w20 front,
w20 angled,
w20 back,
w20 sides,
w20 top & bottom and
w20 battery
sample images: one , two , three , four , five , six
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Details at a glance
Megapixels: 7
Optical Zoom: 3x
Digital Zoom: 4x
Storage: SD/SDHC
Internal: 21.9mb
Size: 107 x 55 x 23mm
Weight: 135g
We clicked with
Waterproof and dustproof casing, customisable menu, detail in images
Shots in the dark
Vignetting, location of camera lens, lack of good grip, inaccurate Autofocus
Links
More Pentax information
www.pentax.co.uk
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The W10 was one of the first truly waterproof cameras. Previously if you wanted to take your camera underwater you would need a bulky and hard-to-use watertight case but the W series changed that. The Pentax W20 is the latest generation of the W series. and the W20 adds more features and performance.
Features
The W20 has a waterproof casing but this doesn't mean you can take the camera to the depths of the ocean because there are limitations due to pressure. The camera is only waterproof to JIS Class 8 which is 30 minutes at a depth of 1.5m. While this doesn't immediately sound too impressive remember your typical compact can't even touch water. This ability is more than OK for using on holiday while you are splashing about in the sea looking at fish or for a little snorkelling - and it is fine for the rain too.
Another benefit of the waterproof case is that it is dustproof too (to class 5). This means that the camera will be fine for leaving it on the beach. A few weeks ago when I reviewed the Panasonic TZ1, I described that it was classed as a Travel Camera. The W20 goes one better than this - it's fine anywhere.
The other features of the camera are pretty standard for a compact - a 7MP sensor, a non-protruding 3x lens and a 2.5 inch LCD - but the camera does have a few Pentax hallmarks. The "Green" button is still here, acting as usual to start the ultra-simple shooting mode and as the delete button. It has another use too, when in the Menu screen it is used to move options up and down the menu. It's not a feature that will change the world, but it makes the photographer's life a bit easier. Another nice touch is that if you hold the OK button down, it will display the time whether the camera is on or off.
Handling
If you weren't told the W20 was waterproof you'd be forgiven for thinking otherwise based on the cameras size, which is pretty standard. It's only when you look closer that the design gives this away. The buttons are rubber to make them easy to press when wet, the battery/memory card/USB connections are under a lockable watertight cover and the lens is protected by a transparent hardened plastic barrier.
Despite being compact sized the camera feels a little odd. There's no real weight to it compared to others and the grip on isn't big enough on the front. On the back there is more grip but this is only because of the zoom rocker, which extends a fair way out from the camera. This lack of grip on the camera is off-putting and if you are using the camera underwater I'd definitely recommend using the lanyard.
Image quality
The Pentax W20 has been blessed with a very proficient sensor for a compact, the colours are good across the board and purple fringing is kept to a minimum - I had to look very hard to find an example, and it was only the white lettering of the red No Parking sign that I found some. Detail is also very good because there doesn't seem to be a lot of noise reduction (more on this in a bit) and edges too are very sharp. At the telephoto end of the scale however some edge detail is lost, aerials disappearing etc.
As good as the sensor is, it's still affected somewhat by noise. Sensitivity is selectable from 64 to 1600 and while it's unnoticeable under 200, it becomes obvious above that, with ISO 1600 being awash with noise of both variety.
One major issue with image quality is vignetting. This is a darkening of the corners of the image and is sometimes found on super wide lenses. We found that the W20 vignetted on most shots at all focal lengths. The severity of this varied depending on the subject (if the edges are dark then it's hard to spot vignetting) but once we started looking for it we could find it on virtually every shot. Vignetting can be fixed either by cropping the image or by complex editing (in fact some portrait photographers add vignetting for artistic effect). However, we don't feel that owners should need to do this and the level of vignetting on this camera is particularly high. It's possible that our copy was faulty and I'll be talking to Pentax about this but as it stands we have docked 2 points off image quality for vignetting.
Shooting
The camera is pretty fast, turning on almost as soon as you release the on/off button. The shot-to-shot time is adequate too, about two seconds with flash.
The AutoFocus on the camera is quick too, but it is inaccurate. In either spot or multi AF mode the camera was regularly confused over what the subject was, even in macro mode when it was right in front of it. The 9 point AF system is handy to have in some situations but it often focused on the wrong thing, such as a brick in the wall behind the person. There are no options are there to fix this other than releasing the shutter button and having another go.
In addition to the Green mode there are 25 other modes. It isn't worth going through them in any great detail but they are varied enough so someone will find them useful. The manual describes their function in good detail and there is a guide on-camera that appears after a few seconds.
What's not to like
The main feature lacking on the camera is a form of Image Stabilisation, and this is strange for two reasons. This is a standard feature on cameras these days at this level. The high sensitivity mode of 1600 attempts to make up for this, but the noise at 1600 is pretty high and makes this almost unusable.
Similarly the placement of the lens is confusing, especially if you are used to using compacts. The lens is directly in the middle of the front which looks different but it's very easy for a thumb or finger to stray into frame because your right hand is after grip. It's a problem that only occurs at the wide-angle range of the zoom but it is something that takes some getting used to. The AF probably fails too because the sensor is hidden under a finger.
Finally, something else that takes some getting used to is the decision to use the middle button of the four way to change the display settings. That button is traditionally used for the menu so it's an easy mistake to make, but to fix the display it needs another two presses, including one where the LCD is turned off.
Camera specification
| Mega-pixels: | 7.0 |
Photo: | JPEG |
| Optical Zoom: | 3x |
RAW: | No |
| Digital Zoom: | 4x |
Aperture: | F3.3-4 |
| LCD: | 2.5 inch |
Focal Length: | 38-114mm |
| Dimensions: | 107 x 55 x 23mm |
Shutter speed: | 4 -> 1/2000s |
| Weight: | 135g |
Exposure: | ISO 64 to 1600 |
| Storage: | SD, SDHC |
Movie: | 640x480@30fps |
| Internal Mem: | 21.9mb |
Battery: | Li-ion D-Li8 |
| Interface: | USB 2.0, AV |
PictBridge: | Yes |
