I finally bit the bullet and just bought a little waterproof camera.

I ended up picking the pentax optio w60 - because... It just came out. It has no reviews, and typically when I read the reviews of little underwater cameras... They make me shudder, because they tend to be great reviews for being able to use it underwater, and marginal reviews for picture quality for the price you pay. This had no reviews, 'cause it's new - therefore, I could buy it without being pissed at spending that much for marginal pics! That makes perfect sense, I know - but I really do want a small waterproof camera that I can just throw in my bike bag or drag with me on the kayak without worrying about salt water frying my $1100 camera body.

The main contender for the pentax is the olympus 1030sw - which has ABSOLUTELY terrible reviews for picture quality. It's waterproof down to 33 feet, which is further than the pentax that, I bought. The olympus has a 3.6x zoom, and 10.1 megapixels. It's shockproof to 6.6 feet (takes impact) and can go to -15 degrees or something. The cons. 1. only 3.6x zoom 2. terrible reviews. 3. takes xD picture cards. wtf? they're like 3 times the prices of SD cards

Now, I shared a 1.3 megapixel olympus digital camera with my brother in like 2001 - and that camera took absolutely beautiful pics... and it's the last olympus digital camera I've used that I've liked. Everyone that I've tried since, I've hated.

So - that's why I didn't buy the olympus.

The pentax is 10 megapixel, has 5x optical zoom (I like zooms), is waterproof down to 13 feet (I'm not going deeper than that in my kayak), and is good to -15 degrees celcius, etc. AND IT CAN FOCUS ON THINGS ONE CM AWAY. How cool is that?

And I got the pretty blue color:




The camera came today... Initial impressions. Why the hell would someone build in 36 megs of memory on a 10 megapixel camera? Why bother? That's like 18 pics at middle quality at 10 megapixel. But, I'm happy they did, 'cause I forgot my camera at R's house, and it's bag has all my sd cards on it... So I can only test the camera like 25 pics at the time - medium image quality at 7 megapixels to save space. I don't like that the camera doesn't have a lens cap that covers the lens when it's not in use. IT's a nice small size, and it's easy to figure things out.

So, I of course had to go take pics of flowers to test out the 1 cm macro.... and it's not bad. These aren't the best pics, but they're some good initial pics. The camera doesn't have optical image stabilization, which would be good when you're taking macro shots of things 1 cm away. Sometimes it focuses on not what I want. Sometimes the images are grainy (well, I was taking pics in the dark for the latter half)

But anyways, here's my sample pics:







There's more at this link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/EyeofCatriona/PentaxW60
Here's the blurb from amazon:

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. 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

Wow, that's pretty great for a P&S! Focusing at 1cm is impressive! Stupid SLRs need a lens that can do that so I can take bug pics on top of the bugs.

Yeah. I was having fun just taking the camera and shoving it into a flower and seeing what it would do.

Looks good...where did you get it from? My P&S has decided that it wants to limp around on its last legs so I'm now in the market for another little one. I would think that a waterproof one would be a good idea since that's part of the reason my current P&S is having problems. That and sand.

I bought it from amazon. Amazon has their 30 day price drop protection. So I've already gotten a rebate for $9!

Sweet!

I looked, roughly the $300 range? I like the pictures you posted, I want my flower pics to look like that. Bugs would be even better. Underwater flowers with bugs!!

Your flower pics are already really nice!

I'm half wondering if I posted flower pics taken with my dslr and mixed in flower pics that I took with this camera, if you guys could even tell the difference

Yeah, $320. I had $100 in amazon gift certificates that I was saving up.

It was actually not supposed to be released till August 7th, so I'd preordered it and just got a ship notice last Friday... I had been planning on it being on August's credit card bill, but hey, I get to use it for another month and I'm sure I'll be out on the kayak.

I'd been debating that olympus that I posted over in the deal forum - but amazon suggested this one... and I liked the 5x and the 1 cm macro. The camera does have a bit more noise then I'd want in low light... but... I have my SLR, and generally am not taking pictures when kayaking or biking in the dark. And I've not been using the camera in 10 megapixel or highest quality jpeg mode since I've only got 36 megs internal memory and I really don't feel like emptying the camera every 9 test shots.

I know Storl's got one of the olympus underwater models - we should make him write a review and post pics.

I wanted to take test pictures of bugs, but there were no obliging bugs when I went outside. There were bees on the butterfly bush, but they were all above my head.

I could have maybe taken a picture of an ant... but... that's not so interesting

I found an SD card!

Sure it's the 16 meg that came with an old digital camera.

But it gets me 10 more pics I can take. I almost have 36 exposures.

I would love to have written up a review and posted pics if I could actually use mine. I bought it as a display model with no charger, thinking it could charge off USB. It can't.

I actually just got two batteries and a charger in the mail today for it, so I will use it this week.

ah. Okay, I will await a review. Just don't make me think that I should have bought yours.

These pics look pretty good on my work monitor

Alrighty, I got some pics of a baby bird that's been hopping around my yard chirping. Least I think it's the same one I saw in my front yard the other day that's now in my back yard. I'm not sure. I could be overrun with baby birds 'cause there are a lot of birds & nests in my yard. I think it has a hurt wing.

I don't think there's neighborhood cats, 'cause I've never seen a cat in my yard.

More sample pics:

If you're feeling over run by baby birds (or small animals in general), I've got quite the selection of stray cats happening in my backyard. Some are so brave as to press their little wet noses against the back door in the hopes that I'll feed them or something.

You can borrow Argo. He loves playing with birds and chipmunks.

Photos from my bike ride this evening. There's graininess in the low light &zoomed in pics.

http://picasaweb.google.com/EyeofCatrio ... 60BikeRide

I bought this bag for my camera:
http://www.amazon.com/Ergo-Tech-Snapsho ... 440&sr=8-1

It came today and fits fairly well.

The rest of the kata line looks fairly interesting as well - their sling bags and holster are tempting me.

More pics:

Okay, popped the 8 gb card into the optio & it went to the pool when R & I went to visit his friends.

I gave the camera to the friends' teenage daughters.


Yes, my legs are in one of these photos. Try to find them:

http://picasaweb.google.com/EyeofCatriona/W60Underwater

Price has dropped to $285.03 on amazon now.

The pics are awesome.. can you post some sample videos please? i'm curious about the audio.

I'll take some video tonight. I'm afraid I haven't done any video other than 1 of a dog running around and there really isn't any audio on that. So... I'll play music or sing while kicking my feet & videotaping it tonight or something.

Thank you!
A review on amazon said that if AF is on it may make clicking sounds... if you could post a video with it off, and with it on.. I will be more then grateful.

So I did buy the Olympus 840 SW.. the pics are ok.. not as cool as yours. But the audio on the video also has clicks/thumping noises, and I'm not sure how to turn it off.

I don't mind setting the AF on the pentax off if it means I get okay audio. (Don't need great audio, just non-clicking and non-odd audio.

Cheers.

Okay, I'm a bum. I forgot the camera at work and was too lazy to go back for it. Video samples to follow another day

Okay, took some video today. Gotta figure out how to post it.