Mon - April 17, 2006

Pentax Optio WPi or W10? Which Camera for Paddlers?


I am still paddling and shooting with my original Pentax Optio WP which I bought a year ago. Since Pentax is releasing a new Optio model every 6 months, I am currently two models behind and I am still not ready to buy a new paddling camera. After Texas Water Safari 2005, WaterTribe Ultimate Florida Challenge 2006, and after a lot of training on water, bikes and inline skates my Optio is still doing fine.

Keeping in mind limitations of a small point-and-shoot camera I am satisfied with the image quality. I am using Pentax Optio mostly for web publishing, nevertheless, two of my recent pictures were published in magazines. Well, not as cover pictures, just small in text pictures.

I am also using Pentax Optio WP for recording paddling movies. It is easy to mount this tiny camera just about anywhere on the boat, especially, when you are using the sticky pod with a cushion cup. It is much less hassle to setup and operate than a bullet type camera connected to a camcorder. However, I am not really happy with the quality of videos from my camera shot at 320x240 pixels and 15 fps.

Of course, I am watching all improvements in subsequent models of Pentax Optio. Some time ago, I tried to compare WP and WPi by digging in their technical specifications. Now, I will try to point out the major improvements in the W10 against WPi from my own perspective. Again, I am using all information I could find on-line including the Pentax forum at dpreview.com.


1. The major improvement from WPi to W10 is in the video mode: 640x480 pixel resolution instead of 320x240. Both models can shoot video at 30 fps while my old WP offers only 15 fps.

2. The W10 provides an anti-shake feature in the video mode. The WPi does not. I am not sure how good is this digital stabilizer. I suspect that it must narrow a field of view somewhat, but the anti-shake can be turned off. Certainly, I would like to test it.

3. The W10 specifications also mention an interval movie mode without any details. It would be great if I can set up the camera to shoot video for the specified time. For my video clips, I am often mounting the camera on a deck far from a cockpit where I cannot reach it.

4. The WPi has 2.0" LCD screen, while the W10 has a bigeer 2.5" low-reflection LCD monitor. The LCD cover is finished with a non-glare coating, making the screen easier to see even outside on a sunny day.

5. The W10 is slightly larger than the WPi: 107 x 54.5 x 23 mm and 102 x 51 x 22 mm (1'=25mm) respectively, and 20 grams heavier.


6. The W10 has several more user options, e.g., face recognition, than the WPi does, but nothing too substantial from my perspective.

7. Surprisingly, the price difference between Pentax Optio WPi and W10 at amazon.com is only $10 or 20, so the choice is simple!

OK, what about the new Olympus Stylus SW 720? It has similar or better specifications than Pentax Optio W10, but it is much more expensive. I am not familiar with Olympus cameras. It may shoot better pictures. However, there is one drawback that would stop me from buying it: only 15 fps in the video mode. Let's see when Olympus will offer a new and improved version of SW 720.

It is interesting to note that in the middle of last year Pentax announced that its profits had fallen by 42% in the fiscal first quarter, compared to the previous year according to the article in International Herald Tribune. The loss was blamed on ever decreasing profit margins on compact digital cameras and the company said it planed to focus on the "more profitable single-lens reflex digital camera to offset price declines in compact types" as well as "raise the pace of new model introductions to three per year from two, starting this year."

Well, the first Optio WP was released in the beginning of the second quarter of 2005.

Posted at 08:01 PM    


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