Pentax unveils Optio W90

By further enhancing the air tightness of the camera body, Pentax has upgraded the Optio W90’s underwater picture-taking performance to six meters (compared to five meters for its predecessor) and for up to two hours of continuous operation. Along with its outstanding IPX8 (or JIS Class 8) waterproof performance, the Optio W90 also offers exceptional shockproof capacity to withstand a fall from a height of 1.2 meters 1 (one meter for its predecessor) without damage to the body, thanks to its new body design and refined internal mechanisms. In addition to these characteristics, the Optio W90 comes with remarkable dustproof performance equivalent to IP6X (or JIS Class 6) and exceptional coldproof performance for reliable operation at temperatures as low as –10°C, making it a perfect choice for active photographers who venture to shoot pictures in demanding outdoor conditions.

Combining a macro shooting capability from one centimetre away with the Digital Zoom function, the Optio W90’s new Digital Microscope mode delivers a magnified view of miniscule subjects difficult to observe closely with the naked eye, and makes it possible to capture fine-detailed images of such subjects.2 Thanks to three LED Macro Light installed on the face of the lens barrel, the subject is clearly and brightly displayed on the LCD monitor even when the camera is held at a distance at which it casts a shadow on the subject. This mode not only comes in handy when observing the wonders of nature and photographing such subjects as leaf veins and tiny insects, but also opens the door to new discoveries and unexpected surprises in the ordinary subjects found in daily life.

The Optio W90 features a new-generation Face Detection AF & AE function, which instantly and accurately detects up to 32 faces in the image field, then catches them in sharp focus and optimum exposure in just 0.03 seconds. In addition to popular features such as the innovative Small Face filter, this upgraded version is programmed to detect not only human faces, but also the faces of dogs and cats. When the user selects pre-registered dog or cat faces (up to 3 choices), the camera automatically detects them and optimizes focus and exposure. The user can even program the camera to automatically release the shutter the moment the subject’s face turns straight toward the camera. These features make it simple and effortless to capture the delightful faces of active pets.

The Optio W90 captures beautiful, flawless movie clips at 16:9 high-definition TV proportions (1280 x 720 pixels) 3 at a frame rate of 30 frames per second. This mode also offers a variety of editing functions: Still images can be extracted from movie clips; title images can be added to the beginning and/or end of a movie clip; and more. The Optio W90 also provides an HDMI micro terminal for audio/video signal output.

On the back of its small body, the Optio W90 features a large 2.7-inch high-brightness colour LCD monitor with approximately 230,000 dots and horizontally extended 16:9 proportions. This monitor is treated with a special AR (Anti-Reflection) coating to cut the glare of external light and minimize annoying reflections, making it easy to view recorded images and on-screen menus even in bright sunlight.

Combining approximately 12.1 effective megapixels with the PENTAX-developed imaging engine and the high-performance PENTAX zoom lens, the Optio W90 delivers brilliant, high-quality images with well-defined details. Even when images are enlarged to larger sizes, the user is assured of sharp, high-resolution prints with edge-to-edge sharpness.

Despite its compact dimensions, the Optio W90 features an optical 5X zoom lens covering focal lengths from 5mm to 25mm (equivalent in the 35mm format to approximately 28mm wide angle to 140mm telephoto). Thanks to this wide zoom range, the Optio W90 can be used for a wide variety of subjects and scenes, from spectacular landscape and group shots to tightly framed snapshots taken from a distance.