Testing / Performance

The Pentax OptioWP has a 1/2.5-inch interline transfer CCD with a total of 5.19 megapixels. 5 of these megapixels are effective in capturing still photographs.

Speed / Timing

According to Pentax, the camera can start up in 0.6 seconds and that it has a shutter lag of about 0.05 seconds. We have not tested these initial assessments, but expect it to be fast — although not that fast (they’re never as fast as the advertised claim!).

Physical Tour

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Front**

The front of the Pentax OptioWP is graced with a two-tone silver colored panel. The metallic finish is actually a sturdy plastic material. Don’t think this is solely a cheap move on Pentax’s part. A solid metal camera body would make the camera heavier and more prone to rust with the underwater exposure. The front panel on the OptioWP looks like a brushed or textured steel. In the bottom left of the camera, there is a white jewel-like circle with the letters "WP" in the center. Around the circle, it says, "Waterproof 5.0 Megapixels Digital Camera." The lens is in the center of the camera, a deviation from most digital cameras’ designs. The lens does not extend out from the camera body. Around the lens are the words, "Pentax Lens 3x Optical Zoom 6.3mm-18.9mm." To the right of the lens at the top is an LED light indicator. To its right is the rectangular flashbulb. Below the flash are the words "Pentax Optio," turned vertically. Overall, the design of the front is attractive and reminiscent of simplistic cell phone structure, but nothing to cause a stir.

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Back**

The biggest feature on the back is the 2-inch LCD screen. It dominates the left side of the Pentax OptioWP. Below the LCD is the brand name: "Pentax." To the right of the LCD screen resides the main control buttons for the digital camera. At the top is a green button with a trash can: the delete button. To the right of that button is the zoom toggle, appropriately placed near the shutter release button for easy access. Below these buttons is a Playback button, with a triangular icon on it. Below that button is the four-way navigational dial with an OK button in its center. This dial performs other functions as well. When it is pressed on the left side, it selects the flash mode. When pressed on the bottom, the exposure mode is selected. When pushed on the top, shooting modes such as self-timer and burst can be chosen. When the right side is pushed, the focusing mode can be chosen. At the bottom of this series of buttons is the Menu button, clearly self-labeled.

Left Side

The left side is completely blank and void of controls or ports — utter water-proof desolation.

**Right Side
**The right side isn’t much more exciting than the left. There is a wrist strap with a wide polished silver loop. The wide loop is a nice feature for those who don’t like stringing the strap through with a needle.

Top

On the left of the top of the Pentax OptioWP is the model identification. Toward the center of the top is the microphone, covered by a series of 12 holes. To its right is a smaller 3-holed speaker. To the right of the speaker is a polished silver panel with two buttons on it. The button on the left is the small power button, labeled "On/ Off." There is a green LED light that glows in the center of the power button, which makes it easy to find and very cool looking — but not any bigger. On the right is the shutter release button.

Bottom

There is a port door on the bottom of the camera that holds in the power of the camera. The thin lithium-ion D-LI8 battery fits into a slot in the bottom, with a slot for an SD card next to it. Also under the port door are jacks for a DC IN cable and a USB cable. These ports are not labeled on the door cover. All of the previous features are housed under one port door, which has a rubber seal on it and a sliding lock on the outside to ensure water does not leak in. On the right of the bottom is the 1/4-inch tripod mount.

Components

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Viewfinder**

There isn’t an optical viewfinder, but the 2-inch LCD screen provides a large view of the scene that is easily discernable.

LCD Screen

The 2-inch LCD screen has a low reflection TFT color display that dominates the left side of the Pentax OptioWP. The LCD can display a histogram, as well as the normal viewfinder info and menus. The LCD has about 85,000 pixels of resolution composing the displayed image.

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Flash**

The built-in flash has several options available: Auto, Flash off, Flash on, Auto and Red-eye Reduction, Flash on and Red-eye reduction, and Soft flash. While there is no accessory shoe included, these options should cover most basic shooting situations.

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Zoom Lens**

This model has a Pentax power zoom lens that measure 6-18.9 mm. This is equivalent to a 38-114mm variable focal length lens in 35mm format. The aperture of the lens ranges from f/2.9-f/4, but cannot be adjusted manually. The lens is centered on the camera and recessed within the body, so it does not protrude at all.

Design / Layout

**Model Design / Appearance
**The design of the OptioWP is subtle; cased in a reflective silver shell, the water-proof imager is not the sexiest camera on the market, but seems to draw an aesthetic parallel to traditional cell phone designs. This digital camera has a sturdy plastic and metal casing that has a two-tone silver color with polished silver highlights. The body is rectangular without any protrusions; the lens remains within the camera body at all times. The lens is in the center of the camera, which is different than most cameras where the lens is placed slightly to the right. For consumers who appreciate symmetry, this may hold appeal as a beautifully elegant design. The flash is on the top right of the front of the OptioWP — in perfect position to be covered by the left fingers of the user. The camera’s interior is designed with rubber gaskets, so water won’t rush into the OptioWP’s mechanized guts.

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Size / Portability**

The compact Pentax OptioWP is a slim camera at 4 x 2 x 0.9 inches. It can easily fit into a pocket and even sit comfortably in a shirt pocket, as it is also very light. Weighing 4.2 ounces without batteries and 4.8 ounces with the battery and SD memory card, this Pentax model is very portable and lends itself to transport. There are no protrusions on the camera body — not even when the power is on. The lens stays within the bounds of the rectangular body at all times, decreasing the chance that the lens will get roughed up.

Handling Ability

Shooting with the Pentax OptioWP is simple and intuitive. A Guide option explains all menu options, making the need for the user manual nearly obsolete. The camera is compact, but still comfortable to hold and play with.

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Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size**

Most of the control buttons are a good size and properly placed. All of the buttons on the back of the Pentax OptioWP are within thumb’s reach and easily accessible. They are appropriately spaced and protrude slightly. The only button that I did not agree with the configuration is the design of the OptioWP’s power button. It is clearly labeled On/Off and has a green LED light that glows in its center when it’s on, making it easy to identify and locate on the frame; however, the button is small and recessed into the camera body, making it difficult to activate. Users must have extremely tiny fingers or a pen to turn on the OptioWP.

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Menu**

All of the menus in the Pentax OptioWP are easy to navigate and use. There is a helpful guide option to explain any and all menu choices. For example, the Slideshow option is explained as, "For continuously playing back images. Screen or Sound effects can be set." There are two main menus: recording and playback. The following options are available under the Recording menu: Recorded pixels, Quality level, White balance, AF setting, Sensitivity, EV Compensation, Movie, Digital zoom, Instant review, Memory, Sharpness, Saturation, and Contrast. When each option is selected, a submenu appears next to it with more options. For example, when the Quality Level is chosen, a submenu appears which lets the user choose one, two or three stars. The Playback menu has the following options: Slide show, Resize, Trimming, Image/ Sound copy, Image rotation, Digital filter, Brightness filter, Movie edit, Frame composite, Red-eye compensation, Voice memo, Protect, DPOF, Image recovery, and Start-up screen. Each option has sub-menus that operate the same as the Recording menu sub-menus.

Ease of Use

The placement and labeling of the buttons makes shooting with the camera easy and enjoyable. Navigating through menus is simple with the four-way dial and the Guide option is a genius way to keep users informed. Overall, the Pentax OptioWP is extremely easy to use and a commendable point-and-shoot.

Modes

Auto Mode

The Program mode is the camera’s automatic mode; however, even within this setting, certain parameters need to be set to automatic if the user truly wants a fully automated mode.

Playback Mode

The Playback menu has the following options: Slide show, Resize, Trimming, Image/ Sound copy, Image rotation, Digital filter, Brightness filter, Movie edit, Frame composite, Red-eye compensation, Voice memo, Protect, DPOF, Image recovery, and Start-up screen. Each option has sub-menus that operate the same as the Recording menu sub-menus. Pictures can be played back as single images or in an index of nine thumbnails.

Movie Mode

The included movie mode on the OptioWP is quite versatile, giving the user many options to play with. The OptioWP can shoot in 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 resolution and record at 15 or 30 frames per second. Video capture can also be manipulated within the camera, offering Full Color or Black & White and Sepia tone options. All of these can be selected by the user in the main recording menu under the Movie option.

Custom Image Presets

This camera is equipped with several scene modes. The following can be found in the mode menu: Program, Night scene, Movie, Voice recording, Panorama assist, Landscape, Flower, Portrait, Underwater, Surf & Snow, Sport, Synchro sound recording, Pet, Candlelight, and Soft. There is also a Guide option that allows the user to view an explanation of each scene option.

Control Options

Manual Control Options

There aren’t many manual control options on this camera. Aperture and shutter speed are not available for adjustment. However, the following settings can be adjusted: White balance, ISO sensitivity, and Exposure compensation. There is also a manual focus option, which is controlled by a sliding bar.

**Auto Focus
**The Pentax OptioWP uses a through-the-lens contrast detection auto focus system. A 9-point autofocus option is available, as well as a Spot auto focus option. In auto focus, the camera can focus as close as 1.31 feet in normal shooting mode and 0.4 inches in macro mode.

Manual Focus

As stated before, there is a manual focus option available on the Pentax OptioWP. However, remember that the lens does not protrude from the camera, so there is no focus ring. Instead, Pentax has included a digital sliding bar that appears on the LCD screen. Users control the bar with the four-way dial. The manual focus can focus as close as 0.4 inches and extends to infinity.

Metering

The Pentax OptioWP employs a through-the-lens multi-segment metering method.

Shutter Speed

The Pentax OptioWP has an electronic shutter with a CCD electronic shutter. This small window can snap as slow as 4 seconds and as fast as 1/2000^th of a second. However, this cannot be manually selected.

Exposure

The main exposure mode is the Program AE; however, there are several other exposure modes available: Green, Program, Picture, Movie, Voice recording, and Synchronous sound recording. The exposure can be compensated from -2 to +2 in 1/3 increments, a common range for compact point-and-shoots.

White Balance

The white balance options are as follows: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten Fluorescent, and a manual setting called Shutter Adjust. The coolest part about this option is that there is a real-time view of the image with the selected white balance option overlay, so users can see what color the picture will turn out with the selected white balance option prior to recording.

ISO

The ISO speed is one option that can be manually set. The user can select Auto, 50, 100, 200 or 400. This is a typical range for the price range and genre of camera characterizing the OptioWP.

Aperture

The Pentax power zoom lens heading the Pentax OptioWP measures 6.3-18.9mm. and contains an aperture iris that ranges from f/3.3-f/4. Once again, this cannot be manually adjusted.

Image Parameters

Picture Quality / Size Options

Within the menu of the camera, the options appear as one, two, or three stars. They represent the words Good, Better, and Best. The following size options are available: 2560 x 1920, 2304 x 1728, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1024 x 768, and 640 x 480 for still images. Video clips can be saved in 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 format. Still images can be saved as JPEGS and video clips as Motion JPEGs.

Picture Effects Mode

The picture effects can be found under the main recording menu. The Sharpness, Saturation, and Contrast can all be adjusted using a sliding bar and the four-way dial. The Pentax OptioWP also has a digital filter that has the following color options: Black & White, Sepia, Red, Pink, Purple, Blue, Green, Yellow, Soft, and Brightness. Movies can also be colored in Black & White, Sepia, or Full Color.

Connectivity / Extras

Connectivity
Software

While there is sure to be software included, it has not been specified at this point.

Jacks, Ports, Plugs

Beneath the bottom port door, there are jacks for a DC IN cable and a video out cable. The video out cable is compatible with NTSC and PAL formats. In the bottom, there are also slots for the battery and the SD card.

Direct Print Options

The Pentax OptioWP is PictBridge compatible.

Memory

The OptioWP has about 10.5MB of internal memory, which is about enough to hold five pictures at the maximum resolution. There is also an SD card slot beneath the bottom port cover.

Other Features

The emphasized feature on this camera is its ability to go underwater without a casing. The OptioWP is certified Class 8 waterproof, meaning it can go underwater up to 5 feet. This isn’t the type of camera to go scuba diving with, but it would be fine for snorkeling or swimming. The camera also has a World Time feature which displays the time in 70 cities or 28 time zones. There are also 13 languages to choose from.

Overall Impressions

Value

Although the price is still subject to change, Pentax officials say the camera will probably retail for $399 when it goes on sale in March or April.

Conclusions

Conclusion

Overall, the Pentax OptioWP is ideal company for an all-weather vacation. The compact, durable shell is solid enough to sustain skiing accidents and heavy snowfall. It is waterproofed and pressurized to submerge in up to 5 feet of water, capable of surviving snow, sleet, or rain. This camera is perfect for the adventurous vacationer that travels in many environments and attempts everything from snorkeling to sky-diving. This 5-megapixel point-and-shoot has a sleek design and many functional applications.

Specs

Specs Table
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