Review of the Pentax Optio Digital Camera

The Pentax Optio A10 has some magnificent features that attract potential buyers worldwide. The function it perform are: 3x optical zoom, 8 mega pixels, 15 scene modes and a large 2.5-inch screen, but the Pentax Optio A10 does have a couple of tricks up its sleeve, including a CCD-shift image stabilization system, in-camera effects and frames, and the ability to record movies in the highly efficient MPEG-4 DivX format. It also has some special features like: 8.0 million effective pixel 1/1.8" CCD, New high speed ASIC, CCD-shift Shake Reduction System, Seven element 3x smc Pentax zoom lens Compact, lightweight body, Tracking AF, Candlelight mode with ISO 800 sensitivity (4MP max image size), Frame composite function can add decorative frames to images
In-camera corrections and effects for saved images.

Image sizes of the Pentax Optio A10
The image sizes of the Pentax Optio A10 are: 3264 x 2448, 2592 x 1944, 2304 x 1728, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480.

Operation and controls of the Pentax Optio A10
I would say the Optio A10 has some potential ability to compete with her competitor globally. There is a pretty sophisticated camera inside that ultra-compact body - though of course you don't get any direct control over apertures or shutter speeds. Not only do the most commonly accessed controls (flash mode, drive mode, focus mode, flash mode) get their own dedicated buttons, but the highly customizable 'green button' means you can set the camera up to suit your own shooting priorities, meaning more advanced controls, such as ISO, white balance, metering, AE-compensation and so on are easily and quickly accessible if you want them to be.

Display and menus of the Pentax Optio A10

There are three display options for record view; the first two are basic, and normal, which indicates shooting mode, remaining shots, and date/time and battery level. The third option shows much more detailed information, including image size/quality, white balance setting, metering mode and ISO setting.
There is also a grid overlay option. Interestingly one can also turn the display off completely and 'shoot blind'. Half-press the shutter release and the camera will calculate exposure (AE) and focus (AF) indicating the AF area used and the aperture/shutter speed chosen.

You can assign virtually any shooting function to each of the four positions in the mini 'Fn' menu (corresponding to the four directional buttons on the back of the camera). Pressing the down arrow ('Mode') key brings up a palette of 15 icons giving fast access to the subject modes (including the movie mode).

The modes on offer include the normal stuff (landscapes, sports, low light etc) and a couple of oddities, including this charming 'composite frame' option. The main record menu features three pages of shooting options covering image size/quality, white balance, focus area, metering pattern, sensitivity, sharpness, saturation, contrast and much more.

One can select which settings the camera remembers when you turn it off. The setup menu has three pages of basic camera settings.

Unusually the A10 has a fairly impressive range of built-in image corrections and effects for use on saved photos, including color filters and corrections, special effects and red-eye removal. And just in case you forgot to use the frame composite option when taking the picture you can add it in playback mode! The effects and filters are fun and easy to use for consumers who don't want to mess around in Photoshop.

Additional features of the Pentax Optio A10
The Optio A10 comprises of some additional features: Self-timer 2 or 10 secs, 1/2000 - 4 sec shutter, +/-2EV with 0.3EV steps, Shake reduction system, up to 4x digital zoom, Image protection, Built-in AF assist light, Post-capture effects: color filter, digital filter, brightness, red-eye removal and frames.

I would say the Pentax Optio A10 has some pretty features that could stand up to global standard.