The floodgates have opened. There is yet another new GPS camera announcement for the year. Pentax is adding a rugged GPS model to its Optio camera line.
Scheduled to be released in April, the new Optio WG-1 which has been priced at $349.95 will be joined by the Optio WG-1 GPS for $399.95.
With the price not yet announced for the upcoming Panasonic Lumix DSC-TS3, Panasonic will likely consider Pentax’s Optio WG-1 GPS price in making its final decision regarding the MSRP of its new rugged Lumix GPS camera.
Pentax Optio WG-1 GPS Main Features
(with Lumix DSC-TS3 feature comparison comments)
GPS functionality ($50 Premium)
Waterproof to 33 feet.
[Shallower by 7 ft. compared to the upcoming Panasonic Lumix DSC-TS3's maximum depth.]
Shockproof from drops up to 5 feet.
[A little lower than the TS3's 6.6 ft. safe drop height.]
Crushproof, withstanding weights up to 100 KGF (kilogram-force).
[The Lumix TS3 has no crushproof rating.]
Coldproof to -10 degrees C (14 degrees F).
[Same as Lumix TS3.]
Dustproof
[I believe this comes along with the waterproof rating by default.]
Wide angle 5X optical zoom lens (28-140mm equivalent)
[Beats the Lumix TS3's 4.6X zoom by a smidgen.]
720p HD video at 30 frames per second.
[It is unknown what video capabilities the Lumix TS3 will have. Press release is unclear. I'm waiting to see an official declaration from Panasonic.]
Digital Shake Reduction (not optical)
[Lumix TS3 image stabilization is optical and should be superior.]
Digital Microscope Mode using 5 macro LEDs around the lens (as opposed to the 3 used in a previous version of this model) to illuminate close-up imaging.
[I have never tested this feature, but it looks interesting. It's not available on the Lumix. You can see some fun examples of photos produced with Pentax's Digital Microscope Mode using an older Optio W90 (3 LEDs) at Ned Bunnel's journal on Blogspot. Ned is the president of Pentax USA by the way.]
I just found out on Ned’s blog that Pentax USA’s offices are in Golden, not so far from where I live when I’m in Colorado. Clear Creek, which has several nice kayak runs starting upstream in Lawson, flows through a very scenic canyon area and right into Golden with many intense rapids along the way. Actually, the stretch below Lawson is one of the absolute best and longest non-stop stretches of serious rapids in the entire state of Colorado. I wonder what the chances are of picking up an Optio WG-1 GPS loaner to try out one day while kayaking this spring.
The Pentax Optio WG-1 (no GPS) is available in black or purple. The Optio WG-1 GPS camera comes in black or green. Both come with optional carabiners as well as standard wrist straps in their boxes.
The carabiner idea would seem to provide a possible solution for those who wish to use their GPS camera as a trail log generator in addition to geotagging their photos. You could attach this reasonably lightweight (5.9 ounces) rugged camera to a backpack or other gear with the provided carabiner.
Pentax provided a carabiner on the previous incarnation of this model which offered no GPS capability, and I have not read anything to indicate trail log generation is an included feature of the Optio WG-1 GPS camera. I’m not optimistic that trail logging has been included, though it probably could have been added with little effort beyond a few lines of code to save the data along with an addition to the camera’s user interface on the LCD.
Click here for an earlier discussion about the upcoming Rugged and Waterproof Lumix TS3.
It has taken a little longer than I thought it would, but GPS cameras and geotagging is finally starting to hit the mainstream. I think I’m getting this site underway just in time for the inevitable geotagging camera revolution. 
Images: Top – green Pentax Optio WG-1 GPS camera. Middle – front and back of WG-1 GPS. Bottom – purple WG-1 (base model without GPS).
