Pentax Optio W60 10 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 2.5 inch LCD (Pink)

by Pentax

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 2.2 x 1 x 3.9 inches ; 1.8 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B0029Z9VDQ
• Item model number: 17271
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #5,114 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)

  #59 in

  Electronics > Camera & Photo > Underwater Photography > Cameras

• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 15, 2009

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Lightweight and fully waterproof, the Optio W60 features 10 megapixels and a 5x zoom lens with 28mm wide-angle capability. The enhanced design of the Optio W60 allows the camera to operate up to 13 feet underwater for two hours and at extreme temperatures well below freezing.

Perfect for photography in adventurous as well as everyday settings, the 5x optical zoom refraction lens never protrudes from the Optio W60, yet it covers focal lengths from 5mm to 25mm (approximately 28mm to 140mm in 35mm format). This range allows the camera to capture a wide variety of scenes including expansive landscapes, architecture, and group photos in confined spaces as well as close-up telephoto shots of subjects. A Digital Wide function merges two shots into one image for ultra-wide-angle image capture (equivalent to a focal length of 21mm in 35mm format).

The Optio W60 also accompanies users to new aquatic depths. With improved design and construction of the shutter button and controls, as well as reinforced, airtight joints, the Optio W60 allows underwater photography up to 30 percent deeper than previous Pentax waterproof models. In addition to the JIS Class 8 waterproofing standard, the camera is JIS Class 5 dustproof against dirt, sand and dust and operates in extreme temperatures as cold as 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees Celsius).

Other important features and modes of the Pentax Optio W60 include a High-Quality Movie mode with HD resolution up to 1280 x 720 pixels (comparable to a 720p HDTV) as well as Auto Picture mode, fast Face Recognition, Smile Capture, Blink Detection, an Underwater Movie mode, High Sensitivity Digital SR mode that automatically adjusts the sensitivity up to ISO 6400, and an LCD monitor with a 170 degree wide-angle view and Anti-Reflection coating to reduce glare.

A perfect companion for indoor and outdoor enthusiasts, the Pentax Optio W60 performs well during winter and summer activities as well as in and around water and sand.

Optio W60 Highlights

10-megapixel resolution With 10 effective megapixels, the Pentax Optio W60 delivers highly-detailed photos.

5x zoom lens The Pentax Optio W60 features an internal 5x zoom lens that covers focal lengths from 5mm to 25mm (approximately 28mm to 140mm in 35mm format) and a refraction lens that never protrudes from the camera while zooming. This system allows the camera to capture a variety of scenes including expansive landscapes, architecture, and group photos in confined spaces as well as close-up telephoto shots of subjects. When combined with the intelligent digital zoom function (up to 5.7x) zoom magnification may be increased to 28.5x.

Enhanced waterproof and extreme weather performance The Optio W60 operates underwater up to 13 feet (four meters) for up to two hours, which is an increase of 30 percent over the performance of previous Pentax models that were limited to 10 feet. This performance is the result of improved construction of the shutter button and other controls and reinforced, airtight external joints. Waterproofed to the JIS Class 8 standard, the camera is dustproof to JIS Class 5 against sand and dust and operates in temperatures as cold as 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees Celsius). This makes it a perfect choice for outdoor winter activities such as skiing as well as for water sports including boating, fishing, kayaking, snorkeling, etc.

Bright, wide-angle LCD monitor The 2.5 inch high-resolution (approximately 230,000 dots) LCD monitor features an Anti-Reflection coating to reduce reflective glare and be easily viewed even in bright sunlight. The monitor’s wide viewing angle (about 170 degrees both horizontally and vertically) allows users to view images from nearly any angle.

High-quality movies with Shake Reduction And HD resolution The Optio W60 captures movies at resolutions as high as 1280 x 720 pixels, which is comparable to HDTV resolution at 720p. The camera also features Movie Shake Reduction to automatically correct camera shake and an Underwater Movie mode that optimizes color settings for recording underwater.

Auto Picture mode Featuring scene-recognition technology, the camera’s Auto Picture mode determines the subject’s shooting conditions and automatically selects the optimal scene mode. Optio W60 photographers also may select from seven capture modes including Flower, Sport, Night Scene Portrait, Landscape, Portrait, Night Scene, and Standard modes.

Face Recognition function Face Recognition AF & AE function on the Optio W60 delivers beautiful portrait shots with a single setting. This convenient function automatically sets the focus and exposure detecting up to 32 faces at one time in 0.03 seconds. The camera also features Smile Capture mode that automatically captures images when subjects smile and Blink Detection, which warns the photographer if any subject’s eyes are closed during exposure.

High Sensitivity Digital Shake Reduction The Optio W60 features Digital Shake Reduction, which compensates for camera shake and subject blurring during still-image photography. This mode automatically adjusts sensitivity up to a maximum of ISO 6400 based on ambient lighting, which permits a faster shutter speed to capture sharp, clear images. In addition, Digital Shake Reduction for playback corrects blurring in images post-capture.

Additional Features

• Macro focusing can focus on subjects as close as a centimeter (less than one inch) for stunning close-up shots
• Pentax proprietary SP (Super Protect) coating adds superior water repellency and scratch resistance to the lens’s front protective glass to prevent water droplets from forming
• Panorama mode stitches a series of up to three shots into one wide photo
• Intelligent zoom function extends the zoom range without compromising the optical zoom’s image quality
• Supports SD memory cards and SDHC memory cards
• Approximately 36.4 MB of built-in memory
• Frame composite function allows photographers to shoot and create images with decorative frames; 80 styles to choose from
• Date and Time imprint function for easy image categorizing
• Includes the ACDSee for Pentax 3.0 image viewer/image management software, that supports Windows VistaTM
• Supports PictBridge, DPOF printing, Exif Print, and PRINT Image Matching

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. Available in Ocean Blue or Silver, the Optio W60 also feature High-Quality Movie mode, Face Recognition, Smile Capture, and Blink Detection.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent camera for parents, August 17, 2009

By	P. Canniff "paul206" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Pentax Optio W60 10 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 2.5 inch LCD (Pink) (Electronics)

I bought the Pentax W60 six months ago on the way to an indoor waterpark. I wanted something that would be functionally equivalent to my existing Canon SD 870 IS: small and light, decent still shots, decent videos.

Since then the Pentax has become my default camera.

Pros:
decent image quality
some neat "smart" modes
waterproof and dust resistant means no worries about child-play environments!

Cons:
auto-focus seems to get it wrong more often than my Canon
no one-button swap between still and movie mode
zoom quality seems lower
zooming during video has big big focus issues
short battery life per charging

If I only had one camera for all occaisions, those cons might be overwhelming, but I also have a Nikon D90 which I use for formal occaisions or highly dramatic scenery. So, for my "everyday" use, I'm swayed by the robust nature of the waterproof housing.

Let me specifically address the video cons. First, my Canon (and all its ancestors) has a simple physical switch to move from still mode to movie mode. The Pentax has a menu system which requires me to push one button, navigate over a few places, and push again. Under pressure of capturing a kid in action, that's a recipe for failure. Second, the zoom may be less nice because of the inability to have a lens poking out the front, but I am puzzled by what seems to be the complete failure of the auto-focus when I zoom during a video.

Depending on your needs, you may weigh these issues differently. For me, this camera is great solution.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing. Poor followon to the W10, September 9, 2009

By	karen0017 "karen0017" (Greenfield, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pentax Optio W60 10 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 2.5 inch LCD (Pink) (Electronics)

I bought the W60 early this summer when my W10 was damaged in an accident. I am extremely disappointed in the W60.

The user interface is basically fine, but I find it hard to press the separate buttons (I always feel fat-fingered on it). The W10 in contrast was much easier to manipulate.

The waterproof housing is noticeably improved over the W10.

The battery has almost no lifespan. I get about 60 pictures (no flash) before I have to recharge it. Even more annoying, the battery doesn't sit terribly well in the recharger, so you have to be careful to ensure that it's actually recharging. I find it *exceedingly* annoying that you can't recharge this camera from the USB port -- you plug in the camera to download the pictures, and even if the camera is attached to a wall outlet, the battery fails. I am also disappointed that they changed the battery shape from the W10 -- I have perfectly good batteries from that camera, and had to buy new ones for this; not very environmentally friendly!

The flash is weaker that it was in the W10; and it's now almost useless. I get about 1.5 meters (4 feet) of range before the light fails -- that's extremely close up.

The focus is quite poor. Even when in "portrait" mode (when it tries to look for faces), the camera does not always focus on the face it found. About 1/3 of my photos are out-of-focus. (On the W10, I'd only have problems when the subject was moving.) My suspicion is not that the focus mechanism itself is poor, but the algorithm that decides on where to focus picks the wrong item.

About 4 weeks after I purchased the camera, the power switch failed. (It took quite some googling to figure out what the problem was, as the manual only says to recharge the battery.) Since I was on vacation at the time, I was VERY happy that I had a second camera with me. I sent it back to the manufacturer for repair, and it was returned about 10 days later. They had corrected the power switch, focus, and zoom block. It still can't focus well.

The quality of underwater photos is slightly improved over the W10, but given that you're moving in the water and the fish are moving, the focus problem is really serious.

Overall, I'm very disappointed. Even more so because I loved the W10, and was really looking forward to the next generation.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not as good as the Optio W10, September 26, 2009

By	B. Herndon "Bridgieee" (North Little Rock, Arkansas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Pentax Optio W60 10 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and 2.5 inch LCD (Pink) (Electronics)

My Optio W10 died on me, and while it had it's faults it was a good reliable camera. The W60 has some of the same complaints (slow to take pics, not good in low light, etc) but the images are even worse than the W10. I wouldn't recommend this camera. I haven't used the waterproof feature yet...plan on doing that in a couple weeks at the beach.