Pentax's waterproof 6MP compact — 38-114mm equiv folded zoom, JIS Class 8 sealing, 2006
The Pentax Optio W10 was announced in February 2006 as the successor in Pentax's line of waterproof compacts that began with the Optio WP, predating the later Optio W-series and WG rugged families. It was sold under the same name worldwide and aimed at beach, poolside and outdoor use where a normal compact would be at risk.
It combines a 6-megapixel 1/2.5-inch CCD with a folded-optics 3x zoom of 6.3-18.9mm, equivalent to 38-114mm, that never protrudes from the body. The sealed shell meets JIS Class 8 waterproofing — rated for 30 minutes of continuous operation at 1.5m depth — plus Class 5 dust protection. A 2.5-inch, 115k-pixel LCD handles framing, sensitivity runs ISO 64-800, VGA video is available, face-recognition AF/AE was newly added, and it stores to SD cards with the D-LI8 lithium-ion battery providing power.
As an early waterproof-compact it suits swimmers, hikers and families wanting a camera that shrugs off splashes and shallow dunks, though its 1.5m/30-minute rating is snorkelling-depth at best, not a dive camera. The folded zoom keeps the body slab-shaped and pocketable, at some cost in lens speed and low-light ability.
Twenty-year-old waterproof seals should be treated as decorative: inspect the battery/card door gasket and assume it is no longer dive-safe without new seals. Look for corrosion around the door and tripod socket from past water exposure, check for internal lens fogging, and confirm the shared D-LI8 battery holds charge — replacements remain available, and SD storage is unproblematic.