Pentax Optio W90 – Waterproof Camera for Adventurers

Photography News

Latest Optio Features Unique Macro Photo LED Lighting, Carabiner Strap And Eye-Fi Connectivity

GOLDEN, CO (February 24, 2010)…PENTAX Imaging Company has announced the eleventh generation PENTAX Optio waterproof digital camera built for rugged adventure in every way. The PENTAX Optio W90 offers enhanced waterproof, shockproof, dustproof, and coldproof performance and features an inventive Digital Microscope mode with LED lighting to capture small but intriguing subjects. Designed with the look of mountaineering equipment, the Optio W90 kit includes a woven web fabric strap complete with a carabiner to attach the camera to a backpack and other outdoor gear.

Adventure photography doesn’t get any better than this. The rugged Optio W90 offers photographic performance, innovative features and style that surpass other outdoor compact digital cameras now available on the market.

• Waterproof to 20 feet for reliable underwater photography
• Shockproof to 4 feet withstanding the rigors of extreme use
• Coldproof to sub-freezing temperatures for use in wintery, snowy activities
• 12.1 megapixel sensor and wide angle 5X optical zoom (28-140mm equivalent)
• Digital Microscope mode with LED lens lighting perfectly captures the smallest and closest macro subjects as near as 1cm from the camera
• Eye-Fi wireless SD memory card connectivity for built-in Wi-Fi capability to transfer photos and videos from the camera to a computer or an online sharing site such as Picasaweb, Flickr, Facebook and YouTube (Eye-fi cards sold separately.)
• Large 2.7 inch LCD with 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio that is easy to view in strong light or underwater
• Capture movies in widescreen 720p HD video at 30 frames per second
• An HDMI port plays back beautiful high resolution imges and video on HDTVs
• Advanced Pixel Track Shake Reduction captures blur-free images in any lighting
• Fast Face Detection, Smile Capture, Blink Detection, and processing modes specifically designed for portraiture, and new Pet Recognition captures up to 3 pre-programmed pet faces in memory
• Infrared remote control compatibility with new waterproof Remote Control WP, as well as other PENTAX infrared remotes
• Autofocus assist lamp helps to quickly and accurately focus, even in challenging lighting

Priced at $329.95 USD, the PENTAX Optio W90 will ship in April 2010. A waterproof infared remote control (sold separately) for use with the PENTAX Optio W90 and other infrared compatible Optio models will be available at the same time for $29.95 USD.

PENTAX Optio W90 FACT SHEET

Waterproof, Shockproof, Dustproof, Freezeproof

Rated JIS Class 8 waterproof, the PENTAX Optio W90 captures images up to 20 feet underwater (four feet deeper than the previous PENTAX W series model) for up to two hours. The shockproof* Optio W90 is designed to withstand falls from a height of four feet without damage to the body. Rated JIS Class 6 dustproof, the Optio W90 also offers exceptional coldproof performance for reliable operation at temperatures as low as –10°C, making it a perfect choice for active photographers who venture to shoot pictures in demanding outdoor conditions. The camera also comes equipped with carabiner strap to attach the camera to a backpack or other outdoor gear

* Measured under PENTAX-original testing standards (from a height of 1.2 meters, onto a surface of 5cm-thick plywood), conforming to the Method 516.5-Shock of the MIL-Standard 810F.

Digital Microscope mode for nature observation from 1cm away

Combining a macro shooting capability from less than one inch away with the Digital Zoom function, the Optio W90’s new Digital Microscope mode magnifies the view and captures miniscule subjects that are difficult to observe closely with the naked eye.* Three LED Macro Lights installed on the face of the lens barrel camera captures subjects such as plants and insects clearly and brightly on the LCD monitor for extreme macro photography.

* When using the Digital Microscope mode, the image size is fixed at 2.1 megapixels (at 16:9 proportions).

Eye-Fi wireless SD memory card connectivity

Eye-Fi SD memory cards store media and offer built-in Wi-Fi capability that accesses an assigned wireless network to effortlessly transfer photos and videos from the camera to a computer and online sharing site such as Picasaweb, Flickr, Facebook and YouTube. Equipped with an Eye-Fi Card, the Optio W90 allows users to enable/disable the Eye-Fi Card’s Wi-Fi connectivity via the camera menu and provides an on-screen card activity indicator. (Eye-fi cards sold separately. More details available at www.eye-fi)

Upgraded face detection detects dogs and cats

The Optio W90 features a new-generation Face Detection AF & AE function, which instantly and accurately detects up to 32 faces in the image field and captures each in sharp focus and optimum exposure in just 0.03 seconds.

This upgraded version is programmed to detect not only human faces, but also the faces of dogs and cats. When the user selects pre-registered dog or cat faces (up to 3 choices), the camera automatically detects them and optimizes focus and exposure. Users may program the camera to automatically release the shutter the moment the subject’s face turns straight toward the camera, which is helpful for pet photography.

High-quality, HD-proportioned movie recording

The Optio W90 captures beautiful, flawless movie clips at 16:9 high-definition TV proportions (1280 x 720 pixels) at a frame rate of 30 frames per second. This mode also offers a variety of editing functions: Still images may be extracted from movie clips; title images can be added to the beginning and/or end of a movie clip; and more. The Optio W90 also provides an HDMI micro terminal for audio/video signal output.

Extra-wide 2.7 inch LCD monitor for effortless outdoor viewing

The Optio W90 features a large 2.7 inch high-brightness color LCD monitor with approximately 230,000 dots and horizontally extended 16:9 proportions. This monitor is treated with a special AR (Anti-Reflection) coating to cut the glare of external light and minimize annoying reflections, making it easy to view recorded images and on-screen menus even in bright sunlight.

High image quality

Combining approximately 12.1 effective megapixels with the PENTAX-developed imaging engine and the high-performance PENTAX zoom lens, the Optio W90 delivers brilliant, high-quality images with well-defined details. Even when images are enlarged to larger sizes, users are assured of sharp, high-resolution prints with edge-to-edge sharpness.

Optical 5X zoom lens with a 28mm wide-angle coverage

Despite its compact dimensions, the Optio W90 features an optical 5X zoom lens covering focal lengths from 5mm to 25mm (equivalent in the 35mm format to approximately 28mm wide angle to 140mm telephoto). This wide zoom range may be used for a wide variety of subjects and scenes, from spectacular landscape and group shots to tightly framed snapshots taken from a distance.

Triple anti-shake protection to prevent different types of camera shake

Pixel Track SR

When recording still images, the Optio W90’s Pixel Track SR (Shake Reduction) effectively compensates for camera shake by processing affected images.

High-Sensitivity anti-shake mode*

When the Optio W90 detects low-lighting conditions in still-image shooting, it automatically raises its sensitivity to as high as ISO 6400, making it possible to use a higher shutter speed. This effectively minimizes the adverse effects of camera shake and subject shake under poor lighting conditions.

Movie SR**

During movie recording, the Optio W90 prevents blurry images by effectively minimizing annoying camera shake through the use of exclusive software.

*When the High-Sensitivity anti-shake mode is selected, the recorded size is fixed to five megapixels (2592 x 1944 pixels).

**When the Movie SR is selected, the angle of view becomes narrower than normal shooting.

Subscreen Input function for constant display of a favorite image on the screen

The Optio W90 features a Subscreen Input function that allows users to display a thumbnail of a recorded images in the upper left corner of the LCD panel for a picture in picture effect that may be used as a reference. This features is helpful when the photographer wants to shoot subjects from the same angle and at the same image size every time (such as photographing prepared food in the same way to compile a recipe file) or when the user wants to constantly keep a favorite image on the screen.

Additional features

• Remote Control Waterproof O-RC1 (available as an optional accessory) for wireless remote shooting*
• New Collage function to compose a single picture from multiple images
• New Ink Rubbing filter to create a monochromatic, high-contrast image from a recorded image
• Auto Picture mode to automatically select one of the eight shooting modes for the optimum result
• 12 digital filters to add distinctive visual effects to recorded images
• Digital Wide function to compose an extra-wide-angle image (equivalent to an image taken with an approx. 21mm lens in 35mm format) from two images
• MediaImpression 2.0 for PENTAX image viewing, editing and filing software included (compatible with latest operation systems, such as Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6)
• Wireless remote operation is not available when shooting under water.