Pentax Optio W90

2010.02.24

The latest Pentax digital camera is the ultra-resistant Optio W90. This model can be submerged 6m (20') under water, dropped from 1.2m (4'), frozen to -10C (14F) and sealed against dust and moisture. The W90 is certainly the toughest Pentax camera to date.

The W90 is built around a 12 megapixels sensor and non-protruding wide-angle 5X optical zoom lens, equivalent to 28-120mm in 35mm terms. Its sensor is capable of 720p HD video capture at 30 FPS. A number of LEDs surrounding the lens can be used to illuminate subjects as close as 1cm from the lens, allowing to take full advantage of this digital camera's macro capability.

As one would expect from a camera designed to be taken anywhere, the typical wrist-strap will not do. Instead, Pentax provides a thick strap with carabiner to securely fasten when required. Anywhere, anytime seems to be the moto for the W90 which has plenty of low-light features like ISO sensitivity up to 6400 at reduced resolution, a focus-assist lamp which is rare among such small cameras and the already-mentioned macro-assisting LEDs. The W90 will be available this April for $329 USD.

• Digital Camera