Pentax Optio W90

Hi, I'm Josh Goldman, senior editor for CNET Reviews and this is a look at the Pentax Optio W90. It's a 12-megapixel rugged camera built from reinforced polycarbonate plastic that's waterproof down to 20 feet, shockproof to 4 feet, and freezeproof to 14 degrees Fahrenheit. In front is a 20-mm equivalent wide angle lens with a 5X internal zoom and on the back is a widescreen 2.7-inch LCD. The controls are all nice and big and easy to press so using it with gloves isn't a problem and the plastic body has a good grip to it even when your hands are wet. Overall, the design is really nice and there are extras like the three LEDs around the lens that can help you brighten your macro scenes or, you know, use it as an impromptu flashlight, but there are also for use with the camera's digital microscope mode for capturing tiny subjects less than an inch from the camera. And, there's that included carabiner strap for quickly securing the camera to your bag or belt loop. Shooting options are primarily for point-and-shoot photography but the W90 offers a lot of options such as sharpness, saturation, and contrast controls, and highlight and shadow correction, and it does capture 720p HD movie clips at 30 or 15 frames per second. Shooting performance is fairly quick for a rugged camera with low shutter lag and good shot-to-shot times, and photo quality, though maybe not as good as similarly priced regular pocket cameras, photos are very good for a rugged camera. I'm Josh Goldman and that's the Pentax Optio W90.