Test Images (click to enlarge)
Still Life	Multi Target

Basic Specifications
Resolution:	10.10 Megapixels
Lens:	5.00x zoom (28-140mm eq.)
Viewfinder:	LCD
LCD Size:	2.5 inch
ISO:	50-6400
Shutter:	4-1/1500
Max Aperture:	3.5
Mem Type:	SDHC / SD
Battery:	Custom LiIon
Dimensions:	3.9x2.2x1.0in (99x56x25mm)
Weight:	5.1 oz (144 g)
MSRP:	$330
Availability:	07/2008

Test Summary (Mouse over items for explanations)
Power-on Time	2.9 sec
Shutter Lag, Full Autofocus	0.385 - 0.346 sec
Shutter Lag, Prefocused	0.098 sec
Shot to Shot time	2.57 sec
Continuous Speed	1.00 fps (5 shots)
Best Macro	n/a
Viewfinder accuracy (Optical)	n/a
Viewfinder accuracy (LCD)	100%
Distortion (Wide Angle)	1.1%
Distortion (Telephoto)	-0.5%
Battery Life (CIPA standard)	205 shots

10.10 Megapixels	5.00x zoom	2.5 inch LCD

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Pentax W60

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The Pentax Optio W60 digital camera combines a ten megapixel CCD image sensor with a 5x optical zoom lens in a compact, pocket-friendly body designed to take whatever the elements deliver. Capable of being used underwater at depths of up to 13 feet for as long as two hours, and also able to survive operation in temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit (-10 degrees Celsius), the Pentax W60 looks to be a worthy successor to last year's design, with a number of changes in many areas.

As compared to the W30, the Pentax W60 is just a couple of millimeters thicker and taller, but almost a full centimeter less wide for a more traditional point'n'shoot shape. About 15 grams has been trimmed off the weight in the process, yet Pentax has still managed to cram in a 5x optical zoom lens as previously mentioned - much more versatile than the 3x zoom of the W30. There's both a little extra at the wide end for a useful 28mm wide angle, plus a creditable 140mm telephoto to get you closer to the action. On the downside, the new lens is just a little less bright than on the previous camera. Where the W30 had a 7 megapixel 1/2.5" CCD, the Pentax Optio W60 instead uses a 10 megapixel 1/2.3" type - the use of a slightly larger image sensor perhaps somewhat helping counter the less bright lens and the increase in resolution.

As with the W30, the Pentax Optio W60 forgoes any form of optical viewfinder in favor of solely a 2.5" LCD display. This is the same size as that used on the previous camera (and pretty much the bottom end of LCD sizes seen on competing cameras), but the resolution has been doubled to 230,000 pixels - so still a noticeable improvement here. Other changes include a new 720p (1280x720 pixel) HD movie mode, although the increase in movie quality comes at a decrease in framerate to just 15 frames per second. At VGA or below, the Pentax W60 can offer 30 frames per second movies. There's also more built-in memory ( 36.4MB instead of 21.9MB), a new battery type (the D-LI78 instead of the D-LI63), a slight increase to the strength of the digital zoom (5.7x) and playback zoom (10x), and a slight decrease in the fastest shutter speed - now 1/1500 instead of 1/2000 second.

The Pentax Optio W60 began shipping in the US market in July 2008, with a list price of US$329.95, but by November 2008 was available from multiple sources online for less than $250.

Pentax W60 Lab Test Results

In the past, waterproof cameras have always involved significant compromises in image quality, so much so that we've tended not to take them seriously, only rarely doing a full review on them. With this background, we'd initially slated the Pentax W60 for very brief treatment, and sent it through the lab for an abbreviated series of tests. What we've found thus far, though, was a very welcome surprise: The Pentax Optio W60 is actually a fine little camera, with very good image quality and excellent performance! In fact, if you're looking for a waterproof camera, we'd have to say that the Pentax W60 is the one to beat! Read below for all the details, and stay tuned, we've sent it back to the lab for our full suite of tests, so we can further explore just how good it is!

Lens Quality

• Sharpness - Excellent sharpness, only slight softness in the corners at both wide and telephoto focal lengths.
  
  
• Distortion - Higher than average Barrel distortion at wide angle and pincushion at telephoto are both significant, both are a bit higher than average among the digicams we've tested this year.
  
  
• Chromatic Aberration - Good Some CA at wide angle, but essentially zero CA at tele focal lengths. Better than average in both circumstances.
  
  
• Macro - Excellent macro capability, super-close focus in Super Macro mode.

Image Quality

• Color - Very Good. Good, bright color, without being too saturated. Some color shifts in oranges and cyans, but very pleasing color overall.
  
  
• Noise & Subject Detail - Good. Excellent subject detail at low ISO, almost no noise-suppression artifacts, but slight chroma noise even at ISO 50. Higher ISO shots are good, ISO 400 usable to 8x10 inches. Good detail at the expense of some chroma noise.
  
  
• Indoor Shooting - Very Good. Tungsten White Balance does an excellent job handling difficult household incandescent lighting. (We need to retest for Auto mode, though.)
  
  
• Flash Coverage & Range - Not tested yet, manufacturer spec is good, though; 13 foot range at wide angle, 8.2 feet at tele, both with Auto ISO. Decent flash recycle speed, 4.5 seconds after full-power flash.
  
  
• Print Sizes - Excellent at low ISO, Good at high ISO. Plenty of detail, 13x19 inch prints at low ISO are very sharp, images are probably usable to 16x20 for wall display. ISO 400 prints are usable at 8x10 inches, albeit with a little noise in the shadows. ISO 800 marginal at 8x10, good at 5x7. ISO 1,600 OK at 4x6, but with noisy shadows. ISO 3,200 marginal at 4x6, forget about ISO 6,400.

Performance

• Shutter Lag - Excellent, 0.39 second at wide angle, 0.35 second at telephoto. Prefocused is 0.10 second.
  
  
• Cycle Time - Very fast, at lower resolution. On the slow side of average for single shots (2.6 seconds) and in continuous mode (1 frames/second), but faster than average (3.05 frames/second) for 5-megapixel shots in high-speed continuous mode.
  
  
• Flash Cycle Time - Good (4.5 seconds)
  
  

Pentax W60 Summary

We've been giving waterproof cameras somewhat short treatment around IR of late, because they've almost invariably been mediocre performers when it came to picture-taking. The Pentax W60 surprised us with its excellent image quality and performance, though, so we've sent it back into the lab for the full round of tests. The testing that we've done to date shows the Pentax W60 to be a waterproof (and freezeproof) camera that delivers excellent image quality or performance. Its pictures are sharp, with very good color, and good noise levels up to about ISO 800. It's also a very responsive camera, with shutter lag approaching that of entry-level SLR models, and continuous shooting speeds up to 5 frames/second, albeit at a reduced resolution of 5 megapixels (still plenty for 8x10 inch prints). If you're looking for the ultimate in a go-anywhere camera, the Pentax W60 deserves a closer look. The Pentax W60 was an easy Dave's Pick!