Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange)

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

I purchased this camera specifically to document a 631-mile canoe trip I made last summer with my two golden retrievers. The photos from this camera and two other cameras will be used to illustrate a book about the trip that's currently in production.No camera is perfect, but this one did what I expected of it, which was it allowed me to have a waterproof camera at the ready (in the pocket of my life jacket) for anything we encountered during the day.Positives for the camera were it's large image files (16mp), being water and shock proof, GPS function, HDR post processing, HD video quality and optional IR remote.Things I didn't like about the camera were its digital image stabilization which degraded image quality (I turned it off); the camera's slow lens which made it all but useless in low light; and the tendency to drain the battery with the GPS function turned on even when the camera was off. I had a spare battery, but for much of the trip I did not have access to electricity, so I had to go into a menu to switch the GPS function on or off as needed to save the battery (the GPS did work well when activated).Overall, this camera worked as advertised and I came back with photos that I couldn't or wouldn't have taken with a camera that wasn't waterproof.I also use the camera on motorcycling trips because I don't have to worry about it being damaged by water if if rains.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

I am extremely happy with my new camera. It takes extremely clear pictures on land and under water in low light and lots of light. The only functions I am not a fan of is the wider function and panoramic function. The wider function you take two pictures and the camera merges the image on top of each other. The panoramic function - you do not move your camera in one swoop from left to right; you take 3 pictures and it merges it. It can leave room for error.
I love the pet function - when my pet looks at me the camera automatically takes the picture with out a bright flash going off making the pet to turn or squint. I have never had a camera with this function.
The durability camera is excellent. I used the while snorkeling in the ocean, dusty/muddy conditions, in the pool and on the beach on my recent vacation. I would highly recommend this camera.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

I use this camera to take casual pictures during travel and family events. The fact that it can go into water and you can "bang it around" is very good.I found that the protective glass in front of the lens causes a lot of light interference if your taking a picture when the Sun is lower in the horizon.After a few hours on/off the water on a water park I got a few drops of water in the battery compartiment but the camera wasn't damaged in any way, I just wiped it off with a piece of cloth.My major complaint about this camera is that it does not offer RAW pictures, I have been working with RAW for a couple of years and getting a JPEG into my processing SW is frustrating.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (White):

great camera cant wait to really use all of the applications

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (White):

I got this mostly for the time-lapse and waterproof features. I've made several time-lapse videos, and after a few trial-by-error attempts, was able to use it successfully. The time-lapse feature is very fun. I only wish it could record at intervals of less than one minute, but one minute is the minimum.

I recorded several time-lapse videos of up to four or five hours WITHOUT any additional memory card! That's right, the internal memory on the camera can hold up to a five hour interval time-lapse movie. With 60 photos taken per hour, that's up to 300 photos. Not bad.

Have yet to test the waterproof feature.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

I bought this camera so I can take it on motorcycle trips and when travelling light or to anywhere involving water ...

The Optio WG-2 is very robust and seems to be able to take a lot of abuse. I used it on a water park, while I did not get the camera damage by water, there was some water leakage into the battery compartment (yes, it was well closed) but the camera was under water for many hours as I kept it in my pocket.

The 5x optical zoom is great, the photo quality is as good as any other camera of this class.

One think that did not work well was taking pictures against sunlight. The protective glass in front of the lens cause a lot of glare which really made it hard to get any usable image on this situation, it may have been exacerbated byt the fact that when using the camera on water for a long time you get oils deposited on the glass.

Some extra features such as panorama pictures and face recognition are nice to have.
The feature I miss the most on this camera is having the option to shoot in RAW, but I could not find any other similar camera that had this feature.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

Picked up this camera for two purposes. Didn't want to miss moments on the beach with my kids and in the water, and didn't want didn't want my pro gear on the beach.
This camera did fantastic. I have to admit the first time I took it into the water boogie boarding with my daughter I was nervous, but it did great. Its clear on the design they went for rugged, and I like that they focused on the task. The picture quality is great. I didn't notice any issues with response time, and if so, just needed to place it on a different capture function.
Anyhow, it handled the water, sand, and sun of the beach great. Battery life was great. And ultimately handled my wife's abuse of tossing it in the beach bag.
No regrets in picking up this camera.

One note but its not their problem. Sun screen, is bad all the way around. Too much of it on your hands means the display and possibly the lens will get nice and foggy. So wipe your hands after applying sun screen.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

The mode switching is annoying and without a built-in viewfinder, it is almost impossible to see the display panel in sun light.

The pictures are not as crisp as I hoped and some shots are downright disappointing. Diffidently will give it one more try and if not satisfied, it will be returned.

Almost forgot, the video does not mimic 1080 quality, it is more like 720.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

Having more "fun" than I do with my 7d! only negiative I can note is the battery door is dificult to close. Understandable, since the camera is water proof, but every time I close it I end up pinching my finger - OUCH!! The battery life could be better but you just learn to keep tabs on it.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (White):

Excellent rugged camera with more features than most compact cameras. Editing options are easy to use and included many options. Very durable and portable, love the carabiner for secure attachment that is included. Super quick start up and no lag between shots. Great panoramic and macro features. This camera puts up with a beating and still begs for more. It offers what you'd expect from a rugged well built camera, and then adds a whole lot more. GPS is a nice feature, although as with all GPS, signal is limited in bad weather and built up cities.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

I added this camera to my birthday gift wish-list after reviewing the current line-up of waterproof cameras. My goal was to have a camera that I could take on trips, snorkeling, or out hiking/biking without worrying about getting it wet, dropping it in the dirt or otherwise abusing it. I've had it for 4 days now and used it for 4+ hours.Something to consider about environment-proof cameras is that there is almost always a sacrifice over a regular point-and-shoot. Since there is a mineral glass or other cover in front of the lens and it is usually contained within the main body you are giving up some wide-angle and are going to be more apt to pickup lens flare. With this said, I think it is a great compromise solution for someone liable to carry the camera when it might get wet or dropped.Things I like about this camera:-Modes/features for everything - Regular photos, face/blink detection, regular video with audio, Slow motion video (15s stretched to 1m), macro photography, panoramic shots, etc.. -Eye-Fi Support - Since I put in the memory card I haven't removed it.-GPS Support with time sync. I've only played with it it a little since most of my shooting so far has been indoors so I don't have a developed opinion yet.-I love how it looks and feels in the hand. I haven't had any usability issues after the first 15 minutes of use. The number of modes for shooting is crazy. -Macro Mode - The 6 lights coupled with the Macro stand is a great combination. Fun to play with.-Macro Stand - The Macro stand also has a 46mm thread on it. I picked up a UV/Polarizer filter set and cheapie fish-eye lens to play with. I'm keeping the Macro stand on pretty much all the time to protect the mineral glass as a just-in-case.-Macro Lights - 6 of them around the lens.-Lanyard strap - If the strap comes off of this camera you have much bigger things to worry about. -Look and Feel - Some people say it is ugly, I love it. One of my friends said it reminds him of a sports car. It feels durable with solid components.-LCD Display is large and bright, with four small pegs around the corners to keep it from being the first thing to hit a flat surface when dropped. I cut down a screen protector and threw it on there since it would get scratched up over time.Things that could be improved:-Battery Life - Especially with Eye-Fi and GPS enabled. Buy extra batteries.-I wish there was a way to attach the macro-stand permanently, which also has a 46mm thread. I keep it on all the time since I keep a lens cap on it while banging around in my pocket.-Jpeg + Mov Only - No RAW or other export formats, not a huge negative but for [$] retail the prices are approaching that territory.-I don't know about the optical qualities of mineral glass vs. artificial sapphire or other harder materials but it would be nice if the main lens cover was harder. I am concerned about the long-term durability after my experiences with watches that use mineral glass. This might be unfounded.-Plastic tripod mount.-I still have questions about the image quality. For the function of the camera I would call it acceptable but I'm not gushing over images produced. Several of the advanced modes limit your image resolution significantly, such as some panoramic and macro modes. It is still great fun, with many features, but some might be disappointed by the limits imposed. As of the time of this writing the universe is in-between major models of solid underwater-capable cameras. Canon's D20 should be out in a few months, which might change the landscape and other manufacturers are due for a refresh. With this said, I'm quite happy with my purchase. I think it will have a long life as my knock-around/take everywhere camera.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

I purchased this camera specifically to document a 631-mile canoe trip I made last summer with my two golden retrievers. The photos from this camera and two other cameras will be used to illustrate a book about the trip that's currently in production.No camera is perfect, but this one did what I expected of it, which was it allowed me to have a waterproof camera at the ready (in the pocket of my life jacket) for anything we encountered during the day.Positives for the camera were it's large image files (16mp), being water and shock proof, GPS function, HDR post processing, HD video quality and optional IR remote.Things I didn't like about the camera were its digital image stabilization which degraded image quality (I turned it off); the camera's slow lens which made it all but useless in low light; and the tendency to drain the battery with the GPS function turned on even when the camera was off. I had a spare battery, but for much of the trip I did not have access to electricity, so I had to go into a menu to switch the GPS function on or off as needed to save the battery (the GPS did work well when activated).Overall, this camera worked as advertised and I came back with photos that I couldn't or wouldn't have taken with a camera that wasn't waterproof.I also use the camera on motorcycling trips because I don't have to worry about it being damaged by water if if rains.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

I am extremely happy with my new camera. It takes extremely clear pictures on land and under water in low light and lots of light. The only functions I am not a fan of is the wider function and panoramic function. The wider function you take two pictures and the camera merges the image on top of each other. The panoramic function - you do not move your camera in one swoop from left to right; you take 3 pictures and it merges it. It can leave room for error.
I love the pet function - when my pet looks at me the camera automatically takes the picture with out a bright flash going off making the pet to turn or squint. I have never had a camera with this function.
The durability camera is excellent. I used the while snorkeling in the ocean, dusty/muddy conditions, in the pool and on the beach on my recent vacation. I would highly recommend this camera.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

I use this camera to take casual pictures during travel and family events. The fact that it can go into water and you can "bang it around" is very good.I found that the protective glass in front of the lens causes a lot of light interference if your taking a picture when the Sun is lower in the horizon.After a few hours on/off the water on a water park I got a few drops of water in the battery compartiment but the camera wasn't damaged in any way, I just wiped it off with a piece of cloth.My major complaint about this camera is that it does not offer RAW pictures, I have been working with RAW for a couple of years and getting a JPEG into my processing SW is frustrating.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (White):

great camera cant wait to really use all of the applications

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (White):

I got this mostly for the time-lapse and waterproof features. I've made several time-lapse videos, and after a few trial-by-error attempts, was able to use it successfully. The time-lapse feature is very fun. I only wish it could record at intervals of less than one minute, but one minute is the minimum.

I recorded several time-lapse videos of up to four or five hours WITHOUT any additional memory card! That's right, the internal memory on the camera can hold up to a five hour interval time-lapse movie. With 60 photos taken per hour, that's up to 300 photos. Not bad.

Have yet to test the waterproof feature.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

I bought this camera so I can take it on motorcycle trips and when travelling light or to anywhere involving water ...

The Optio WG-2 is very robust and seems to be able to take a lot of abuse. I used it on a water park, while I did not get the camera damage by water, there was some water leakage into the battery compartment (yes, it was well closed) but the camera was under water for many hours as I kept it in my pocket.

The 5x optical zoom is great, the photo quality is as good as any other camera of this class.

One think that did not work well was taking pictures against sunlight. The protective glass in front of the lens cause a lot of glare which really made it hard to get any usable image on this situation, it may have been exacerbated byt the fact that when using the camera on water for a long time you get oils deposited on the glass.

Some extra features such as panorama pictures and face recognition are nice to have.
The feature I miss the most on this camera is having the option to shoot in RAW, but I could not find any other similar camera that had this feature.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

Picked up this camera for two purposes. Didn't want to miss moments on the beach with my kids and in the water, and didn't want didn't want my pro gear on the beach.
This camera did fantastic. I have to admit the first time I took it into the water boogie boarding with my daughter I was nervous, but it did great. Its clear on the design they went for rugged, and I like that they focused on the task. The picture quality is great. I didn't notice any issues with response time, and if so, just needed to place it on a different capture function.
Anyhow, it handled the water, sand, and sun of the beach great. Battery life was great. And ultimately handled my wife's abuse of tossing it in the beach bag.
No regrets in picking up this camera.

One note but its not their problem. Sun screen, is bad all the way around. Too much of it on your hands means the display and possibly the lens will get nice and foggy. So wipe your hands after applying sun screen.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

The mode switching is annoying and without a built-in viewfinder, it is almost impossible to see the display panel in sun light.

The pictures are not as crisp as I hoped and some shots are downright disappointing. Diffidently will give it one more try and if not satisfied, it will be returned.

Almost forgot, the video does not mimic 1080 quality, it is more like 720.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

Having more "fun" than I do with my 7d! only negiative I can note is the battery door is dificult to close. Understandable, since the camera is water proof, but every time I close it I end up pinching my finger - OUCH!! The battery life could be better but you just learn to keep tabs on it.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (White):

Excellent rugged camera with more features than most compact cameras. Editing options are easy to use and included many options. Very durable and portable, love the carabiner for secure attachment that is included. Super quick start up and no lag between shots. Great panoramic and macro features. This camera puts up with a beating and still begs for more. It offers what you'd expect from a rugged well built camera, and then adds a whole lot more. GPS is a nice feature, although as with all GPS, signal is limited in bad weather and built up cities.

Comments about Optio WG-2 GPS Digital Camera (Orange):

I added this camera to my birthday gift wish-list after reviewing the current line-up of waterproof cameras. My goal was to have a camera that I could take on trips, snorkeling, or out hiking/biking without worrying about getting it wet, dropping it in the dirt or otherwise abusing it. I've had it for 4 days now and used it for 4+ hours.Something to consider about environment-proof cameras is that there is almost always a sacrifice over a regular point-and-shoot. Since there is a mineral glass or other cover in front of the lens and it is usually contained within the main body you are giving up some wide-angle and are going to be more apt to pickup lens flare. With this said, I think it is a great compromise solution for someone liable to carry the camera when it might get wet or dropped.Things I like about this camera:-Modes/features for everything - Regular photos, face/blink detection, regular video with audio, Slow motion video (15s stretched to 1m), macro photography, panoramic shots, etc.. -Eye-Fi Support - Since I put in the memory card I haven't removed it.-GPS Support with time sync. I've only played with it it a little since most of my shooting so far has been indoors so I don't have a developed opinion yet.-I love how it looks and feels in the hand. I haven't had any usability issues after the first 15 minutes of use. The number of modes for shooting is crazy. -Macro Mode - The 6 lights coupled with the Macro stand is a great combination. Fun to play with.-Macro Stand - The Macro stand also has a 46mm thread on it. I picked up a UV/Polarizer filter set and cheapie fish-eye lens to play with. I'm keeping the Macro stand on pretty much all the time to protect the mineral glass as a just-in-case.-Macro Lights - 6 of them around the lens.-Lanyard strap - If the strap comes off of this camera you have much bigger things to worry about. -Look and Feel - Some people say it is ugly, I love it. One of my friends said it reminds him of a sports car. It feels durable with solid components.-LCD Display is large and bright, with four small pegs around the corners to keep it from being the first thing to hit a flat surface when dropped. I cut down a screen protector and threw it on there since it would get scratched up over time.Things that could be improved:-Battery Life - Especially with Eye-Fi and GPS enabled. Buy extra batteries.-I wish there was a way to attach the macro-stand permanently, which also has a 46mm thread. I keep it on all the time since I keep a lens cap on it while banging around in my pocket.-Jpeg + Mov Only - No RAW or other export formats, not a huge negative but for [$] retail the prices are approaching that territory.-I don't know about the optical qualities of mineral glass vs. artificial sapphire or other harder materials but it would be nice if the main lens cover was harder. I am concerned about the long-term durability after my experiences with watches that use mineral glass. This might be unfounded.-Plastic tripod mount.-I still have questions about the image quality. For the function of the camera I would call it acceptable but I'm not gushing over images produced. Several of the advanced modes limit your image resolution significantly, such as some panoramic and macro modes. It is still great fun, with many features, but some might be disappointed by the limits imposed. As of the time of this writing the universe is in-between major models of solid underwater-capable cameras. Canon's D20 should be out in a few months, which might change the landscape and other manufacturers are due for a refresh. With this said, I'm quite happy with my purchase. I think it will have a long life as my knock-around/take everywhere camera.