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!
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!
Buy Pentax Optio W60 Waterproof 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom (Ocean Blue) Now
Clearly, this is not a camera for everybody. It's designed for those outdoor enthusiasts who's willing to trade the picture quality for the taking anywhere feature. I wish I could have a compact camera that can be used anywhere but still has DSLR picture quality -but that camera doesn't exist!
If the underwater capability is important to you, then there are not so many choices out there -and the only two get head to head are Olympus 1030 and the Pentax W60. Both are 10M pixels which I don't think it's really needed -you can't fully use the 10M capability because of the lens quality. Some important difference:
Olympus can go 30 ft deep, Pentax 10 ft.
Olympus is crash proof, Pentax is not
Olympus's lens is 28-105, Pentax is 28-140
Both can take video of 640x480, up to the size of the flash card (Olympus may need a firmware upgrade), but Pentax can take 1280x720 in 15 fps.
Olympus can't use zoom during video taking, Pentax can, but records the zoom sound as well.
Pentax has slightly better picture quality, but little noisier.
Pentax uses SD/SDHC card, Olympus uses xdpicture card, which is more expensive.
Finally I decided to go with the Pentax.
Things I like besides the under water capability:
Feature rich. There are 24 different scene mode, a good fit to novice users, and there are also face detection, blink detection, smile detection and some on-camera editing capability. You can also do the slide-show on camera.
Easy to follow interface. I learned to use more than 90% of the functions without even reading the manual.
Macro that closes up to 1cm, not so many cameras are capable of that.
Picture color is normally good.
Live histogram view
Things I don't like:
Poor low light performance, very noisy
The so-called image stabilizing is just to bump up the ISO, which cause noisier image
Below average image quality (comparing other point and shoot)
Metering/White Balance/EV Adjustment only available in the P mode! This is my biggest complaint. I don't know what's in Pentax engineer's mind. I can live with no AP/SP/manual mode, but I still need these adjustments!
No lens cover. Even though there is a protective layer in the front, so one can't touch the real lens, but that layer can still get dirty and I'm also afraid to simply put the camera in my pocket with other stuff.
With all that said, am I returning the camera? The hell no! I have my DSLR for better image quality, but I still need a compact one that I can bring with me on trips to ski, beach, or even snorkeling!
Read Best Reviews of Pentax Optio W60 Waterproof 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom (Ocean Blue) Here
Because of serious spray I needed a waterproof camera with a wide angle lens for an August 11 trip to Niagara Falls ("Slowly I turned.."). I saw the Pentax Optio W60 on Amazon with an expected release date of August 5 so I was preparing to settle for the W30. Then, while surfing the site it came up as "in stock" on July 10. I immediately ordered it with Super Saver shipping and had it in my hands by noon on July 16. This was way faster than I had hoped for. I spent the next 11 hours studying it and the manual.
The manual is 240 pages, all in English, soI am not going to bore you with a list of features. You can see them for yourself on the Amazon and Pentax web sites. What I will say is that the pictures I took while learning the camera last night were excellent. If this camera does not meet all your needs in a point and shoot camera then its unlikely anything will. It definitely meets my needs. Its waterproof and shockproof and has a 5X zoom (28-140, 35mm equivalent) as well as 5.7X digital zoom and movie mode with zoom and sound.
My only suggestion, at this time, would be that the battery compartment door latch button could be a little more substantial. You will need an extra D-LI78 battery or its higher mah equivalent. The supplied battery is only 680mah.
I spoke with Paul at Pentax customer service. His recommendation was that there was no need to spend extra for class 4 or class 6 SD cards, class 2 cards would be fine. Because of built-in camera hardware limitations I would only gain minimal write speed with class 4 or 6 cards. I did as he suggested and the write speed is very fast with the class 2 (standard) Sandisk cards.
As a former photo retailer with over 20 years experience in camera sales I feel safe when I say "BUY THIS CAMERA!" You will not be disappointed.
Want Pentax Optio W60 Waterproof 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom (Ocean Blue) Discount?
I just got this camera the other day. So far it seems like a good compromise camera. I kayak a lot, and I don't want to risk my digital slr when I'm out on salt water. I've hesitated a lot before buying a waterproof camera because their quality for the price has always seemed less. I finally bit the bullet on this camera because of the 5x optical zoom and the ability to take macro pictures from 1 cm away. Unlike the olympus underwater camera this takes SD cards I couldn't see buying an xD card. This camera is capable of taking beautiful photos, the 1 cm macro is fun shove my camera into a flower and see what I get.
Negatives so far:
Lots of noise in low light, especially when zoomed in
I don't like that there's not a cover that closes over the lens when you turn off the camera. It means you should definitely have a dedicated case for it.
Optical image stabilization would have been a great addition to this camera.
I bought the kata snapshot D camera case for the camera and it fits well:
Kata Ergo-Tech Series Snapshot D Small Flap Pouch
http://www.amazon.com/Ergo-Tech-Snapshot-Digital-Personal-Electronics/dp/B000I3XY2A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=photo&qid=1216695649&sr=1-1
samples pics and more details at:
Bought this bundle with the black camera body 2 week ago from Cameta. I am satisfied, everything as pictured arrived on time (which is note worthy as my shipping address is in California and Cameta is based in NY) and are brand new. I saved as buying the individual items clearly costs alot more.
Using this projector at my church to replace another Mitsubishi one that went out. It worked great. I was a little put off by the confusing title but it was a new EW270U i received at a great price. It different from my old Mitsubishi in that it doesn't have RGB component input but does have RCA (yellow) video, HDMI and VGA. Projects wide-screen without issue. I'm using a C2G video splitter to project on a monitor as well without issue. I'm satisfied with this purchase.
This is a good, very portable camcorder. There is a LOT you can do with it, so make sure you read the manual and try things out. My laptop is ancient, so I just could not edit on it. I haven't had a chance to try it with my desktop, but based on what I've seen, you can do a lot with the editing software. The tri-pod is not so hot. The flexible legs sound like a good idea, but it actually made it quite difficult to get the camera where I wanted it. I haven't had a chance to use any of the other accessories, but they seem standard and useful when called for. The bag is very useful and has a lot of protective padding, but the tri-pod does not fit. Take your time learning how to use this and you can get a lot out of this camera. I'm looking forward to using it as a film camera for small projects I want to do.
The tripod is very weak. Once the 55-250mm lens or anything else is attached, the tripod becomes VERY wobbly. It's handle has already broken on me and I haven't even had it no more than a month.
I wasn't expecting to get the quality I did for how much I paid for this kit. Don't get me wrong this is far from the best kit you could buy, but being a novice to making videos this is perfect. I bought this kit for my Nikon D50 camera along with my Vado HD video camera, and it works perfectly. The camera bag isn't big enough for the Nikon but I knew it wouldn't be, I just wanted a safer way to carry my video camera other than in my pocket with my keys and wallet. I highly recommend this kit for anyone who needs a basic tripod, and a few other extra odds and ends. The tripod alone in my opinion is worth the price of the entire kit.
In wanting to replace my old (JVC GRDVM90U) camera/camcorder combo, I looked at the Canon Optura 600 and the Sony DCR-PC1000. Consumer Reports claimed high return/defect rates for JVC models, so I steered clear away from purchasing another JVC -especially since my old camcorder exhibited many of the same issues multiple people have documented in the GRDVM90U's reviews. Besides wanting to stick with MiniDV (for my old tapes' sake), what was most important to me in a replacement camcorder was 1) size, 2) still picture quality, 3) low-light ability, and 4) overall versatility. The Optura 600 delivered impeccably on all fronts. Size-wise, it is the smallest MiniDV camcorder I've seen on the market yet, although the Sony DCR-PC1000 appears to be a close second. What I liked about the Optura more than the Sony, however, was the overall design -it felt more solid and compact as opposed to small, but long and narrow. I wanted to be able to tote something around fairly easily and unnoticably, and the Optura delivered. It was so small it fit easily in a small purse (along with other small gadgets, ie. phone and Ipod), and large pockets also made for a comfortable home for it. The still picture quality was probably the clincher in my final decision to go with the Optura over the Sony. One thing to note, however, is that the Optura 600 is 4.0MP, *not* 4.3MP. Regardless, its 4.0MP beats Sony's 2.7MP hands-down. Because it was important for me to purchase a camcorder that would also serve the purpose of a digital camera (why have one of each when you can have something that can do both well?), I went for the higher-end Optura. Also, Canon's Elph Series digital cameras have always appeared to deliver consistent, great-quality digital images (practically everyone I know owns some version of the Elph), and I felt more comfortable knowing that Canon's still-camera expertise would translate better to a camcorder combo than Sony's (last I heard Canon didn't manufacture TVs, amplifiers, and PCs, as well). In addition to having a more than adequate low-light function (sometimes, surprisingly, it makes dark shots brighter than desired), it has all the basic functions and features one would expect from a camera of this caliber (ie. special effects, video/picture transfer software, numerous manual and automatic settings, widescreen functionality, all the cables and connectors needed to hook up to your TV and PC, 10x optical zoom, etc.). The one and only thing that I did like better in the Sony was its built-in, retractable lens cover -I found myself constantly fiddling with the plastic lens cover of the Optura whenever I unexpectedly came across a shot I just *had* to have. Other than that, I'm quite thrilled with my purchase and have not been disappointed yet. Design-wise, yes, it is a bit awkward (depends on the size of your hand and the dexterity of your fingers, really) -but this thing is tiny, so there has to be some compromise in ergonomics. I've found this to be a minor point, as the Optura's style, design, and overall look more than compromise for the slight awkwardness that really only takes a little getting used to. I often get many comments from strangers in awe of it whenever I take it out to capture a moment, and that alone is almost enough to overlook its minor faults.
The price point when compared to the Kodak or Flip is great, however video quality is not up to the same standard as these competitors. Video appears slightly washed out and grainy. Have also noticed a consistant issue with a horizontal line that appears in every video approx every 5 seconds.