A major selling point of the Pentax W60 is that it's waterproof to four metres, yet, optically, it also competes well with unsealed compacts
Pentax Optio W60 Review
A major selling point of the Pentax W60 is that it’s waterproof to four metres, freeze-proof to minus 10°C and encased in Pentax’s Super Protect coating to prevent water droplets forming on the protective glass of the lens. However, the W60 handles well out of the water as well as in.
Using a 1/2.3in CCD sensor, the 10MP W60 boasts a 5x optical zoom (28-140mm in 35mm terms) and bright 2.5in LCD screen. Face detection and Smile Capture modes both feature, alongside a host of scene modes including several suited to the water.
The W60 is mostly immune from common water problems, such as lens clouding and the formation of water droplets on the lens. However, there is some fringing and the camera also tends to underexpose, which can generally help out in sun-kissed water. Noise control is fine, and tone and colour rendition is good.
Verdict
The W60 is able to compete with unsealed compacts optically, yet also works in the wet.