Pentax Optio W60 Swims with the Fishes

Pentax's newest waterproof cam offers a respectable blend of toughness and size, without sacrificing camera specs, either.

Ordinary digital cameras are fine for shots at home, in the park, and other tame locations, but when it comes to capturing beach and poolside action, bringing your favorite pocket cam can turn into a major gamble. Pentax’s new Optio W60, announced Thursday, takes away the risk with full waterproofing, but without beefing up the cam enough to take away from its “go-anywhere” form factor.

Based on size and look alone, you would never guess the W60 was built to plunge into up to 13 feet of water without failing. It measures just under four inches long, 2.2 inches tall, and one inch deep, the same size as many other popular pocket digicams. There’s no rubber or plastic housing either, just an ordinary-looking silver or ocean blue case.

The W60 uses a 10-megapixel sensor for high resolution shots, coupled with a 5x optical zoom for getting in close. It’s also capable of recognizing up to 32 faces in 0.03 seconds, and a movie mode allows it to capture full-motion 720P HD video footage.

Pentax will begin shipping the Optio W60 in July, when it will be available online and in stores for $329.95.