Besides its unusual, nearly square shape with rubberized corners, most
of the other characteristics of the Pentax Optio 33WR could be
considered to be common to a large group of near "entry-level"
digital cameras. A 3.2 megapixel camera with a 2.8X optical zoom, the
33WR would normally be in competition with others that have broadly similar
features, and possibly slightly sleeker looks. But the real difference
between the Optio 33WR and others is that it is water resistant,
allowing it to stand out, especially in the rain.
The
Optio 33WR is conceived, and engineered to be impervious to humidity,
and water droplets, meeting the Japanese Standards Association's JIS Class
5 and 7 standards.
This is a camera that survives quite nicely a drizzly day, the accidental
splash from being poolside, or a day on the slopes. If it gets sprayed,
simply wipe it off and keep shooting. While it might not survive a complete
dunking for an extended period, it can be washed under a slowing running
tap as long as soap, which would reduce the effectiveness of its water
resistant features, is not used.
The
top of the camera has only 2 controls: the On/Off switch which lights
up in yellow-orange when the power is turned on, and the shutter release.
All the other controls of the Optio 33WR are on the back of the camera.
In the upper right is the zoom control, which doubles as a means to display
thumbnails
(an
index screen with 9 images), or as a means to magnify
(8X) a part
of an image displayed on the 1.6 inch, 84,000 pixel LCD monitor.
The Playback button
is below the zoom control, and starts the Playback mode only if
the camera has been turned on first. It cannot be used to access the Playback
mode directly.
Next comes a 4-way control which has an button in the middle used to confirm
specific options, or menu choices; and aligned to the bottom of the screen
is the
button.
Three
other buttons are positioned between the optical viewfinder and the LCD
monitor. The first button on the left provides a single function:
The Voice Button starts the voice recording mode of the Optio
33WR, which lights up the button in red. Sound is recorded using
a small microphone hidden behind 4-tiny holes on the front of the
camera, and played back through a speaker located above the voice
button. Recording is started and stopped using the shutter release,
and lasts as long as there is space on the memory card. With a 256MB
memory card, over 8½ hours of audio can be recorded.
The second button controls:
Flash modes (Auto, Forced Off, Forced on, Auto with Red-eye
Reduction, Forced On with Red-eye Reduction).
And
in Playback the same button can be used to Protect images
from being erased accidentally.
While the
third button provides an even greater number of functions:
At
each press, it cycles between Macro mode, Landscape
mode, or Manual Focus in the recording modes:
The
Macro mode allows a minimum focus distance of 1 to 50 cm
when the lens is at the wide angle setting, and 20 to 50cm when
the lens is at maximum magnification of 2.8X.
Landscape mode sets the focus to infinity.
Manual Focus allows the focus to be set using the Up and
Down arrows of the 4-way controller and provides for the entire
focus range of the lens, from 1cm to infinity.
In
Playback, the third button serves to delete unwanted images,
either one at a time if pressed once, or if desired, all images
when pressed twice.
In addition to its role as a way to navigate the camera's menus and make
settings, the 4-way controller serves to set exposure
compensation with its Left and Right arrows. Compensation
is available in 1/3EV increments, over a range of ±2 EV.
The Up and Down arrows provide other functions:
the
Up arrow first cycles through the Self-timer (10 second
delay) mode, then the Continuous Shooting mode, which takes
4 shots consecutively at a frame rate that varies according to the
image size/quality selected and then stores them. Then goes to Multi-Continuous
Shooting, which takes 4 photos and stores them in a single image.
And finally to Interval Shooting which records images at
a selectable interval.
In
Playback, the Up arrow is used to select images that will
be printed on a DPOF(Digital Print Order Format)
compliant printer, or by a printing service.
Finally,
the down arrow also controls the shooting Modes, calling an on-screen
dial which allows selecting any of the 12 modes available with the Optio
33WR:
Program
mode: the camera sets the aperture and the shutter speed.
Landscape:
uses infinity focus and a small aperture to increase depth of field.
Night
Scene mode: uses a slow shutter speed (up to 4 seconds) and
applies noise reduction.
Night
Scene Portrait: uses a slow shutter speed to capture the background,
and the flash to capture the foreground clearly. In addition, the
contrast is lowered slightly, and so is the image sharpness, to
produce a better portrait.
Portrait:
uses a large aperture, soft focus and a lowered contrast to enhance
portraits.
Surf
and Snow applies compensation to accurately capture bright subjects
such as snow and water.
Flower
makes use of macro focus and lower sharpness.
Sunset
slightly enhances saturation.
Fireworks
forces the flash off and allows for an exposure of up to 4 seconds.
Snap
mode: appears to be the same as the Program mode.
Movie
mode captures a video clip with sound as long as there is space
on the memory card. Two video frame sizes are available, either
320 x 240 pixels or 160 x 120 pixels; and the digital zoom can be
used. A "Fast Forward" mode is also offered, making the
movie appear speeded up on playback.
Panorama
mode records a series of images that will be assembled into
a panorama. Images can be recorded so they join at the top, right
or left, or the bottom.
Although
the square design of the Optio 33WR gives it an unusual appearance, its
ergonomic design works well, and the placement of the controls makes the
camera both easy to use and manipulate.
(an
index screen with 9 images), or as a means to magnify 
(8X) a part
of an image displayed on the 1.6 inch, 84,000 pixel LCD monitor.
is below the zoom control, and starts the Playback mode only if
the camera has been turned on first. It cannot be used to access the Playback
mode directly.
button.
