Overview
The Pentax Optio W90 is waterproof, shockproof and freezeproof. These robust features often appeal to families where a camera may take the odd knock from time to time or with people travelling. Inside the tough exterior is a fairly typical point and shoot camera when it comes to features and ease of use.
As with many digital cameras a variety of coloured options are available including an eye catching bright orange version.
Why Buy The Pentax Optio W90
Robust digital cameras are very popular. For many people it is good to have a digital camera that they don't have to wrap up in cotton wool. The Optio W90 can be used around the pool and on the beach as well as in extreme cold.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
12
5x
2.7 inches
59 x 107.5 x 25mm
161g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
1cm
Yes
No
Lithium ion
SD/SDHC/Eye?Fi cards
Features
There are limits when it comes to using the Option W90 in extreme conditions. These are 6m underwater, drops of 1.2m and a minimum temperature of -10 degrees centigrade. You should have no problem using this camera in and around most swimming pools, but it is not suitable for deeper dives.
Aside from these more robust features the Optio W90 operates more or less as a typical point and shoot digital camera. There are one or two features that are a bit different or are not widely available from other brands. The first point to note is that the camera is compatible with Eye-Fi memory cards. These are give you access to Wi-Fi capabilities for easier upload to a computer. If this is not of any interest to you, you can always opt to use a standard SD or SDXC memory card.
The second different feature is the inclusion of three small lights around the lens. These are activated when the camera is in super macro mode. This is a great idea as when the camera is placed very close to a subject there is the danger of light being shut out.
I also like the fact that you have a choice between full resolution and extra zoom. This is because additional zoom power becomes available as you reduce the number of megapixels you are shooting at. For example if you shoot at 7megapixels the amount of zoom available to you increases to 6.5x.
Also on the front of the camera is a remote control receiver. A remote control is not provided as standard, but you can purchase one separately.
More standard features include High Definition movies and a 2.7 inch LCD screen.
Handling
As part of its general protection against water the Optio W90 has a rubber coating covering most of the camera. This helps to stop the camera from slipping from your grasp when it is wet. It is easy enough to get a good grip of the camera, but the back of the camera is quite busy with buttons and there is not a great deal of room for your thumb to rest.
Although the LCD screen is quite large I found the actual viewing area seemed quite small.
Running through the buttons and controls there are two buttons on the top of the camera. These are to turn the camera on and off and to press when you want to take picture.
On the back of the camera there are a lot more buttons. From the top down these are for zooming in and out, reviewing photos, accessing the menu and turning on face detection. Next is the standard square control area. The top area activates the self timer, moving clockwise to 3 o'clock is macro mode, at six o'clock is the shooting mode selector and at 9 o'clock are flash settings. In the centre of this unit is a button to confirm a setting.
At the bottom is a button to place the Optio W90 into green mode. In green mode the camera is simplified and access to the shooting menu options is removed.
There are 23 options in the shooting menu with a further 20 in the setup menu.
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shot 1
The Optio W90 gets off to a good start. I like the strong colours in the shot with the contrast between the blue sky and the darker green foliage. Levels of sharpness may not be top drawer, but they are still perfectly acceptable. Most of the sharpness is retained as you move out towards the edges of the shot. There is also a good level of detail showing in the lightest areas of the picture.
Outdoor Scenic Shot 2
This scene has proved to be a very tough challenge for the Optio W90. There is a real lack of sharpness. All digital cameras find distant scenes difficult, but this camera falls well below average when it comes to sharpness and definition. My guess is that the distance in the scene is beyond the true capabilities of the lens.
Outdoor Scenic Shot 3
Zooming in the Optio W90 produces a much better effort. The shot shows a much greater degree of clarity. As with the first test shot levels of sharpness are more or less constant with little being lost as you move out towards the edges.
Outdoor Building
It is almost a case of one good photo followed by a poor effort. This is another below par picture. This time around I cannot come up with a valid reason. The building should be well within range for the camera, yet it has produced a hazy photo that is lacking true sharpness.
Outdoor Portrait
I am not convinced that any of my portrait shots are absolutely pin sharp. With the vast majority of digital cameras they are. The quality should be good enough for standard snapshot sized prints, but you may see a softer look if you increase print sizes. My outdoor portrait is taken in the shade and you will probably see a sharper result in better light. The problem with this is as with any photo taken in direct sunlight you can lose colour and detail.
Indoor Portrait With Flash
As with my outdoor portrait this picture is not quiet pin sharp. Again most digital cameras do manage to produce a crisp indoor portrait when flash is turned on. Aside from that point lighting is good and the camera manages to retain colour when flash is being used.
Indoor Portrait Without Flash
There is a fair amount of noise showing in this shot. Lighting levels were fairly typical for an indoor setting. Therefore when using the Optio W90 in anything other than perfect light you are likely to need to use flash.
Macro
The macro shot is quite good. It is only the outside pencils that lose a little of their sharpness. There are one or two strange colours artefacts where yellow lines show up for no apparent reasons. Despite this quality should be good enough if you are looking to take the occasional close up snapshot.
Colours
There is not too much to report about the colours the Optio W90 produces. It is capable of producing vivid, colourful photos.
Noise
Compared to other waterproof digital cameras that I have tested the Optio W90 does exhibit higher noise levels in places. The indoor portrait is the most obvious example of this. This suggests that the Optio W90 needs plenty of light to be seen at its best.
Picture Quality Summary
I found picture quality to be more than a little inconsistent. At times it was as if I was using two different cameras. There are areas where the Optio W90 performs well, but others where it clearly struggles.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.29 seconds
32.28 seconds
0.47 seconds
23.24 seconds
2.23 seconds
Ease of Use
Aside from the robust features the Optio W90 operates like a typical point and shoot digital camera. The menu system is quite straightforward and you should soon feel at home with this camera.
Points I Like
General features - macro lights - remote control
Where it Could Improve
Inconsistent picture quality - Slow response when taking multiple photos
Verdict
If you buy a waterproof, robust digital camera your emphasis is likely to be more on fun than looking for a picture that offers truly high end picture quality. Even so I was disappointed with the picture quality offered by the Pentax Optio W90. There are some very good digital cameras in this category and my view is that there is better quality on offer elsewhere.
Where to Buy - Pentax Optio W90
Test Shots
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
The camera used in this review of the Pentax Optio W90
was kindly provided by UK Digital Cameras
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Related Pages
Pentax Optio W90 Review Pentax Optio W90 Specification Pentax Optio W90 Sample Images
Review Date
November 2010
