The Register® — Biting the hand that feeds IT

Feeds

Pentax snapper plumbs the depths

The Action Man of compacts?

With summer just around the corner, Pentax has decided to deepen its compact camera range with the addition of a waterproof snapper capable of reaching the deepest depths – sort of.

Pentax_W60

Pentax's W60: photograph fish or icebergs, your choice

The Optio W60 can reach underwater depths of up to 13 feet and stay there for up to two hours, which would have been useful for David Blaine during his underwater breath test in 2006.

If exploring the Earth’s poles is more up your… er… street floe then you’ll be glad to know that the W60 can also be used in temperatures “well below freezing”, according to Pentax.

Needless to say, if the Earth poles or ocean floors aren’t your idea of fun photography, then Pentax also states that the W60’s suitable for “surfing, snorkeling, skiing, fly fishing, swimming, kayaking, and backyard adventure”.

What kind of adventures can you have in your backyard, we wonder? Or perhaps Pentax is suggesting you should explore someone else's...

A ten-megapixel sensor is built into the waterproof snapper, alongside a 5x optical zoom 28mm wide-angle lens. The camera can also capture 1280 x 720 quality video, which is complimented with an underwater movie mode.

Pentax’s Optio W60 will be available in the US in July for $330 (£160/€200). A European release date or price hasn’t washed up yet.

Latest Comments

But..

..is it sandproof? It still seems to have conventional buttons and a sliding lens cover. Good effort, I'm sure, but I'll wager that an excursion in salt water followed by contact with the beach will finish it.

0
0

More from The Register

Android is a mess and needs sprucing up, admits chief
Can Google really fix it? It isn't in control any more
New Lumia 925: This, loyalists, is the BIG ONE you've waited for
Nokia veep drills high-end master plan for El Reg
Android device? Ooohhhh, you mean a Samsung phone
Koreans nabbed nearly all the Q1 profits – more even than Google
Review: HP Pavilion 14 Chromebook
All roads lead to Chrome?
Borked your iDevice? Pay EVEN MORE to have it fixed by Applecare
Or scream at their hapless techies on their forums
Euro PC shipments plummet into bottomless pit of DOOOOM
11th quarter of decline, 20pc drop on last year - Gartner
MIT takes battery-powered robot cheetah for a gallop
Biomimetic big cat needs no power cord, just a walker