Pentax Optio W80 camera; waterproof, dustproof and coldproof

HOYA CORPORATION PENTAX Imaging Systems Division is pleased to announce the launch of the PENTAX Optio W80 digital compact camera. In addition to its outstanding waterproof, dustproof and coldproof capabilities — which allow for up to two hours of continuous underwater photography at a depth down to five meters — the new Optio W80 offers outstanding shockproof performance to withstand a fall from a height of one meter.

The Optio W80 is a water/dust/shock/freezeproof 12-megapixel camera with a 2.5-inch LCD selling for less than $300. The W80 can easily survive an impressive dunk: down to 16 feet for up to two hours. It’ll also take a decent fall of up to 3.3 feet and keep working in temperatures as low as 14 degrees Fahrenheit.

On top of its “proofing,” the W80 has extremely good camera specs. The internal lens has a zoom range of 5x and is wide angle at 28mm. It records 720p, HD-quality video at 30fps. It also has the expected convenience features such as face, smile, and blink detection; auto scene recognition; and a bunch of other automatic shooting options.

The only thing missing is optical image stabilization; the W80 only has Pentax’s digital Pixel Track SR, which though it’s good, still degrades photo quality. Look for it in July in the three colors pictured above: Cardinal Red, Azure Blue, and Gunmetal Gray (just in case you were confused as to what those colors are actually called).