Pentax K100D Digital SLR Review
DPExpert recently reviewed the Pentax K100D, a digital SLR with six megapixels, and in the current megapixel war, that is fairly low, so it better have great image quality.
Construction is solid and controls are well thought out with some being grouped under a single Function button. It sits well in the hand and is easy to use. The viewfinder is good but not as bright as some.
The camera uses four AA batteries and we found that a set of fully charged Sanyo Eneloops easily exceeded the 430 shots promised in the manual — we took 603 and the battery indicator was still showing all segments.
There is in-body image stabilisation which is astonishingly effective. It is like carrying a weightless, invisible tripod. And being in-body it works with most (not all) lenses.
In the end they were highly impressed with the K100D, and did not want to send it back. They gave the camera a highly recommended rating. The biggest negative they found was the lack of refinement here and there. Not a big deal for most people, as long as it gets the job done.
Check out more on the Pentax K100D at Digital Camera HQ.
Pentax Optio T20
Still a month away, the Optio T20 was announced recently, showing off a 3-inch touchscreen LCD. The Pentax Optio T20 is a 7 megapixel sensor, 3x optical zoom, a 640 x 480 pixel movie mode at 30 frames per second, and a small stylus that allows you to use the touch screen without touching the screen with your oily fingers. The stylus also allows you to play around with the “Drawing Function”.
You’ll also find a rechargeable Li-Ion battery, 12MB of internal storage, and an SD card slot as part of the feature set. Thats SD, not SDHC yet. All for a reasonable $350 USD. Check out the T20 at Digital Camera HQ.
Pentax K100D Review
Digital Camera Resource Page has a review on the Pentax K100D, a digital SLR from Pentax that looks somewhat like its predecessor the *ist DS2.
The K100D looks a whole lot like the *ist models before it, with the biggest changes inside the camera. it’s a midsize D-SLR that’s very well put-together considering its $600 street price. The camera has a nice, large right hand grip, and it fits well in your hands. Pentax didn’t go overboard with buttons and dials — it’s pretty easy to just pick up and use the K100D. The camera supports all Pentax KA-mount lenses ever made, with a 1.5X focal length conversion ratio. In terms of resolution, the K100D is a bit lacking, still using the same 6.1 Megapixel CCD as the original *ist D. The K100D has a large, fairly bright viewfinder as well as a 2.5″ LCD display. The camera is also somewhat unique in that it uses AA batteries straight out of the box, instead of expensive proprietary li-ion batteries like most of the competition.
If you are looking for a reasonable digital SLR, and are not looking to take too many fast action shots in sequence, the Pentax K100D could be just the camera you are looking for.
Firmware Update Pentax *ist Digital SLRs
If you own any Pentax *ist DL, DL2, DS, DS2, you can get a firmware update that will allow you to use SDHC cards. SDHC cards are high capacity SD cards that will allow capacities of 4GB or greater.
Pentax has also announced that they are planning to release a similar update for the K110D which will be released on September 14.
Check out the Firmware Update at Pentax Japan’s Website
Pentax Optio T10 Review from LetsGoDigital
LetsGoDigital has posted a review up on the Pentax Optio T10, a 6 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom. I think it is interesting since many of the Pentax cameras I have seen try to outperform on the optical zoom.
The Pentax Optio T10 is a typical example of a stylish design camera. The compact size, neat finish and surprising back side prove to be features that instantly draw your eye to the camera. The Pentax Optio T10 will be a true godsend to all those that are suffering from “button-fear”; the camera features only four buttons, an absolute record! The Pentax T10 became available several months ago, and will have to go head-to-head with camera heavyweights such as Canon, Sony and Nikon.
The Pentax Optio T10 was introduced in the month of the PMA 2006, and proved an instant eye-catcher. The impressively large 3 inch screen takes up a sizeable part of the camera’s back side, which distinguishes itself by the absence of the, for instance, well-known multi controller. The type of monitor that we find on the Pentax Optio T10 is in fact rather surprising; a touch-screen with a resolution of 230,000 pixels.
Getting a rating of 77% the Pentax Optio T10, is not a bad camera, but for what you get, the price is a little too high. You have to love how they added a touchscreen LCD though. That is really cool.
Pentax Optio W10 Review
TrustedReviews review the Pentax Optio W10, and seem to really like the camera.
As a result the W10 is noticeably quicker to start up that the WPi, being ready to shoot in about two seconds. Focusing is also a bit quicker, although it is still slower than many other cameras in its class. Like both the original WP and WPi the W10 has no AF illuminator, but its low light focusing is among the best I’ve seen. It also features continuous AF and tracking AF, so it can follow moving subjects more easily, and the 9-point multi AF system seems to be much better at locking on to off-centre subjects than the previous models.
In the end the Pentax Optio W10 earns an eight out of ten in their rating scale. Its highest mark is in image quality, where it gets a nine out of ten.
Pentax Optio W10 Review
Popular Photography Magazine puts the Opio W10 through its paces, testing it out and giving their opinion.
The new Optio W10 could be the perfect low-buck beach/pool/lawn sprinkler camera. Continuing its line of pocket-sized waterproof digicams, Pentax gives this 6.0MP amphibian a 3x optical zoom (38-114mm 35mm equivalent) and Class 8 waterproofing, which means it’s safe to submerge under 5 feet of water for up to 30 minutes. With a street price of $300, the Optio W10 opens a whole wet world of shooting wide open while costing about the same as many of its landlubber competitors.
While they don’t give a number rating they do seem to recommend it, the negative points that they list include that the LCD screen is tough to see underwater when the sun is overhead, no manual aperture or shutter controls, and 2-step shut and lock is easy to forget before submersion.
Pentax Optio A10 Review
Digital Photography Review recently reviewed the Pentax Optio A10, a digital camera that while takes some great pictures, the camera useability is not great.
The Optio A10 is a deeply frustrating camera for a reviewer; on the one hand it is capable of producing some of the best results in its class, the lens is obviously excellent, image processing is fairly subtle, and unlike so many similar cameras the default contrast, saturation and sharpening are spot-on. On the other hand it can be really, really annoying to use; by today’s standards shooting feels slow and unresponsive, and has a screen that can’t be seen at all in bright weather. Throw in the dismal battery life and total unsuitability as a social ‘party snaps’ camera and you’d think this was a camera you’d only recommend to someone with a masochistic streak, or someone you really didn’t like.
In the end they have to give the camera a rating of above average, which is not as high as they probably wanted to give the camera based on its image quality, but that is what happens when you don’t have the whole package going on.
Pentax Optio W10 Review
Digital Camera Review has posted a review on the Pentax Optio W10, a compact waterproof digital camera.
If you’re looking for a camera that needs to be able to take a light dunking, the 6 megapixel Pentax Optio W10 is an excellent choice. The W10 is the third generation of waterproof Optio camera and Pentax just keeps tweaking minor things to make improvements each time. If you spend a lot of time on the beach or near the water, the Pentax Optio W10 can withstand a drop in the sand and can get the underwater movie of your trout swimming away to be caught again another day.
If you are looking for a camera that can take a bit of dirt and water, and still give you many great pictures, this is the camera from you. It has waterproofing, good battery life, easy operation and excellent image quality.
Canon PowerShot A700
Digital Camera Resource Page has a review up for the Canon PowerShot A700
The A700 is a midsize camera made of metal and plastic. It’s pretty solid for the most part, though the door over the battery/memory card compartment could be stronger. The controls are all easy to reach, and Canon didn’t go overboard with buttons. The camera features a 6X optical zoom lens, which is a lot more than you’ll find on other cameras in this price range. While it’s not quite an ultra zoom, you can turn it into one by purchasing the telephoto conversion lens. The A700 has a 2.5″ LCD display, though the resolution could be better, and the screen doesn’t flip-out and rotate like on the “lesser” A610 and A620. The screen was easy to see in low light situations, though.
In the end the camera got a recommended rating, and thanks to its 6x optical zoom, it is definetly worth checking out.
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