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TechRadar Awards

Pentax Optio WP Review

Pentax Optio WP

Product overview

Best price:
£10.21 (Amazon.co.uk)
Launch price:
£230
Launch date:
1st December 2006
PhotoRadar rating:
3

See technical specification

Technical Specification

Accessories: Carrying strap, USB cable, A/V cable
Battery Type: Lithium-Ion Rechargable
Camera Type: Compact
Colour: Silver
Connectivity: 9V DC In;Composite Video/Audio Output;USB
Dimensions: 102 x 51x 22
Display Size: 2
Display Technology: TFT LCD
Effective Pixels: 5
Exposure bracketing: 2
Exposure Modes: Candlelight;Flower;Food;Landscape;Night Scene;Panorama;Portrait;Self-Portrait;Snow;Sport;Surf;Underwater
Features: Audio recording, direct print, RGB primary colour filter, auto power save, date/time stamp, DPOF support, digital image rotation, PRINT Image Matching, water resistant, PictBridge support, histogram display, resizing an image
Flash: Yes
Flash Modes: Auto;Fill-in;Off;Red-Eye Reduction
Focusing Modes: Manual
Image Formats: AV;JPEG
Image Sensor Resolution: 85
Image Sensor Type: 1/2.5inch CCD
ISO Settings: 100;200;400;50;ISO Auto
LCD Display?: Yes
Lens Type: Aspherical Lens
Manufacturer's Description: Snorkel, ski, or attend a stunning wedding, and you'll never stop snapping with the OptioWP. This digital delivers both on land and in the sea with a faster .6 second start up, a quick .05 second shutter release, movie mode and a generous 2.0 inch monitor. A beautiful, petite JIS Class 8 waterproof-rated exterior promises you'll capture images proudly just under the water's surface or in the most formal settings. Finally, your wait is over for petite, durable, go everywhere digital.
Max Aperture: 3.3
Memory Types: Internal;SD
Min Aperture: 4
Movie Mode: Yes
Software Provided: Drivers & Utilities, ACD Systems ACDsee
Waterproof: Yes
Weatherproofing: Yes
Weight (kg): 0.1
White Balance: Auto;Custom;Daylight;Fluorescent;Presets;Shade;Tungsten
MPN: 18383
Price (GBP): 230

PhotoRadar review

Pentax says that you can take the camera down to a depth of 1.5m, which means the deep end of the pool isn't off limits, and you can apparently stay submerged for periods of up to 30 minutes. Because of this, the Optio WP is exceptionally well built, with a stylish two-tone grey and silver finish and large two-inch LCD.

A fairly conventional 3x optical zoom lens focuses onto the 5.1Mp sensor, and offers a zoom range of 38-114mm and a maximum image size of 2,560 x 1,960 pixels. There are nine-point automatic, wide area and spot autofocus options, but only a single, multisegment metering mode. The lack of anything but a Programme shooting mode will be a letdown for serious photographers, but at least this is backed up by 19 scene modes for tricky lighting.

The Optio WP has 10Mb of memory built in. Further capacity is available by use of SD cards, which fit into the same watertight compartment that's used for the rechargeable battery pack and USB connector. It's not the most convenient layout but Pentax obviously had to cover all the connection holes for watertightness.

There's nothing wrong with the sharpness of the lens throughout its entire zoom range. Likewise, metering proved to be very accurate throughout our tests, even in tricky conditions. The real problem area seems to be noise, with skies and smooth surfaces looking quite grainy in our tests.

Verdict:
The Optio WP is the perfect choice if you want to take photos underwater
PhotoRadar rating:
3
User rating:
0
0 user review(s)

Best Price: £10.21

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