Adventure proof camera
Gear — By OAGmag on November 29, 2011 at 1:24 pmLooking for a tough, weatherproof compact camera for your adventures?
Being and adventurous bunch with a weakness for clever and useful ‘Q’ style gadgets. We needed a compact camera for our all-action, all-weather adventures.
Pentax Optio WG-1 GPS £299.99
www.pentax.co.uk/en/digital-compact/optio-WG1-GPS
Choosing a compact for the outdoors is based on two things; camera size versus image quality. Most cameras already come packed with a wealth of features and this unit is no exception, plus a couple more that were surprisingly useful. Promisingly, the camera has the words ‘adventure proof’ stamped above the eye-piece.
Over the past few months we have put this attractive looking camera through it’s paces. We took it sea-kayaking to Scotland, yomping the Cornish coastal path in all weathers and err waterfalls. We will be putting more rugged cameras through their paces both online and in forthcoming issues of the OAG.
“The viewfinder housing has the words ‘adventure proof’ stamped above the eye-piece”
OAG last reviewed an Optio W60 in issue 85. Like it’s predecessor the new WG-1 is waterproof to 10m, freeze proof and operational down to -10 °C. Crushproof to 100kg, 5x optical zoom with a wideangle of 28mm – perfect for scenic landscapes and confined spaces. Outputting to 14mega pixels. All this combines with an HD movie function and GPS tagging function too, ideal for pin-pointing your shots using Google Earth.
The outer casing is in made of robust plastic and brushed aluminium panels which come in bright orange, lime green or a more subdued grey. It features a 5x wide-angle optical zoom covering focal lengths from 28mm wide angle to 140mm telephoto and a 16:9 2.7’’ screen which is treated with a special anti-reflection making it easy to review images.
The design feels really good in the hand with the buttons easy to use even in the wet. Works well in low light conditions too. There is evidence of noise in HD movie mode but not enough to spoil. Tone and colour rendition is displayed accurately. We achieved some impressive results with the 1cm micro-scopic mode for extreme close-ups. The ‘Face detection function’ accurately detects faces and even the faces of pets and catches them in sharp focus. The very convenient Self-portrait Assist function use the blink of the LED lights to confirm whether your face is centered in the picture
DiMENSiONS: 58.5 x 115.5 x 28.5 mm
Verdict
The wide angle lens is great for landscape shots, with a huge range of pre-set shooting modes. The Macro function is great and offers lots of creative scope. One of the best features about this camera is the carabiner strap, this was most useful when sea- kayaking and clipped the camera to my life vest. Also handy for clipping to a branch to take pictures hands-free. It’s been submerged in sea water, exposed to a waterfall, splattered with mud, hooked from trees and it still looks and performs as new. An ideal choice for active photographers looking to shoot creatively in demanding outdoor conditions.
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Tested by Tracey Radnall, editor-in-chief of The Outdoor Adventure Guide
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