- 12.1-megapixel resolution image sensor captures enough detail for photo-quality 13 x 19-inch prints
- Coldproof design endures sub-freezing temperatures of 14 degrees Fahrenheit
- Widescreen, HD movie capture that records resolutions up to 1280 x 720 pixels at full-speed 30fps
- 2.5-inch LCD monitor; Pixel Track Shake Reduction (SR) ensures sharp images in any lighting condition
- Capture images to SD/SDHC memory cards (not included)
The Pentax Optio W80’s waterproof design withstands depths of up to 16 feet (5 meters) to protect from rain and spills, as well as
allowing full underwater photos and video for up to two hours. On dry land, the rugged,
shockproof design protects against drops of up to 3.3 feet to protect the camera from hard use
and occasional spills. Also featuring 12.1 megapixels, a 5x internal optical zoom (equivalent
to 28-140mm), a slim one-inch body, and a wide angle 28mm lens, the Optio W80 offers an
expanded perspective that is ideal for landscape, group and more confined shots. With a Pentax-developed imaging engine and a high-performance Pentax zoom lens, the Optio
W80 delivers brilliant, high-quality images with well-defined details. A Super Protect (SP)
coating applied to the mineral crystal cover of the internal zoom lens helps repel water, grime
and finger marks…. More >>
On a recent trip to the Mediterranean, my trusty old Nikon L11 died (the LCD screen cracked).
So, when I got home, I wanted to look for something a bit more rugged, and [...]
I figured I’d wait until Labor Day sales, but when I found this advertised in an Amazon email, and after reading the review at [...]I went for it.
The Pentax was [...] over my budget. So I bought it in gray. It’s totally worth it.
It’s easy to learn, fairly straightforward, and takes nice pictures.
I even got to use the old Nikon’s measly 1 gig SD card.
I said it takes nice pictures. If you want great pictures, save your money for an SLR.
I am very satisfied with my purchase, which, by the way, got here in two days.
The best digital camera my husband and I ever owned was a Pentax W10 – it lasted for years and took great photos.. very resilient. We figured that if a W10 is this great that a W80 would be even better but we were sadly mistaken after receiving our W80 and taking a few photos. At first, when all the photos we took turned out grainy I figured it was the settings that needed to be changed.
As a military photojournalist, I shoot daily with a Nikon D3, I know how to change settings and reduce the ISO to make the photo less grainy – and even after I exhausted all changes to the settings, the photos were still unimpressive. We went outside thinking that more lighting would mean better focus and better photos – but even they were a little soft and not that great.
I might recommend this for the outdoorsy type but for someone like my husband and I who are looking for a point-and-shoot camera that takes impressive photos (without fumbling through settings all the time) it was not for us. We are in the process of returning it.
I preordered this directly from Pentax, and I’ve had it for less than a week. I know someone with a W30 who is very happy with his, so I figured this would be much better. So far, I’m very disappointed. I’m comparing it to my Canon SD850 by shooting macro, interior and exterior scenes. I have left the settings in auto mode and set it to record highest quality. The W80 produces very noisy images. Flash results seem to be a bit erratic. Very poor image quality in low-light. Side-by-side photo comparisons on-screen show better images with my Canon.
I also figured that since there is no moving lens, the W80 would have excellent battery life. Canon battery is 1120-mAh and W80 is only 680-mAh. The actual battery life is commensurately poor. I can get by on a weekend trip with lots of photos with only a single battery in my Canon, but I’m sure I would need to take two or three with the Pentax.
I really wanted this camera to work out, but I’m about to send it back. Anybody else have some feedback on this camera??
I pre-ordered this camera to replacing an aging Canon. My main criteria was to have a camera that can be brought on ski trips; on the boat; canoe trips; and hiking. Used at the Grand Canyon and was very pleased with the quality of the pictures. (I am a casual user not a photographer). If you purchase this camera be sure to buy an additional battery! Would recommend spending about 15-20 minutes getting used to the camera before using in activities. Based on the reviews, the Canon is a better unit, but this one is slim and fits into ski jackets and life preservers.
Just bought this camera given anticipated buzz.
Admittedly, I have not tried it underwater, or tested its ruggedness. But I am sending it back because it won’t even take normal pictures accurately without graininess, blurriness and movement. Also, the delay is far too long, and image stabilization does not work accurately. Additionally, if subjects are moving, it’s quite difficult to get a reasonable picture in low-ish light. To be fair, I tried a variety of mode settings including auto and a variety of manual settings, and frankly my iPhone took better pictures (without a flash!). In fact, the best pictures I took were in “green mode”, and these were not really comparable to a generic 3-5 year old digital camera.
Maybe this camera has a niche use for underwater/etc only, but I had planned on taking “normal” pictures of reasonable quality with it as well, and I just couldn’t find a way for this to work, so this is a non-starter for me.
I should have waited for the reviews to come out before taking the plunge:
see http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/Q209waterproofgroup/ for comparisons to D10 and TS1. Of note, even the W60 performed better in this review!!!