Summer is rapidly slipping away from us and the long months of constant rain are returning, here in London at least, so the release of a waterproof camera makes quite a lot of sense - so step up Pentax with its Optio W20 camera.
The W range (no prizes for guessing what the W stands for) is a range of cameras that allow waterproof use without the need for an additional case, and the added fiddly operation and lens misting that they bring. For those on holiday somewhere nice and hot or doing watersports, the W20 is water resistant to the JIS Class 9 standard. To us not in the industry that means 30 minutes at a depth of five feet. It's even dustproof too.
The W20 is a worthy digital camera in its own right and it pushes all the right buttons for a compact today - stylish slim design, 7.0 effective megapixel sensor, 2.5 inch LCD, and a 3x optical lens that uses the magical “folding lens” system so it doesn't protrude. It upgrades the range with a Blur Reducing High Sensitivity mode that takes ISO up to 1600 and adds support for SDHC cards.
The W20 will be released this September. RRP is quoted at $300, so expect to see a price of about £170 here.
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