 4 year old daughter. I looked at the competition and this device by far surpasses any expectation I was expecting. The image quality for a 12mp camera with a waterproof design is above average. I shoot Canon DSLR's and Canon L Series glass so the bar was set high. I do not plan on using the images to be blown up but rather for prints no bigger than 8X10 and displaying on my site.

The underwater features are awesome. I recently shot a 5 minute video with the camera at the bottom of a fellow angler's live well while tarpon fishing. Image quality is great.

I would reccomend a 16g or larger memory card if you are going to be shooting a lot of video with this device.

Too many functions to list but if you purchase this for rugged outdoor wet use.... You will not be dissapointed.

I used this camera for a week and returned it to Amazon.

The good.

1. It is waterproof. Took to the pool and used it for an hour and it did great.
2. Takes good video underwater.
3. Panoramic mode and Digital Microscope mode are really cool and work well.
4. Picture quality is pretty good.
5. Colors are accurate
6. Size and weight are great. Very easy to take everywhere.
7. I think it looks great.
8. Feels very solid and well made.

The bad.

1. The video quality is terrible. It is not HD video. It may be HD resolution but the video is so smeared and poor quality that it might as well be just standard def.
2. Can't zoom or focus while taking video. This was the deal breaker for me.
3. No orientation sensor. This should just be standard on any new digicam.
4. Automatic flash always uses red eye reduction. I wish autoflash would just use regular flash. This may not be a con for some people but to me it was annoying. I had to manually set to force flash to use regular flash.
5. No image stabilization
6. Video in HD mode is limited to 10 minutes regardless of flash memory size.

EDIT:

Because someone pointed out that this review could use some clarification.

The underwater video quality is much better than its "out of water" video quality. I don't expect much underwater and it met my expectations underwater. Out in the air, I expected crisp video that changes focus and you can zoom with. It is not crisp. It does not focus - whatever you have focused on at the start of the video is where the focus is stuck at for the remainder so if you've focused on something close to start and you pan away from it to something far away, that will be completely blurry. The reverse is also true. The only zoom that it has during video is digital zoom which makes an already poor picture worse.

It does not have true image stabilization which means that it shifts either the lens elements or the sensor to stabilize the image. Pentax uses software to try to emulate this - they call it pixel track. Some other camera manufacturers boost the ISO and call that "anti-shake". Both of these are misleading to the uninformed public. The difference between real image stabilization and these software methods is like the difference between real optical zoom and digital zoom.. both appear to do the same thing but only one truly does it.

You can goto youtube and look for video samples taken both with the Pentax W90 and the Panasonic TS2. The difference is dramatic.

I think if video is not important to you, this is a good camera. I think if video is important to you, this camera is subpar.

This is quite simply the best camera I have ever owned. It is perfect for every situation- underwater or otherwise. It has a mode to fit every situation I encountered on my recent vacation to Oahu, Hawaii. See the "customer images" at the top for my example pictures. The landscape mode is stunning and brings out the greens and blues in a landscape. Pictures of landscapes from my 14 megapixel Samsung look dim and boring in comparison to this camera's landscape mode. And microscope mode can turn the simplest items (sand, dirt, bark) into professional-looking photography. With sand, you can see the individual grains and shells with incredible detail. I even used this mode on a sweet potato... it looked like a purple grand canyon (yeah, the sweet potatoes in Hawaii are purple for some reason). Microscope mode also works well underwater as well for things such as fish and hermit crabs. Panoramic mode is easy to use and patches up to 3 pictures together very well (as long as there aren't moving people or cars in the picture... then there are ghosts of these items where it was stitched together). I took a panoramic picture at the top of Diamond Head that looked incredible. Even the "food" mode impressed me; it made a simple picture of a meal from a shrimp shack look professional and rich in color. Basically, the different modes on this camera automatically make the same adjustments to the pictures that I would normally make in Photoshop, except without the hassle and hundreds of dollars worth of software.

My only semi-complaint is that when on the highest quality settings, the movie mode used a TON of space on my memory card. A 90 second video took up almost 300MB! Although that is way too large for a video that short, I have still left it on the highest setting because I don't want to sacrifice any quality (especially when these videos involve giant sea turtles). Also, optical zoom is not available during video; it is purely digital zoom.

And finally, my favorite mode on this camera is the underwater picture/video mode. I used it while snorkeling in Hanauma Bay and took stunning pictures and videos of tropical fish, giant sea turtles, squid, and so much more. With my goggles on, I could easily see the screen of the camera and had no trouble change modes while underwater. It was just as easy to operate underwater as it was above water. I was surprised to learn that the microphone actually picked up sound underwater. You could hear me breathing through the snorkel and if there are people yelling nearby, you can still hear it underwater. My only problem was that when there was a lot of sand floating in the water, the camera focused on the floating sand instead of the turtle behind it. But this only happened when I put my feet on the sand, which probably kicked it up into the water. So be careful about that.

Three pieces of advice:

1. After it has been submerged, let the camera sit and dry for at least an hour before you open it (even if you dried it with a towel yourself, still let it sit for an hour) because the area right outside the internal waterproof seals cannot be dried without opening the camera and exposing the battery to that small amount of water.

2. ALWAYS TURN OFF THE FLASH in auto mode unless you absolutely need it. This camera tends to flash when it isn't necessary. The first thing I do when I turn this camera on is turn off the flash.

3. Turn the picture quality to the highest setting as soon as you turn on this camera! It is not on the highest setting by default. You can also do this for videos, but I warn you that the high-quality videos will eat up your memory card space. But for me, it's worth it.

I also recommend the floating strap for this camera. Pentax Optio Floating Wrist Strap for Cameras

I splurged & bought a green one for my girlfriend's birthday. I had read that some of them leak, and figured "well I won't get one of the leaky ones" she went straight to the pool with it and after 2 pictures (98 seconds.) underwater It started to glitch. we got it out, we dried it off, and after 2 days it started to function again only now the power button light stays on and drains the battery. Long story short I had planned on buying a new orange one for myself but it definitely IS NOT an underwater camera. s) A real heart breaker, I wanted to love this camera so bad. I wanted it to do all it said it did. I saw it and thought, "Finally a camera that can keep up with our hobbies" I'd hoped it'd be something nice that you'd own forever and rave about to friends&family...MIS-TAKE!!!
"Waterproof to 0m" is what the box should say I'll never own another Pentax, Period.

Pentax Optio W90 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black)

I am very impressed with the New Pentax Optio W90 after a week of use. I tried the Olympus Stylus Tough 8010, but found the build quality rather suspect despite the high specs. The front panel on the 8010 is flimsy, and I am amazed it is waterproof. It also has a high gloss finish which is going to get scratched quickly.

The Pentax W90 on the other hand seems to be the only waterproof camera (vs D10, 8010, TMC-TS) that comes ruggedized out of the box. It feels better put together than the others, yet it is slightly smaller. The shape is like a chunky mobile phone, and feels very easy to hold, with the grippy rubber-like coating.

I'm not a camera expert, so will leave the photo comparisons to better qualified, but from trying them all out, it was v.hard to distinguish between them. I was particularly interested in a camera that could take some knocks, simple to use and lightweight. I can see this camera stealing the show from the competition in the waterproof point-and-shoot category.

I bought this camera about a month before I was going on an eastern Caribbean cruise in order to become familiar with the camera before I left on my vacation. i took a variety of pictures in different modes and in general, the camera took good pictures except in low light. When i left on vacation. i was confident that the camera would let me take some nice underwater shots while snorkeling. At my first snorkel stop in St Lucia, I took about a dozen pictures underwater (none of which were deeper than 6 feet) before the camera malfunctioned. It did not flood (thankfully) but just quit responding to any input (shutter, mode, etc) except the power switch. If the camera power was cycled, it would turn on, take 2 or 3 flash pictures on its own then lock up. Needless to say I was disappointed I bought this camera.

When I returned from my trip, I contacted Pentax and was told to send the camera to AZ for repair. It's been gone 4 weeks without any communication from Pentax. BTW, while talking to the customer service rep before I sent the camera off, he admitted that they had seen this problem with other cameras of this model and assured me it would be fixed.

I would seriously consider the Canon or Olympus cameras instead of the W90. I've had an Olympus for about 4 years, use it a lot (it saved me on my vacation) and it is still working without a problem.

I ordered this camera as a replacement for my Optio W10 which always works great but has limited features compared with newer cameras.

The specs of the W90 are attractive, but the first time I used the camera in an 8' pool, the shutter release stopped working.

The replacement camera also failed in exactly the same way when used in a 4' pool.

When I contacted Pentax, they claimed it was not a common problem, but the negative comments on this site indicate otherwise.

I also think the picture quality of the pictures I did get wasn't as good as my old W10 (particularly light balance).

Sad that the new generations of Pentax products don't function as well as the old.

Bottom-line: BEWARE - THIS CAMERA IS NOT WATERPROOF WHEN USED AS DIRECTED