Pentax Optio 33WR Digital Camera

Pros: Level 7 Water Resistant, Rugged Construction, Good Image Quality, Great Knock-Around Camera
Cons: Wish it had more megapixels

Looking for a handy little digital camera that take survive the rigors of the outdoor world and all that it can throw at a camera? The Pentax Optio 33WR fits the bill and is a 3.2 megapixel digital camera that offers water resistance and some other ...

Pros: Good pictures, tiny, good battery life, waterproof, solidly built.
Cons: Low-light performance sometimes spotty, no lens cover.

We have a large digital camera that has a big zoom lens and takes excellent pictures. However it is fairly big, fairly heavy and certainly not something you can just knock around or get wet. We were going to Hawaii for a big vacation and wanted ...

Pros: Very rugged. Lives up to water resistant claims. Great pics. easy use
Cons: Ate batteries (I think something is wrong with it)

Just returned from Colorado using my 33WR while climbing 5- fourteeners, shooting pics all the way. Including 2 almost white out conditions on 2 summits. I carried it with the strap around my neck and camera in my parka internal pocket so it was easy to ...

Pros: Camera's square shape, size, weather resistant, awesome menu interface!
Cons: Very hard to find at local camera shops. Finally found it though!

I was looking for a small digital camera that I could take with me when doing the sports I love. (Snowboarding, Skiing, Cycling and many other outdoor activities) I didn't want to have to worry about the weather conditions when taking it with me or to ...

Pros: You will be able to keep those memories, where other digital cameras Will Not.
Cons: A larger LCD could be a good improvement for future models

This camera is one of those things I am really glad and proud I bought. I have taken her to lots of trips and adventures, and unlike typical cameras, that DO NOT resist any salt water, impacts, mud, sand, blows, falls, etc. This Pentax not only takes great photos and decent videos, but the best thing is that YOU CAN TAKE IT WITH YOU...and It will work and withstand Windsurfing, Kiteboarding, Mountainbiking, Sailing, Waterskiing, Motocross.

Obviously, is not for scuba diving and you should not push water at high speeds (pressure) or give such a rough treatment. If you take reasonable care of her, this camera will for under dificult conditions, for many years.

For indoors, the PENTAX features are much more than what a standard person needs... It has much more options than most people use.



Good for active people taking photos of their real life.

Pros: durable water resistant user-friendly great images, particularly the macro ones
Cons: none

This is a solid little 3 megapixel camera that is rugged, durable and a pleasure to use, that generates outstanding macro images, with clean colours and tonality. The camera is also responsive and water resistant and therefore perfect for mountaineering where the presence of water as rain, sleet, snow, hail etc is always an issue.

I purchased it on the basis of a magazine review and have absolutely no regrets with this purchase - so much so - that it has persuaded me to transfer over from analogue film taking to digital capture.

Pros: Cute camera, small, water resistant, easy to use.
Cons: Pentax service is crap.

Will never buy a Pentax again. Bought the camera in March 2004. Used it for 2 weeks in April. Tried to use again in May. Got message 'memory card error'. Returned to Pentax. They replaced the main board and I got the camera back in mid July. Used camera in Aug and Sept. October, went to use it again and got the same 'memory card error'. This time, Pentax said that I had shoved the memory card in wrong and that it was my fault. Are they kidding? They wanted to charge me $110 & I got them down to $87. Got the camera back last week. I am done with this. The next time it breaks it is going in the garbage. Will NEVER, EVER buy a Pentax product again. Will stick to Contax.

Pros: Water resistance, ease of use, AA or CV3 batteries
Cons: Only 2.8x zoom

I recently bought this nifty little camera for my summer trip to Costa Rica. There are very few digital cameras that have good quality, good zoom, and can withstand constant 100% humidity and rain/water. This is an incredibly user-friendly camera, and expect to use it right out of the box. Battery life seems pretty good so far on Ni-MH rechargeable AA's, and with the batteries it is not a heavy camera and pretty compact. Personally I don't like the extremely small cameras (Canon ELPH and similar) so this is the perfect size for me. The rubberized corners add a bit of durability and style as well. Overall I am very happy with this camera and would definitely recommend it to anyone that does not want to worry about getting it wet.

Pros: Water resistance, user programmable elapsed time photographs, rubber corners, compact size, internal optics, reasonable price.
Cons: Some kind of lens protection would be nice, even if only a sliding door.

The review by jps246 (9 February 2004)is a fine summary of this remarkably sturdy camera. Rather than repeating jps246, I will limit my comments to the scientific applications of this little gem. The movie and time-lapse photography modes are ideal for recording clouds, sunsets (and sunrises), flower openings (and closings), crowd and traffic trends, and many other changing phenomenon.

Of course other cameras also have a time-lapse mode, but very few are also water resistant. The Optio 33WR can be left outdoors with no fear of damage from dew, mist or even rain, assuming, of course, the camera is in a secure location and protected from wind gusts.

For an example of a time lapse event captured by an Optio 33WR, see the bottom of my home page at www.forrestmims.org. This is an animated gif made from 30 individual photographs showing the arrival of a cold front. Small cumulus clouds rush south under large, mid-level clouds creeping north.

Pros: Class 7 Water resistance, speed, size, weight, well designed controls, pic quality, price.
Cons: No lens cap. Maybe better if used 4 batteries instead of 2.

This camera has more features and better picture quality if you read around the internet than any competitor's comparable cams. I like the size and shape, as well as the water-resistance. Class 7 resistance is something like submerged 39 inches for 40 minutes. Pretty impressive. This camera is very fast on start-up and between pics. I think it takes great pictures, but I am no expert. Lots of modes, movie WITH sound, something Olympus doesn't have. Can even use zoom in movie mode, another exclusive for weather resistant cams. Excellent intuitive controls. Takes AA batteries, what you want. Forget using non-rechargables, they last for about a dozen pics- no kidding. Must get the NI-MH batteries. Get a bigger SD memory card too while your at it. The NI-MH batteries last long enough, haven't counted the pics but would say maybe 50-100 before battery failure. Much longer with out the flash on. Camera is light and portable. Picture quality is very good, especially considering the price and design of the cam. If your looking for a weather-resistant cam, there are no other options after doing the research in my opinion.