Pentax Optio W60 Waterproof 10MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom (Ocean Blue) | 
| Brand: Pentax
List Price: $299.95
Buy New: $209.99
You Save: $89.96 (30%)
New (58) Used (3) from $199.95
Rating:  29 reviews
Sales Rank: 78
Color: Ocean Blue
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Optical Zoom: 5
Display Size: 2.5
Maximum Focal Length: 25
Minimum Focal Length: 5
Maximum Resolution: 10
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 3.9 x 2.2 x 1
MPN: B0019V2CW8
Model: B0019V2CW8
UPC: 027075144040
EAN: 0027075144040
ASIN: B0019V2CR8
Release Date: July 5, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| 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 |
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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
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| Customer Reviews: Read 24 more reviews...
 Great "Fun" Camera August 16, 2008
surfbum (Honolulu, HI United States)
79 out of 80 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!
 Does it all and does it well! July 17, 2008
A.G. (Santa Fe, NM USA)
31 out of 34 found this review helpful
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.
Good waterproof camera July 18, 2008
Widget (Virginia)
20 out of 23 found this review helpful
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:
http://forums.goingprepared.com/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=1054
Excellent features, not quite HD video, so-so sound. July 20, 2008
Travelin' Man
11 out of 14 found this review helpful
I purchased the W60 primarily on the strength of it being a waterproof camera with 720p HD video. I have two Pentax DSLR's and generally like the brand.
The camera itself is pretty terrific, with a slew of features (face/smile detection, audio recorder, waterproof) that are nicely customizable. Still image quality is good, especially if you limit the Auto ISO to 50-400 to manage the noise. The camera is quick to focus, and the flash seems powerful enough. I've printed out a few of the images on a Canon Pro9000 printer and they look good.
Note, the HD video is 15 fps, which makes it stutter. It'll work in a pinch for HD filmmakers who always want an HD device in their pocket, but indoors, it can be grainy and has artifacts. If you actually want sound on your video, you MUST disable the AF, as it's always making a clicking noise while you're shooting. So, either you forget about having decent audio or you set the camera to manual, infinity or "pan" focus prior to hitting "record." I've tried that on "Infinity" and that works for me. To their credit, Pentax admits this sound issue a couple of times in the truly comprehensive manual.
I was briefly tempted to return the W60 on the basis of these video limitations and exchange it for the Lumix FZ5a, which has 30 fps 720p and a longer optical zoom.
However, the fact that this small camera is waterproof is just darn cool (particularly for those who like to kayak or hang out at the beach). There are few options otherwise (the Olympus, or carrying around a waterproof case), and the W60's feature set is otherwise great. So it really comes down to what compromises you're prepared to make. Frankly, I love the freedom to shoot underwater or in the rain with this camera. I'll live with the video limitations. It's a keeper!
 Poor Image Quality July 30, 2008
Alan A. Mapes (Albany, NY USA)
9 out of 11 found this review helpful
I had really high hopes for the new Pentax waterproof, but have been sadly disappointed. The handling of the camera is really nice - all the functions work well, and it's really convenient to have the camera in the pocket of my PFD while kayaking. The problem is lousy image quality - I mean really lousy. All photos are extremely grainy, and I'm shooting at the highest quality the camera offers. The claim is 10MP, but the photos can't hold a candle to my old 4MP camera. There is not enough resolution to work with in cropping photos. The camera can't handle backlighting and burns out on highlights even with the sun in back of you. For low light situations it is useless. I love my Pentax digital SLR's, but this model is not ready for prime time - I'm returning it.
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