The Pentax Optio W series are all waterproof cameras at varying depths. The latest in the series is the Pentax Optio W90, which is actually the 11th generation, and it comes in either black or pistachio green.
The W90 is designed to work in extreme conditions, including 20 feet underwater, in sub-freezing temperatures, and in dry and dusty deserts. It is meant for sportsmen who enjoy pushing the limits. The camera can be taken when scuba diving, skiing, or sand boarding. You can even drop it from four feet high and then go on snapping photos. It’ll simply absorb the shock.
With a 12.1 megapixel sensor, you are assured of high resolution images even when your prints are enlarged. A 5X optical zoom, which is equivalent to 28-140 mm in a 35 mm format, allows both wide angle and telephoto shots. An innovative feature is the Digital Microscope mode that can capture extremely small macro subjects even at a distance of only 1 cm from the camera. Three LED Macro Lights mounted on the lens barrel illuminate the small subject for proper exposure.
Photo composition is facilitated with a 2.7-inch LCD display. It features 230,000 dots with a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. Treated with an Anti-Reflection (AR) coating, glare and reflections are substantially minimized even under very bright conditions such as on snow-covered mountaintops or sand dunes in the desert.
In addition to stills, Pentax Optio W90 also records movies in 720p HD video at 30 fps. These, including the stills, can be viewed on your HDTV via an HDMI port.
To eliminate blurry pictures, the camera boasts of three anti-shake systems. One is the Pixel Track SR which compensates for camera shake when recording still pictures. The High-Sensitivity Anti-Shake mode, on the other hand, automatically adjusts ISO Sensitivity to as high as 6400 if the camera detects low-light conditions. This increases shutter speed, and thus minimize the effects of camera shake. A third system is Movie SR. This is used when shooting videos employing an exclusive software.