A review of the Pentax Optio W20 Digital Camera
Underwater cameras have come on so much that this doesn’t really look like one at all. We were quite concerned about submerging the Pentax Optio W20 into water, but it quite enjoyed it and we did too! Design |
| This Pentax looks like a standard digital camera with nothing too flashy about it (apart from the flash). But it is an underwater camera so it doesn’t seem to matter about the overall look. It is still sleek and minimal on the front and the back is dominated by a 2.5in LCD screen that has nice easy control buttons next to it. The D-pad has raised, rather than flush, controls and are much easier to press compared to other cameras. The only other buttons are menu, delete, playback and the zoom rocker, so it is very simple. With dimensions of 106.5mm (w) x 54.5mm (h) x 23mm (d) and a loaded weight of 150g it is small and light and apart from the word waterproof on the front there isn’t anything that separates this underwater marvel from any other digital camera. |
| Features |
| Like the majority of Pentax digital cameras, the W20 is packed with features. Let get the Underwater bit out of the way first. It can be used to shoot photos upto 5 feet underwater for durations of around 30 minutes, without the need for underwater housing. It is also dustproof which we think is a great feature as there is nothing more annoying than printing your pics and there being a bit of dust or small hair repeated on every image. This camera is ideal for use when skiing, doing water sports, fishing, or enjoying other outdoor events in other places where you would normally worry about water or dirt. There is 7.0 mega pixels which is improved upon it predecessor and higher maximum sensitivity of ISO 1600 in Blur reduction mode, increased flash range at ISO auto and just over twice as much built in memory. There is also an Auto Picture mode which automatically chooses the relevant scene mode (our fave is the Mermaid mode!) which is new to us as on other digicams you have to scroll through all the scene modes and choose your own. We love it when we have less to do! You can take photos as close as 1cm with the Macro mode on the W20 and then decorate your image with some of the groovy frames available. Face recognition pops up again on this Pentax so those portrait shots are superb quality and have excellent focus on facial features. |
| Performance |
| The Optio W20 includes a 3X optical zoom lens that covers focal lengths from 6.3 to 18.9mm (equivalent to 38 to 114 mm for 35mm film) and features a “folding” optical system so the lens never protrudes from the camera while zooming. The 7.0 effective megapixels, the Optio W20 produces extremely high-quality prints with crisp detail even when the photo is greatly enlarged. We were very impressed by the results when using the Blur Reduction, as they were so crisp and clear. There is no viewfinder on this model which is becoming rather popular on digital camera these days, but it is quite disappointing with this model in particular as the LCD is not brilliant and in low light is difficult see. We were amazed by the snail pace of start up as it took an unimpressive 5 seconds, which has got to be the slowest we have ever tested. |
| What's In The Box? |
| Lithium Ion Battery, Charger, USB lead, AV cable, CD driver, Strap |
| Overall Opinion |
| Pentax have provided us with a nice and dinky waterproof camera with some great features surprisingly tucked away inside. The Pentax Optio W20 is good value for money too. |
| By Hayley Malyon |
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Pros + Underwater camera without need for housing + Auto Picture Mode + Dustproof |
Cons - Slow start up - Poor LCD in low light |
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Picture Quality 9/10
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Battery Life 8/10
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Setup Simplicity 8/10
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Build Quality 9/10
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Ease of Use 9/10
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Overall Rating 
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7/11/2006
at 4:59:30pm
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