Pentax Optio A10 Review
Product overview
- Launch price:
- £250
- Launch date:
- 8th December 2006
PhotoRadar rating:
User rating:
Technical Specification
Accessories: Carrying strapAuto Shut-off: No
Battery Type: Lithium-Ion
Camera Type: Compact
Case Included: No
Connectivity: AV Output;Composite Video;USB
Continuous Shooting Speed: 30
Dimensions: 89 x 56 x 23
Display Size: 3
Display Technology: TFT LCD
Effective Pixels: 8
Exposure Modes: Automatic;Candlelight;Flower;Food;Landscape;Night Scene;Pet;Portrait;Programme;Snow;Sport;Surf;Text
Flash: Yes
Flash Modes: Auto;Fill-in;Red-Eye Reduction
Focusing Modes: Manual
Image Formats: AV;DPOF;JPEG
Image Sensor Resolution: 8.32
Image Sensor Type: 1/1.8inch CCD
ISO Settings: 100;200;400;50;800;ISO Auto
LCD Display?: Yes
Lens: Built-in lens shield, aspherical lens
Lens Type: Zoom Lens
Longest Shutter Speed: 4
Max Aperture: 2.8
Max Focal Length: 114
Max resolution (horizontal pixels): 3264
Max resolution (vertical pixels): 2448
Max. Captured Image Resolution: 3264 x 2448
Memory Card Included: No
Memory Types: Internal;SD
Metering Modes: Centre weighted;Multi-Segment;Spot
Min Aperture: 5.4
Min Focal Length: 38
Min Shutter Speed: 2000
Movie Mode: Yes
Optical Zoom: 3
OS Requirements: Microsoft Windows 2000;Microsoft Windows 98 SE;Microsoft Windows ME;Microsoft Windows Vista;Microsoft Windows XP
PictBridge: No
Waterproof: No
Weight (g): 156
White Balance: Auto;Custom;Daylight;Fluorescent;Presets;Shade;Tungsten
Zoom Adjustment: Auto
MPN: 18902
Price (GBP): 250
PhotoRadar review
The current flagship of the compact line-up
Pentax make a whole range of point and- click cameras, but the stylish Optio A10 is the current flagship model in the compact line-up, and is a more than worthy holder of that lofty position.
It's tiny, but it still manages to squeeze in a top-of the range 8-megapixels of resolution and a 3x optical zoom lens into its solid little body.
Its design is typical of the range, but it's light enough to carry around with you, and with 24MB of internal memory you won't be too reliant on the memory card.
There's another headline feature in the Pentax Shake Reduction function, which allows you to shoot rock solid images from moving cars, on the decks of ships, or in low light without the need for a fl ash. The reason we love it so much is that it works really well, and makes a massive difference to the eventual look of your photo album.
And that album should be a cracker, as this snapper produces top-notch images 90 per cent of the time. The high resolution CCD picks up lots of detail, and it's possible to print the images out easily up to A4 without too much of the unsightly digital noise that can be an issue with some 8-megapixel compacts. The real star of the show though is the colour reproduction - when the A10 gets it right, it's very, very good in this respect.
The only real issue is that the A10 occasionally over-exposes images, which therefore come out lighter than the actual subject - particularly problematic with large expanses of sky.
That aside, there's nothing to complain about, and the A10 is a joy to use. If you are looking for something small and easy to handle, but offering great image quality, this should be near the top of your wish list.
Verdict:
Something this small shouldn't produced images this good, but the Optio A10 does it with aplomb.
Posted by PhotoRadar on Wednesday, 15th July 2009 at 02:58pm GMT.
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