Customer Reviews:
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  Very nice WP camera May 16, 2006
30 out of 30 found this review helpful
I had considered the WPi and I'm glad I waited. This one has a bigger LCD that I found works pretty well, even in the direct sunlight. No LCD will be perfect in the glaring sun. It has as many preset modes as you would ever need, even some rather absurd ones (putting frilly borders around your shot, I wish I could delete those) No viewfinder but I don't miss one on a point n shoot. Start up and focusing is reasonably fast. The movie modes are great and have excellent video quality, but the sound is a bit spotty but very usable. Wind noise can be a bit of a problem, and keep your finger away from the mic. Zooming in movie mode introduces some digital noise, so it's best to go without zoom when making movies. You can get 15 minutes high quality mode video with sound on a 1 GB card. I used a standard (not "high speed") Kingston SD card with excellent results, no drop outs, stutters, etc. Don't waste your money on the high end SD cards with this camera.
The negatives...
I wish the case was a bit better "armored". The materials used for the case are fine quality, but I'd prefer something a bit more rugged (ie rubberized case) because I intend to use this for kayaking and active outdoor sports. I'd hate to see what would happen to the case if it were dropped or bumped around. The smooth case is slick when wet.
The battery door is OK, but I could see where it could be easily popped open as the latching mechanism is a bit to easy to inadvertently unlock by casual use. Make sure you check it before you take it to water/rain.
All in all a nice camera at a nice price for those need a waterproof point n shoot digital.
 Best Waterproof Camera for the money! May 9, 2006
36 out of 37 found this review helpful
I do a lot of kayaking and having a camera that is not only waterproof but small is important. I was drawn to the Optio W10 because of it's waterproof body, it's size, and it's ability to take TV quality video.
After I bought the Optio W10 I kept finding new things that made me happy I decided on it. Like being able to set the video compression in both the 640p and 320p video settings. To fit the TV quality video on a SD card really needed that option. However, I was disappointed in the audio quality. It was kind of muffled, probably due to the waterproofing. But the quality of the video was excellent!
Also as I was playing around with the functions I stumbled on a setting that has not been talked about. This camera has an interval shot option. Which means it can be set-up to shoot 0 to 24 hours from the time you hit the shutter and take a picture every 10 seconds to every 90 minutes for a maximum number of about 450 shots. In other words, you can set up the camera to shoot for almost an entire month capturing an image every 90 minutes. The camera shuts off in between shots to conserve the battery. This is a great feature that I have never seen in a consumer camera. True it is not for everyone, but for those who like to be creative and shoot time lapse photography, it is a great feature!
The handling of the camera was a little difficult. It could use a little more grip in the front. The other thing that bothered me was the LCD screen cover. It was a bit difficult to view the screen in the sunlight. I think that the matte finish on the screen makes the light more diffused and causes the screen to look hazy. It is nice to have a 2.5 inch screen though!
W10.... Awesome Camera for an Awesome Price!!! April 7, 2006
137 out of 139 found this review helpful
I obssessively researched several waterproof cameras for my trip to hawaii. It came down to the Olympus 720Sw, Olypmus 600, the Pentax Wpi and the Pentax W10. Been a big fan of Olympus since i had previously owned two olympus cameras. Although packed with great features, the $379.99 plus price tag of the olympus turned me off.
So it came down to the two pentax cameras. If your like me, upon looking at the WPi and the W10, you will think there the same camera with slightly different cases. However let me point out several diffences between the two cameras.
1) The Optio W10 is the newest H20 Camera released from Pentax. I believe release in Feb, vs. the WPi released last year.
2) The WPi has 2.0" LCD screen, while the W10 has a huge 2.5" LCD screen. I swear it looks bigger that 2.5"'s
3) Both Cameras have movie mode. However, the new W10 can record at 640x480 at 30fps!! Thats awesome for those cheesy videos we all take on vacation. The max on the WPi is 320x240@30fps.
4) The W10 has a digital stabilizer in movie mode (anti-shake) which helps you stabilize while you take movies. The WPi does not. This is an awesome feature.
5) The W10 has several more user options than the WPi does, but nothing to substantial.
6) I have put a 2Gig High Speed SD card in the W10 and it supports it fine. Im not verified if the WPi can read the 2gig SD cards.
7) They both are 6.0MP cameras and both waterproof and built very rugged. Also both are very light, slim and easily portable digital cameras.
These is nothing better than not having to worry about your camera getting dirty, wet or any other adverse conditions. I will be posting some of my videos of my underwater journeys in hawaii as well as pictures. All and all, this is the best camera I have owned!
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