Pentax Optio WPi (2005)

The Pentax Optio WPi is a waterproof compact digital camera announced on August 31, 2005. It was the second version of Pentax's waterproof camera line. It was built to handle the elements, not serious submersion. It's rated waterproof to a depth of 1.5 meters (5 feet) for up to 30 minutes, with rubber gaskets hidden inside the metal exterior to keep out water and dust. Outside Online described it as a camera for occasions where a normal point-and-shoot wouldn't survive.

It has a 6-megapixel sensor behind a 3x optical zoom lens, and a 2.0-inch LCD rated at 110,000 pixels. The body is fairly slim at 102 x 51 x 22 mm, with softly rounded edges. Pentax's own pitch was "all about lifeproof digital and high resolution images," but the waterproofing limit drew criticism. Adorama's listing noted it was "only rated waterproof to five feet." A user review from a bonefishing trip to the Bahamas complained that the screen was nearly unusable outside in bright light, and called the WPi "strictly a surface camera."

The WPi launched at £269.99 in the UK (around €394) and $350 in the US, going on sale from October 2005. It uses the D-LI8 / D-LI85 battery, shared across a wide range of Optio models from the A10 to the X. Today it turns up mainly as used gear. One current listing sells a silver unit "untested," and the lowest price found in the wild was £8.00. The record is thin beyond that: no sensor size, ISO range, aperture, or storage media type is confirmed in surviving documentation.

Known specs: