Pentax Optio W80

Opinion: Camera jam packed with lots of features I wanted in a take everywhere / do everything camera for my active lifestyle of canoeing, camping, skiing, hiking, etc. All-weather, High resolution, 5x optical, IS, 720p video, 3:2 aspect, interval shooting, etc...

It's a great camera when my activities can't afford the weight of my DSLR gear, but it is by no means any kind of replacement.

Opinion: I bought this after I dropped my Canon TX1 thinking drop proof would be good. My Canon had 7.1 megapixels so I figured the 12.1 megapixel would at the very least take as good a pictures. I knew the zoom would be half of what I was used to, but it still video taped in HD 6:9 so it should at the very least have equal video quality. HOW VERY WRONG I WAS! My broken camera with serious focus issues took some amazing video at a concert where this camera took extraordinarily noisy video. I tested it at home with the exact picture taken with my canon. The pentax pics were softer and noisy no matter what setting I used, even when I set it to exactly what the canon was at. Needless to say, I took it back and am spending my money on fixing my canon which took amazing pics and video. It did have interesting features, but if the pics don't look good, there isn't much point. I never took it under water so I can't comment on that part.

Opinion: For the price at $180.00 from adorama it is a great
camera. Very clear images at low ISO, video is OK but
not
great but when you factor you can use it in any
weather
condition it is a very good value.
Has intervalometer built in for both still and video worth
the price of camera alone. Size is great.
Also Pentax gives you a great printed manual that
details ALL the great features.

Opinion: I used this camera for a race/challenge that involved mud, dirty water, fire, snow and a lot of climbing. It got knocked around quite a bit and not only survived but my pictures are beautiful. The need to make sure your setting is correct for your current lighting conditions but it is not only easy to do, it's great that the settings don't automatically reset when you turn it off. I've used it a lot on the beach, in the water and for regular photos and every photo is sharp with great colors. It's very compact and easy to take along to the kind of places/adventures where you would need this kind of tough camera.