Ultimate MotorCycling QuickShift ReviewOnce a fringe portion of the point-and-shoot digital camera market, damage-resistant cameras are growing in popularity and supply. This type of camera is perfect for motorcycle touring, where things get bumped, dropped, and shaken with alarming regularity.The Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS packs a startling number of motorcyclist-friendly features into a plastic and rubber chassis. The first thing we did was find out just how durable it is in a real-world application.
Here is what Pentax says you can do without breaking it – drop it from five feet, crush it with 220 pounds of force, use it down to 14 degrees, and take it 40 feet underwater. We casually tossed it off a bike at 40 mph and let it bounce down the pavement. The WG-2 GPS started up and carried on without a hitch, and looked none the worse for the experience. Okay!For taking portraits – either of yourself or others – the face- and smile-detection functions are incredible. Point the photo at someone frowning. Nothing happens, until they smile, then – click!GPS can embed your location in the image file, so it shows right up when you import into a viewer such as iPhoto. We took some action shots using the Sport mode. The results won’t replace anyone’s SLR, though the tracking function worked decently well for a point-and-shoot. Or, if you like, you can put it in manual and preset the focus spot for the picture – all you have to do is pan properly.In the movie mode, the WG-2 shoots full HD 1080p video at 30 frames per second with high-quality compression. Hook the camera up to your TV’s HDMI input and the results are impressive. Pentax also offers a SportMount Chest Harness.This all barely scratches the surface of the Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS, which isn’t surprising, given its durability. If you are looking for a full-featured point-and-shoot travel camera and you don’t mind that it isn’t quite as compact as the smallest cameras, your search is over.The Pentax Optio WG-2 GPS retails for $349, but many are selling for $299.95. For additional information,
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