[thepentaxguy]

Hi I'm new here but been a Pentax fan for a long time starting with old Pentax (Z-1, Optio S5 & S6) cameras from my dad.

I've recently got a W80 but was shocked about the noise. Any tips from W80 owners? I dont was to return the camera to much effort, but taking pictures with so much noise is also stopping me from bringing the camera around.

[Alfisti]

Take it back and get a panasonic TS2.

[thepentaxguy]

I'm very tempted on returning it, but I heard there is a high rate of water damage from Lumix TS2 owners something to so with a flaw on the rubber.

I think a Sony TX5 would be a great choice, got it as a gift would be insulting if I return the camera.

[GerryL]

What are the conditions that you are shooting that you would experience a lot of noise?
If you have ample light then noise is not an issue.
If however, you would always shoot in low light conditions, then I must admit that the W80 does produce noise..but doesn't any other P&S camera?
Remember that is a P&S camera nad I don;t know why too many people take a P&S too seriously and tend to compare it to a DSLR.
The most important feature of the W80 is the waterproofing and shockproofing.
If you don't need those, then you bought or want the wrong camera.
If you want better IQ but won't print it on 8"X10", then I would say that P&S would be pretty much the same print wise.
The problem today is most people pixel peep since the data is digital and they can zoom upto 100% if they so choose.
Just enjoy the camera and the places where you can take it and others can't.

[stanjo]

Return the W80 and get a W90. Better yet, a used W60.

The proposed Panasonic TS2 is almost twice as expensive as W80.

[Alfisti]

Found the review, I still say steer well clear of the WP Pentax models IMHO.

Underwater cameras test 2010 - Summary - Lenstip.com

[stanjo]

Found the review, I still say steer well clear of the WP Pentax models IMHO.

Underwater cameras test 2010 - Summary - Lenstip.com

The weakest spot of Pentax W90 is video. If HD video is not a priority, then W90 is a very good choice, and is $50 less than the Panasonic/Sony.

The reviewers themselves conclude:
"Unfortunately the W90 lost as many as 12 points for weak quality of movies. If it wasn’t for this slip-up, it could have competed with the Sony for the second place."

[bdery]

Some people, probably having never owned or used the camera, trash it constantly.

It is a fine camera, taking excellent pictures.

It has a small P&S sensor however, not an APS-C sensor.

Here are my tips : set auto ISO to go no higher than ISO 400; switch to P mode and disable face recognition (which will fire so many flash bursts your subjects will have moved, same as other cameras); do not shoot auto ISO in low light, use a tripod and a low ISO value; accept to use the flash for light light handheld shots; understand that the flash will not illuminate subjects beyond 3-4 meters; disable electronic image stabilization (which just increases the ISO value).

You should be all set with this.

[Alfisti]

Which is exactly why I returned the W60. For $50, get a camera that does it right.

The weakest spot of Pentax W90 is video. If HD video is not a priority, then W90 is a very good choice, and is $50 less than the Panasonic/Sony.

The reviewers themselves conclude:
"Unfortunately the W90 lost as many as 12 points for weak quality of movies. If it wasn’t for this slip-up, it could have competed with the Sony for the second place."

[GerryL]

Found the review, I still say steer well clear of the WP Pentax models IMHO.

Underwater cameras test 2010 - Summary - Lenstip.com

The thing I can't understand about this is that isn't the one with the most points wins?
Why is it then that even if the Panasonic and Olympus had the highest price where they given high points? Would this mean that the higher your price, the higher your point?? It should be that the cheaper your price is, the higher your awarded point since you have a better price.
So, if Pentax was priced ar $400, it could have garnered 5 or 6 points!
..awww and they even missed the macro LED lights which the other cameras didn't have and became negligible since all the others had enhanced waterproof capabilities..I didn't know that the W90 wasn't waterproof..LOL
They also didn't mention that Pentax started at 28mm so it wasn't in the league of the other cameras that were tested.
They even failed to mention that the Pentax does 5X zoom while the Panasonic doesn't.
They even mentioned so many things about how good the Pentax was in the underwater usage but failed to say what the Panasonic as actually good for but only said that it would be difficult to flaw here. What was that!??