The Pentax Optio WS80 Digital Camera is a palm-sized, 10 megapixel camera that is waterproof and can capture images at up to 5-feet (1.5 m) underwater for up to 2 continuous hours. It has a water repellant Super Protect (SP) coating on its 35-175mm (35mm equivalent) optical 5x zoom lens. It also has an Intelligent Zoom function, which extends the zoom range up to approximately 28.5x for even tighter zooming in on the subject.
The Optio WS80 can shoot HD movies in 16:9 proportions (1280 x 720p) at a rate of 30 frames per second and can be played back in HD after the data is transferred to a PC. It also has a Movie SR (Shake Reduction) mode which compensates for camera shake, and an Underwater Mode which optimizes exposures for underwater movie capture.
Among its numerous automatic features, the Optio WS80 contains a unique Face Recognition Auto Exposure-Auto Focus system which can capture 32 faces in only 0.03 seconds, and can even detect a subject with a tilted head or one standing diagonally to the camera. Plus, it has a Smile Capture mode which automatically releases the shutter the moment the camera detects the subject's smile, and a Blink Detection function, which warns the photographer when the subject's eyes close at the time of shutter release.
The combination of a compact, lightweight and airtight body make the Optio WS80 a handy camera for many different shooting situations and a good choice for day-to-day applications, including a variety of outdoor activities.