|
Average rating:
3.79
|
|
|
|
|||
 |
Pentax Optio WPi6.0 megapixels | 2" screen | 38 – 114 mm (3×)
|
|
Average rating:
3.79
|
|
|
|
Problems: I bought an Optio WPi for a bonefishing trip to the Bahamas. This was my first digital camera. Needless to say, I was trying to use it almost entirely outside in bright light. Under those conditions -- particularly on sunny days -- I could not see any usable image in the monitor, which made it almost totally useless. My guide's digital camera had a see-through viewfinder, which allowed good use in the sun, but the Optio has only the digital monitor.
Opinion: Had this camera for a couple of years. Finally, in November 2006, drowned it. Overall it produced many nice underwater shots, and some from whitewater rafting. Beach ones were Ok, never used it indoors. It was a great backup for DSLR equipment in every travel, kinda miss it.
Problems: 1. When shooting the fish, had to turn to shutter priority and set it to 1/160 - that was the limit of unblurry photos. With the 200 ISO (limit of ungrainy photos) that was a bit limiting without the flash. Never use the built-in flash in water because of particle refractions.
2. Freediving with this toy was Ok down to 6-8 meters (although it's guaranteed to 1.5 m deep). My guess, it leaked somewhere around 12-15 meters. Then it stopped shooting, and afterwards I discovered it was full of seawater. So, now I'm considering the new Olympus 770 SW toy, which is rated to 10m deep. But that one does not have shutter priority, so I'm gonna get more blurry fishes. Hey, Pentax! Will you really let Olympus have your customers?
Opinion: This is a very handy compact camera.
The camera excels when taking close up shots both in or out of the water. The landscape pics however are not worth worrying about as they are blurry and lack any detail.
If you want a camera for snapping people or shallow water shooting (diving/surfing) i would recommend it.
If you take this unit deeper than the suggested 6 feet (say 7to8 feet) the unit does not leak but the shutter button cannot be pressed.
Problems: nil
Opinion: Outstanding outdoor and even underwater performance, well "pocketable", even as
twin set up for stereo photographs
Problems: tripod thread too weak, "platform" around thread far too small, result: flimsy
camera mounting, damage prone
Opinion: Optio is great as a snapshot camera that can resist water and dust. That is it. The images are of a snapshot camera. If you want good quality pictures, go for another camera, and invest in a waterproof case.
Opinion: I've been using a Nikon E995 (3.5MP), and wanted an upgrade to an Ultra-compact happy-snap camera. I bought the WPi for the waterproof feature.
Apart from being a little fiddly to learn, all the supplied features seem ok. But what really lets this camera down is the "image quality", or precisely the total lack of image quality. Pictures that look ok when viewed on the on-camera display, or that look ok when viewed fit-to-screen (1280x1024), look absolutely terrible when viewed "actual size". The images are really blurry/fuzzy with very poor edge definition.
Unless my one is a (particularly) bad apple from the bunch, this is one camera I would recommend people steer clear of.
Problems: Pictures that look ok when viewed on the on-camera display, or that look ok when viewed fit-to-screen (1280x1024), look absolutely terrible when viewed "actual size". The images are really blurry/fuzzy with very poor edge definition.
(6mp, *** mode)
Opinion: This is my third Pentax camera and I love it more than the other two combined. My last camera was the S5i and I loved it and didnt think it could get topped, but the WPi has more megapixels, larger screen, more options, faster zoon, plus its waterproof. This is the perfect camera for anyone but especially the outdoorsmen who might find themselve around water. Buydig.com is where i got it, fast shipping, Willoughbys is also a top notch dealer
Problems: Hard to take pictures in low light conditions
Opinion: I bought this camera on Dec. 12th, flew to Australia the next day. I bought this camera to be used when it wasn't practical to carry my D-SLR. Picture quality seems great, the LCD screen is large and bright.
Problems: Camera worked great for a couple of weeks, took it into the water numerous times. Eventually though I believe it got water into it and has since stopped working. We'll see what Pentax does about it. I never took it below the maximum depth, probably never close.
Jan. 19/05
I just heard back from the Camera store I purchased this at, they told me Pentax has voided my warranty due to water damage! It's a waterproof camera that was used within the parameters set by Pentax! I am waiting to hear what the Pentax rep. has to say about this, if they refuse to fix it I am going to freak!
Update(April 17/06): It has been 4 months since this camera quit working and I still have not received an answer as to what they are going to do about it. I could have used this camera numerous times since then and I am very disappointed with the way I have been treated by Pentax.
Opinion: I just bought this camera as my first digital camera. I plan on using it for home, as well as on my ambulance. The waterproof feature is a big deal. I have taken 3 pics in murky water, and 2 in salt water on accident scenes, and the pics came out great as did the camera. I worry about the view screen on the back getting scratched, but I think a simple screen protector like I have on my PDA would be a great precautionary measure.
|
|
Reviews and specs
|
Galleries
|
Challenges
|
 | 22.3 megapixels 3.2" screen Full frame sensor |
