Pentax cameras are being tested to the limits on Everest to document the largest medical expedition ever carried out on the mountain. Pentax has provided the Caudwell Xtreme Everest team with its latest generation of waterproof ?W? series cameras and digital SLRs to store and transmit images taken on the expedition.

Caudwell Xtreme Everest will place a medical research team on the summit of Mount Everest to take the first ever measurement of oxygen levels in the human blood at this altitude, with two hundred healthy volunteers undergoing the trek.

?Pentax?s Optio W20s are waterproofed for outdoor and underwater photography so are ideal for the extreme and snowy conditions encountered during the ascent to Everest base camp,? said Mac Mackenney, Caudwell Xtreme Everest Logistics Manager.

Pentax cameras were originally loaned to the Caudwell Xtreme Everest team for their ?rehearsal? expedition in August. They proved successful at withstanding the cold condition and provided the team with some great shots later used in materials for medical volunteers and on its website.