Fri - October 20, 2006

Pentax Optio WP, WPi, W10 and W20 Waterproof Camera Comparison



During a period of less than 2 years Pentax released 4 models of the Optio waterproof camera: WP, WPi, W10 and W20. I bought my first Pentax Optio WP in April of 2005 as soon as it was available. A year later in May of 2006 I upgraded to Optio W10 mostly because of improved video functions.

I recommend to buy the newest model if you are just shopping for a new camera for paddling or other outdoor activities. Price differences between old and new models are not so significant in the case of Optio cameras. However, I guess that older models should be already available on the used camera market. It may also be useful to look at technical data and features to decide if and when you "have to" upgrade to a newer model. I thought it would be useful to gather together technical specifications for all 4 cameras.

It is interesting to note that waterproof Optio cameras are getting bigger and bigger in physical dimensions and weight. The newest W10 is 25% heavier than the original WP.

I have adopted the data below from Lets Go Digital. You compare many different cameras on their website.

Model Pentax Optio WP Pentax Optio WPi Pentax Optio W10 Pentax Optio W20
 
Resolution 5.00 Mpixel 6.36 Mpixel 6.18 Mpixel 7.20 Mpixel
Maximum resolution 2560 x 1920 2816 x 2112 2816 x 2112 3072 x 2304
Minimum resolution 640 x 480 640 x 480 640 x 480 640 x 480
Sensor size 1/2.5-inch 1/2.5-inch 1/2.5-inch 1/2.5-inch
Sensor type CCD CCD CCD CCD
Optical zoom Yes Yes Yes Yes
Focal Length Multiplier n/a n/a n/a n/a
Zoom wide (mm) 38mm 38mm 38mm 38mm
Zoom tele (mm) 114mm 114mm 114mm 114mm
Digital zoom Yes Yes Yes Yes
Auto focus Yes Yes Yes Yes
Manual focus Yes Yes Yes Yes
Focus range (cm) 40 40 40 40
Macro focus range (cm) 1cm 1cm 1cm 1cm
ISO ratings auto, 50, 100, 200, 400 auto, 80, 160, 320, 400, 800 auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800 auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
Aperture priority No No No No
Minimum aperture wide f3.3 f3.3 f3.3 f3.3
Maximum aperture wide Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown
Minimum aperture tele f4.4 f4 f4 f4.0
Maximum aperture tele Unknown Unknown Unknown Unknown
Shutter priority No No No No
Minimum shutter 4 4 4 4
Maximum shutter 1/2000 1/2000 1/2000 1/2000
Sequence (FPS) 3 Unknown Unknown Unknown
Build-in flash Yes Yes Yes Yes
External flash No No No No
External flash type n/a n/a n/a n/a
Exposure compensation -2EV - +2EV
with 1/3EV steps		 -2EV - +2EV
with 1/3EV steps		 -2EV - +2EV
with 1/3EV steps		 -2EV - +2EV
with 1/3EV steps
Video function Yes Yes Yes Yes
Video sound No Yes Yes Yes
Maximum video resolution 320x240 320x240 640x480 640x480
Minimum video resolution 160x120 160x120 160x120 320x240
Frames per second (fps) 0fps 30fps 30fps 30fps
Voice recording Yes Yes Yes Yes
Optical Viewfinder No No No No
Electronic Viewfinder No No No No
LCD display Yes Yes Yes Yes
LCD size 2-inch 2-inch 2.5-inch 2.5-inch
LCD Resolution (pixels) 85,000 pixels 115,000 pixels 115,000 pixels 115,000 pixels
Self-timer Yes Yes Yes Yes
USB USB 1.1 USB 2.0 USB 2.0 USB 2.0 Hi-Speed
Video Out Yes Yes Yes Yes
Firewire No No No No
Bluetooth No No No No
Weight 120g. 120g. 140g. 150g.
Sizes 102x51x22mm 102x51x22mm 107x54.5x23mm 107x55x23mm
Check Price Pentax Optio WP Pentax Optio WPi Pentax Optio W10 Pentax Optio W20
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