First impressions on Pentax W20

[ibargureni]

Hi,

I recently bought my first P/S compact camera (I usually use a Nikon D70s), a

Pentax W20. I wanted a camera that could be used in situations where I can't use

the Nikon, such as kayaking or in the rain (actually, I use the D70s in rain,

but covering and taking a lot of care not to get it very wet), and after looking

to some of Olympus models and a Starblitz underwater camera, I found the Pentax

the cheapest from all of them in a local shop (185 euro), and after reading some

information in the internet it conviced me.

 

My main concerns about this camera were the lack of optical viewfinder (this is

also true in the other cameras I looked at), lack of manual controls and poorer

build quality (the Olympus cameras had metalic covers, and the Starblitz had a

rubber cover, while the Pentax had a plastic cover). This last concern, however,

isn't as true as I firstly thought. The body is made of plastic, but some of the

most important parts, the place where the strap holds and the front of the

camera are metallic. A really nice point. The lack of manual controls is the

main fault I find to this camera, but being able to configure the "Green button"

to four custom functions helps in this respect.

 

Using the camera, I feel it quite quick (comparing to other p/s cameras I tried)

turning on and taking photos. Moreover, I like a lot it being "Shooting

priority", so if you are in a configuration menu or viewing previously taken

photos and you press the shutter button it takes a photo. Just as in my D70s.

 

The picture quality is good. It can't be compared to the DSLR I use (and I

suppose most of other DSLRs), but it performs well in most regards. The high iso

performance is quite good, I would comapare its iso 1600 noise with the iso 400

in my brother's Nikon Coolpix 3200, and the iso 800 mode is quite useful. At

full Tele position, the sharpness of the image is quite soft, but in other

positions it is quite sharp. The barrel distortion in the Wide position is

visible, but isn't that bad.

 

Overall, the camera gave me some nice surprises and I consider it a great

compact point and shot. I recommend it to anyone interested in an underwater or

"all weather" point and shot.

 

Regards,

Ioritz.

[bill_tuthill]

Yup, nice camera. I have seen the W10 produce better results than

a Canon DSLR with 28-80/2.8 L lens, but DOF might have been the issue

there.<div></div>