Simple design, a low price point, and simple point-and-shoot menu options made this waterproof 10-megapixel camera a favorite for Women’s Adventure magazine testers who didn’t have much photography experience, or were worried about little ones grabbing hold of the goods.
Though its colorful and easy-to-read menu makes accessing basic photo options easy, this camera also has a host of advanced options including a decent 35-175 mm equivalent lens, useable 720-pixel HD video recording, and a smile-capture option that detects both blinking and bared teeth—a one-up from even the Canon that we tested.
Image quality is good for quick snapshots but only so-so for more serious endeavors and without optical image stabilization, this camera sometimes bumps ISO so high that low light photos are noticeably grainy and noisy. The one sealed door has shown effective yet only waterproof down to 5 feet limits its underwater functionality. The bottom line: It’s small, it’s easy to use and it’s cheap. Sometimes that’s all you need. $220; www.pentax.com
