| Pentax Optio W80 Waterproof 12.1MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Triple Shake Reduction Optical Zoom and 2.5 inch LCD (Cardinal Red) |  | Brand: Pentax
Category: Photography
Buy New: $279.00
as of 9/6/2010 19:12 CDT details
In Stock
New (2) from $279.00
Rating:  89 reviews
Sales Rank: 21,172
Color: Cardinal Red
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Optical Zoom: 5
Display Size: 2.50
Battery: 1 Lithium-Ion
Maximum Resolution: 12
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 3.9 x 2.2 x 1
MPN: W80 Cardinal Red
Model: W80 Cardinal Red
UPC: 027075154773
EAN: 0027075154773
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | 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) |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
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.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 89
 My new camera September 15, 2009
Jim C.
13 out of 14 found this review helpful
I purchased this camera to replace my Canon SD 450. I recently took it on a trip to San Francisco and to Monterey and I am very pleased with all of my pictures taken with it. The zoom is very nice and I especially liked the 28mm wide angle. The battery does run down, but I carried a spare and had no problems. The digital zoom is very good. I haven't tried it under water yet, but am looking forward to using to see my 4 yr old grandson swim underwater. The movies I did take were very good also. Overall a much better camera than some of the reviews have talked about.
did all that I expected.... December 3, 2009
zespri-usa (Portland, OR United States)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
I bought this camera for one purpose only and that was to take some windsurfing action shots (see my uploaded photo). The little camera performed its job admirably. Small, light and tough, I was able to mount it easily on the mast or on a 20' telescopic pole secured in shallow water. Best of all, the W80 has an interval shooting feature (time lapse) which allows continuous shooting as often as every 10 seconds. Despite what other reviewers have stated, the picture quality appears fine. I am sure that I will be getting a lot of use out of this camera.
Buy this camera if you're the ideal pentax customer. April 5, 2010
The Camera Girl
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
The Pentax Optio W80 customer is more than likely female, she's young adventurous and sometimes a bit clumsy. She likes to carry a camera around with her at all times in case something beautiful must be captured, whether it's blooming wild flowers or a furry little creature. She likes to have fun and go swimming, canoing, and hiking but often the camera gets left at home out of fear of breaking it. Well not anymore with the Pentax Optio W80. She can now take seemingly endless shots and video of friends playing and having a good time no matter where she goes. And when she's not out on an adventure she still likes to have fun and play with the many modes such as panoramic, and frame mode which includes a bunny face to put on top of her brother's face or a border of flowers. Did I mention she also likes cats? She likes cats so much that she can change the operation, shutter, focus and timer sounds to mimic that of a cat! It makes her crack up every single time. She's not a professional photographer by any means, in fact it may take 100+ photos just to get one really great shot, but she's not worried about that at all because she mostly shares her pictures via her twitter or facebook page. This customer is very satisfied with the camera and above all loves the color of the exterior because it matches her purse!
So if you do not fit this ideal customer profile then this camera may not be for you.
Outstanding for the intended purpose April 10, 2010
Chicago John (Elburn, IL United States)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
After much concern over disparaging reviews citing unacceptable noise levels even at low ISO, as a life-long Pentax customer I decided to take a calculated risk, listening more to the positive reviews. This camera is inarguably durable and waterproof, and it has some very cool features such as great macro capability and time-lapse photography as well as motion video and 5X optical zoom. It goes where I wouldn't want to take my DSLR's -- that is the main point -- and that will be almost exclusively outdoors in full daylight albeit sometimes in inclement conditions. The question then becomes, "Is this camera capable of delivering acceptable image quality under the conditions of use and for the intended purpose?"
The answer to that question is "Yes.", even "Hell, yes!".
If you want to look at a 100% crop of a 4000 X 3000 pixel image, yes, you will see noise and even at ISO 100. But I don't intend to print posters with these images. I will be resizing them for display on the internet, my computer, and digital picture frames. Moreover, in the unlikely event I need to radically crop an image, I've found that my digital image editing software's noise reduction function does a great job of eliminating the noise. Ya, it's an extra step, but so what if you wouldn't have been able to capture the image in the first instance???
While some have decided to focus on the negatives, the unique niche this camera fills for me greatly overshadows the compromises the design entails. And by the way, I like the yellow accent color on this particular model too !
So there, naysayers ! :-P For me, this camera is perfekt.
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Further clarificaton on the noise "issue". Some of the photography blog image comparisons are not really apples-to-apples: I've seen a higher percentage of high ISO shots for the W80 than the Canon and Olympus alternatives (at twice the price), but when you make a direct comparison of 100% crops at equivalent ISO, I'd rate Pentax in between Canon and Olympus. In any case, bottom line: This camera is not a DSLR. With any smaller CCD and high pixel density, noise is inevitable; it is a matter of degree. If you don't want to deal with noise, buy a DSLR.
But, if you check for noise reduction software ("noiseware", to coin a phrase) online, you will find several offerings that do an incredible job, some with free versions for non-batch processing, and an inexpensive price for large batch, automatic processing. Using the automatic mode with a "noiseware" program, I've had amazing results without significant loss of sharpness from my W80 images, even at higher ISO levels. I just routinely batch-process everything I shoot with this camera, and end up with images that are far superior to any other as-captured compact images I've seen on-line.
In summary, although noise is the most prominent objection to this design in virtually every review, you can address that perfectly well, in my amateur opinion, via a software solution and take advantage, thereby, of the many other advantages this camera offers in comparison with its competitors, including its lower price. So that is my 3 cents worth.
It's waterproof, cold-resistant & has decent shutter speed October 10, 2009
jane doe (southeast alaska)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Bought this as an upgrade to an older Optio WP 5-megapixel. Very happy. W80's shutter response is good, battery resting retention impressive, photo quality fine for me. Still need to play with the settings, read manual, and truly test it out in multiple environments, but 100% satisfied at this point. Nice design touch is the battery compartment "lock by default".
The selling point for me with the W80 is weather resistance. That is why I bought my other Optio.
When I researched that one, it was for my first digital camera (latecomer). Could see other digital cameras might provide better picture quality/performance/etc but just seemed dumb (for me) to spend money on a camera I couldn't safely use in the rain, on a boat, in the snow, etc. Out of the water-resistant choices available, I risked it on the Optio. Not cheap. Especially compared to non-weatherproof choices. But, turned out to be a good choice for me. See no reason to change brands now. Bought two batteries, extra SD cards, & have never had a problem during casual/general use. (My point & shoot 35mm before digital was the weather-resistant Olympus.)
My older Optio is still working fine & taking great pictures (to my level of discernment) as long as I account for the slow shutter response. Shutter lag has been my only complaint with the older Optio. A pain, especially for action shots, but balanced out by the positive features, especially weather resistance. (And it caught some beautiful picture detail, really.)
On the W80 I was sucked in by newer technology & more than twice the megapixels, with the security of known manufacturer/model line. The W80's shutter speed & other features seem good to me. Looking forward to getting to know its capabilities over time. From the some of the other reviews, sounds like this camera hasn't made everyone happy; taking those comments under consideration but not worrying about it. So far my pictures look fine to me & no issues with performance. Don't expect to submerge it often, but great to have that capability too. I have no doubt the W80 will be excellent as my new standard camera. For whatever it's worth...
Showing reviews 1-5 of 89
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