Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red)

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

I had trouble with good quality images at ISOs over 200. On a field trip I used ISO 64 and got great images. Low ISO is best for these cameras.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

I bought this camera to supplant my dSLR for more discreet and potentially damaging occasions based on its purported ruggedness without sacrifice to image quality...The good: waterproof/shockproof/freeze proof durability seems to be true.The bad: TERRIBLE image quality. Pictures are very granular and the lens has zero sensitivity for any miniscule movement. Shutter speed is very slow and often ends up out of focus for any object more than 5" away. Flash is also very overexposed.Most of the reviews I read touted that image quality was supposed to be pretty good. Certainly not the best among point and shoot cameras, but pretty good and by and large not sacrificed for the ruggedness. It's possible that I just had a defective model, because this was not at all true for mine. [...]

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

This is a great "vacation picture" camera. used it in the water - swimming, boating, snorkeling - and the pics were very good. no leaks or problems with watertightness. It is difficult to see details in the viewfinder in bright sun, but I have 2 other cameras, and they are the same. got a few pics with water spots on them (drops of water on the outside of the lens), so be sure to wipe the lens dry when you come out of the water. Battery lasted all day, every day of my vacation, but I did charge it every night; I never let the charge run all the way down. Fairly quick response when shooting - didn't notice a long lag time. The housing makes it just slightly larger than the small cameras out there, but not so much that it's bulky. The flash isn't as strong as it could be, so low light/large area photos didn't turn out too well. Overall, a good camera if you need the waterproof feature.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

I bought this camera for my girlfriend´s birthday. I wanted to get her a camera that she could carry in her backpack without having to worry about it. This camera is tough, it has survived my girlfriend pretty much unscathed (she has a history of dropping, scratching and otherwise destroying electronic gadgets). The photos are ok if you´re not a professional photographer. The camera performs above average in daylight situations, not so well in dark situations. It also has a ton of different "automatic" setups that help you choose the right settings for different situations. Some are rather common (sports, portraits) others not so much (fireworks, underwater, multiple picture panoramas)

All taken into consideration this camera is great if all you want is to have fun and not worry too much about your camera.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

Great compact camera, easy to use and convenient to carry around.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

I bought this camera to replace another pocket digicam in preparation for a vacation in Florida. I would not recommend this as a primary or only camera, but it's great to have a pocket-sized camera with no awkward bulges that I don't have to worry about. I kept the camera in the pocket of my swim trunks throughout our vacation, and never worried about immersion or salt spray. Image quality is acceptable for fun shots that you wouldn't get otherwise, including underwater photos and movies. There is noticeable noise despite keeping the ISO set to 100 (lowest setting), but this camera is far better than using a disposable waterproof camera, and far cheaper than the other options I was looking at. As everyone else notes, the battery life is short, but when you see the size of the battery, you'll understand why. For my use, I never ran out of power in the field, though I was careful not to spend too much time reviewing photos. I did see some choppiness in video of action (tubing), but again, this comes with the compact and waterproof package, and I didn't spend any time trying to tweak settings. My bottom line: this is a great pocket camera for your vacation fun, but don't count on it to come anywhere near any camera with a larger lens, etc.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

great for kids since it wont easily break and can even be rinsed under water

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

Small, good definition, perfect to use every day

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

I use this camera as my pocket or backpack camera. I'm not afraid to get it wet or banged around a little bit. Picture quality is great and very easy to use in active situations when I don't want to bring my Pentax K-7.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

It's still early days but the only disappointment so far is the life of the battery pack.

If you buy this product, make sure you also purchase a second battery pack so that you'll always have a charged pack when the one in your camera gives out after a relatively short period. B&H offers one as part of one of their starter kits.

I often go kayaking in the Pacific, and it's great to be able to use a waterproof camera to take photos while on the water.

At this point, I'm not yet in love with the flash photos it takes.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

This camera takes great macro shots, photos are a little grainy indoors (of course) since it's primarily designed for outdoor use. Very nice wide angle lens, love the compact size and style. Be sure to purchase an extra battery.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

Great little camera for outdoor use and cheap. I would not recommend it if you intend to do a lot of indoor work as the grain is terrible. I get around this by fixing the ISO to 100ASA not more.

I am excited that it is waterproof but we have yet to try it. I have confidence giving it to a toddler to have a go at taking photos.

Battery life is poor, so get a spare battery.

Nice little camera.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

Vacation Camera; Pros: small compact, lots of manual settings; if you need them, sweet super macro, water proof.
Cons: short battery life, not the best low light pictures; can be solved manualy.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

this camera takes great pictures. We use it in a very trying environment, sometimes dusty, sometimes soggy. The settings are easy to adjust and the images are quick to down load. The software that comes with the camera is also easy to use. My only complaint is the capture time being a little too slow for some action shots. The Optio is overall a very good camera. We have 5 at work and I have one at home which I carry canoeing!

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

Bought this camera to use in Ireland, where we experienced the worst winter weather in 40 years. Wanted a model where the lens didn't protrude and the wet and cold wouldn't hurt it. The camera performed well, though possibly no better than comparable compact cameras. Panorama mode was great; camera was fast, battery life excellent. Or course it shoots JPEGs only. In auto mode it seemed to raise the ISO level in the winter low light, so many photos were noisy, but by using a tripod and getting to know the controls better, no doubt I could avoid this in the future. Didn't use most modes (video, etc.), but face recognition worked well. Couldn't get video playback to work (PAL or NTSC) using the provided cable, however. Still trying to figure that out. Overall, satisfied and would buy again; otherwise I would have to haul around a heavy SLR.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

I have a K20 Pentax so this is to have handy in daily life. I have been using only for a couple days...still getting used to its' nuances...seems it will suit my purposes very well and I am intrigued with the waterproof feature...not so much to take it underwater but for use in inclement weather. I do hope to take it snorkeling when the opportunity presents itself.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

We purchased this product as a Christmas gift for our daughter - She needed a camera that was waterproof & shockprooof as it was going to be used on canoe trips in the summer. True to form the day it was given it was dropped (twice) - no issues & all good. Yet to test the waterproof feature but rest assured it will be tested shortly. Battery life is ok but lower than expected so get a spare.

Quality of shots & features are great with multiple modes from macro to panoramic - great all round camera & great price.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

I bought this camera pretty much when it launched, and I can say I am impressed. I took a leap, because I've known for years that Pentax makes a great film Camera. However, after dunking my last digital point and shoot camera, I decided to go with waterproof.

Pentax has one of the better water resistances on the market, combined with a slim profile, one of the best optical zooms, and shoots video in 720p. Its features like "wide shot" are great, allowing you to turn two portrait shots into a single landscape, but not as impressive as the Sony "Shoot and Sweep" feature that allows you to press a button and simply sweep your camera across the landscape to shoot a wide shot.

However, it is a quite capable camera with impressive features, and for the price I would definitely recommend it for outdoor shooting. Shooting on auto mode indoors can produce noisy pictures and the auto flash doesn't work well outdoors when shooting into a shadow. The battery life also seems about 30% shorter than my old Sony, around 70 minutes. An extra battery is a good idea.

Comments about Pentax Optio W80 Digital Camera (Cardinal Red):

I love the size of it. I've had a lot of cameras all SLRs and carried them and their extra stuff around for years, now I feel free and still get great pictures.
The size is great but I wish it had a lens cover, being so small it's easy to touch the lens just getting ready to take a picture