Pentax Optio S6

A couple of weeks ago I nearly froze my toes off testing the waterproof Pentax Optio WPi, so this week I thought I’d have an easier time with its non-amphibious sibling the Optio S6. Unfortunately our wonderful British weather had other ideas. This time I froze the rest of my body, and wished that I was as waterproof as the WPi. Anyone who tells you we’re having a mild dry winter is lying through their teeth. It’s cold and wet out there, and has been all week.
Over the past three years, the six consecutive models that have comprised Pentax’s Optio S range of tiny sub-compact digital cameras haven’t really changed much. From the original 3.0MP Optio S launched in January 2003, to the S5z launched in May last year, the only real changes have been the ever-increasing size of both the CCD and the LCD monitor. The range of features on offer, the menu, power, exposure and autofocus systems, the 3x zoom Sliding Lens System optics and even the size and shape of the case have all remained virtually unchanged from one camera to the next, with only slight tweaks here and there. A camera design that was ahead of its time three years ago was beginning to look dated, and its performance was starting to lag behind the competition. It was clearly time for a change.
This change has appeared in the form of the Optio S6, the latest in the series. Competitively priced at £229.99 on the high street or as low as £189.99 online, at first glance it looks very much like all the other cameras in the S series. It is extremely compact, with the same well made all-metal body and flush fitting lens. It even has the same concentric circle texture on the front panel. However, although the S6 looks quite similar to its immediate predecessor the S5z, it is a very different camera both inside and out. It still has a 3x optical zoom lens that folds into itself leaving a camera just 19mm thick, but this isn’t the same lens as on previous models. It is a new design which is smaller, lighter and extends much more quickly at power on. Previous Optio S models have been getting a bit slow on the start-up, but thanks to the new lens design and an improved power system, the S6 now takes just 2.5sec to power up. There are a few faster cameras around, but this is better than most.
Another familiar looking feature is the big 2.5in LCD monitor, but this too is vastly improved. It is low-reflection with exceptionally high 232,000 pixel resolution and a particularly fast refresh rate, which means that the scene you see on the monitor doesn’t lag behind movements of the camera.

One thing that hasn’t changed much is the control layout and menu system, but then the previous Optio S system was very good already. The selection process for flash modes and focus modes has received a bit of a tweak though, and these are now selected from a list rather than just cycling through the available options.
There are plenty of focusing options to chose from, with pan focus, infinity focus and 25-step manual focus available, as well as macro mode although with a minimum range of 15cm this is not terribly impressive. The focus area mode can be selected in the menu, but sadly the frame-wide selectable AF point is no longer an option, but it has been replaced with an active tracking AF, ideal for shooting moving subjects.

The S6 features the same Green Button as on previous models, which operates as a user-definable function button, giving quick access to four commonly-used options via the D-pad. The defaults are resolution, ISO, white balance and exposure compensation, but any of the other menu adjustments can be mapped onto it, including image quality, focus area, metering mode, contrast, saturation and sharpness.

Although like the rest of the Optio S range the S6 has no manual exposure controls, it does have a good selection of scene modes, although fewer than on some previous models. These options include night scene, landscape, flower, portrait, candlelight, surf & snow, sport, pets, text copying, food and the unintentionally hilarious frame composite mode, in which a delightful decorative frame is added to your shot. Choose from a lovely lacy heart, a border of roses and daisies, or a frame of film with a cartoon character saying “How nice!!” I couldn’t put it better myself.
Also on the mode menu is the movie mode. It shoots at the now essential 640 x 480 resolution at 30 frames per second, however unusually it stores clips in the ultra-compact DivX format.

Inside the S6 is a new 6.36MP CCD sensor (6.0 effective), as well as a new faster exposure and autofocus system. It is also equipped with an AF illuminator, which I found would provide a focus lock in total darkness at a range of about 3 metres.
Also useful for low-light shooting is an exceptionally powerful built-in flash, with an effective range of over 5m at wide angle, or 2.7m at telephoto. Flash metering is also very good, providing just the right amount of fill-in flash even at quite close range. Colour balance and coverage were also very good.

This brings us neatly to the crux of the issue; picture quality. Previous Optio S models have generally produced very good picture quality. Not perhaps the best available, but certainly well above average. Each successively more powerful model has improved on the last, so does the 6 megapixel S6 continue the trend? Happily, the answer is yes.

The Optio S6 is capable of the highest image quality of the series so far, although I will have to qualify that. In order to get the best out of it, you need to make a few adjustments. Shooting in the appalling weather over the past week, I’ve found that the automatic ISO setting has a great fondness for selecting 400 ISO at the slightest provocation, leading to many pictures being ruined by excessive image noise. However by manually setting either 64 or 100 ISO and just holding the camera more steadily it was possible to get much better results in the same conditions.

Apart from that hitch, colour rendition, exposure and focusing were spot on in virtually all conditions, and with the faster AF system more shots were in focus.
All in all, the S6 is a good continuation of a popular and innovative line of digital cameras. It corrects all the weaknesses of previous models, and with its improved performance and image quality it makes a perfect pocket snapshot camera.

Verdict

If you’re looking for an ultra-compact camera that can deliver good quality pictures with a minimum of fuss, the Optio S6 should certainly be near the top of your list. It is well made, attractively designed, and is one of the smallest and lightest cameras on the market. It has enough options to cope with virtually any shooting conditions, and its excellent low light focusing and flash performance are a big bonus. Considering its very competitive price and the S6 is hard to beat.

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Pentax Optio W10

Regular visitors to this site may recall my painful experience reviewing the Pentax Optio WPi waterproof compact back in February this year. My theory was that Pentax’s PR department was trying to kill me by making me wade into freezing water in the middle of winter. At about the same time that I was dicing with death for that review, Pentax was launching the latest weapon in its arsenal of assassination. However this time they’ve miscalculated. They’ve sent me the new Optio W10 to review in spring, so hopefully this time I can retain the use of my extremities.
The W10 is superficially similar to the WPi in both design and specification. It too features a six megapixel CCD and 3x optical zoom non-protruding lens, and is waterproof to a depth of 1.5m for up to 30 minutes. With a high street price of £249.89 it is actually £20 cheaper than the launch price of the WPi, which is probably going to annoy anyone who bought that camera when it came out, especially since you can now buy a WPi in the high street for just £175.

The W10 certainly looks very similar to the WPi at first glance, although if you put the two cameras side-by-side the new model is noticeably larger, being 5mm longer, 4mm taller and 1mm thicker. It’s also 20g heavier, which is a lot on a 155g camera. However the extra space provides room for a bigger non-reflective 2.5” LCD monitor and a redesigned body shape that is much more secure and comfortable to hold, thanks to a large thumb grip that has been added to the back.
The main differences are internal, and they are much more than superficial. The WPi is based on the internal workings of the Optio S6, and although that is a great little camera it isn’t exactly the fastest thing around. For the W10 and its other recent launches including the E10, M10 and 8MP A10, Pentax has thankfully at last updated its electronics and software.

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.
Another new addition is face-recognition AF/AE in Portrait and Natural Skin Tone modes, which can lock onto a human face in a scene, focus on it and adjust exposure accordingly.

Despite its underwater capabilities, the W10 is at heart a point-and-shoot compact, and its range of features reflects this. It has no manual options, but it does offer 25 programmed shooting modes on an easy-to-use menu, three more than its predecessor, however some of them do look like they were added just to fill up space on the menu screen. For example “Report Mode” shoots at an image size of 1280 x 960 pixels, because apparently this is the right size for “reports”. Er, yeah…

There is a portrait mode, but then there is also a Natural Skin Tone mode, which is supposed to produce more beautiful results than the portrait mode. So why have both?

And then there’s the Frame Composite mode, which I have cruelly mocked in other Pentax cameras, and will gladly do so again here. I really can’t understand why anyone would think that adding a frame of badly cut-out roses or a ghastly lace heart shape to their pictures is a good idea, and as for the yellow frame with stars, curtains and a cartoon face saying “Happy!” words fail me. Just don’t even go there. (um… kids might like it.. ed).
However some of the new options are actually both clever and useful. Most modern digital cameras allow the recording of audio captions for still images after they are taken, but the W10 goes one better with Synchro Sound Recording, which records a 20-second audio clip from 10 seconds before to 10 seconds after the shot is taken, so you get the ambient sounds from the pictures scene.

Also new and useful is the vastly improved movie mode, which can now shoot at 640 x 480 pixels and 30 frames per second, with electronic vibration reduction for steadier shots. There is also an underwater movie mode that gives enhanced colour for blue-tinted shots.

Many other options can be applied to still images and movie clips in playback mode, such as cropping, resizing, rotating, red-eye removal and digital filters including a surprisingly good soft focus effect.

The W10’s biggest improvement however is in image quality, where it easily surpasses the slightly disappointing WPi. The W10 has a maximum sensitivity of 800 ISO, but it is at 200 and 400 ISO that the biggest improvement in image quality is noticeable, very useful for the low light levels of underwater photography.

At lower ISO settings the pictures are smooth and sharp, and the improved folded-optics lens provides excellent edge-to-edge detail and almost no distortion even at the widest angle setting. The improved image processing engine is a lot less heavy-handed than that of many similarly-specified cameras, and produces extremely natural colour rendition that are naturally sharp rather than over-sharpened.
Focusing and exposure are both very accurate in nearly all lighting conditions, and the built-in flash has excellent coverage and plenty of power, with a maximum range at wide angle of a healthy 3.6 metres.
All in all, the W10 is a significant improvement over the WPi, making it the best waterproof compact on the market. Of course that’s a very small field currently inhabited only by this camera and its two immediate predecessors, but more than that it is also a very competent pocket compact camera in its own right.

Verdict

The W10 takes the unique abilities of the WP and WPi and improves on them. Better image quality, better movies, better handling and faster overall performance make it indisputably a better camera, while the lower launch price makes it even better value for money. If you’re into skiing, surfing, snorkeling or any other camera-killing lifestyle, but still want a sleek pocket compact then it really is the best option.

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Pentax *ist DL2 Digital SLR

If you’re over the age of 30 and studied photography at college or university, chances are you learned the basics on the venerable Pentax K1000. It was a basic manual-only camera with a match-needle lightmeter, perfect for beginners, and what it lacked in features it made up for in robust reliability, superb handling and excellent picture quality.

After a 21-year run the K1000 finally ceased production in 1997, but Pentax still makes a camera for beginners. It’s called the *ist DL2 and it was launched in January this year.

The *ist DL2 is the very epitome of the entry-level DSLR, and that includes the price. It is available exclusively from Jessops, so there are no dubious online discount deals available, but even so it is priced at an incredibly competitive £349 including a high quality 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Pentax DA lens. Compare that with £393 for the Nikon D50 or £485 for the (8 megapixel) Canon EOS 350D with similar sized lenses and the DL2 looks like a very tempting package.

Pentax has always been known for making very compact and lightweight SLRs, and the DL2 continues that tradition. Comparing it side by side with the Nikon D50 reveals that the Pentax is 55g lighter, 8mm narrower, 9mm shorter and 10mm thinner than its rival. Even with the 18-55mm lens attached it is still light enough to use comfortably one-handed if necessary. The low weight is all the more remarkable when you remember that like all of Pentax’s digital SLRs the DL2 is powered by 4 AA batteries. In fact the weight of the batteries inside the handgrip helps to balance the camera.
With such a small camera there is of course the danger that handling could be compromised, but fortunately this is not the case. The DL2 only has a bare minimum of external controls and they are well spaced out so they’re not crowded. The handgrip is small compared to other DSLRs, but is comfortable to hold even for my very large hands. The sculpted shape is a definite improvement over the rather cramped grip of the *ist D, and a large thumb grip at the back makes for a very secure hold.

The middle of the back panel is dominated by the big 2.5-inch LCD monitor, which with 210k pixels is significantly sharper than the screens on either the D50 or 350D. Like most SLRs the DL2 doesn’t offer a live preview, but it does provide instant review with full exposure information, exposure histogram and optional clipped highlight indication on playback.

The viewfinder is large and bright, but is a bit lacking in information. Aperture, shutter speed, frames remaining, program mode, and a manual focus warning are all you get. The camera beeps for focus confirmation, but there are no focus points marked on the viewfinder.

The controls and available options are more reminiscent of a high-end compact camera than a professional SLR. The main mode dial has the necessary SLR manual exposure modes, but also has program settings for portrait, landscape, macro, action, night portrait and flash-off modes. As well as these it also has eight scene modes that are lifted whole from an Optio compact, even including the same menu icons. Modes include night scene, surf & snow, text, sunset, kids, pets, candlelight and museum. Bizarrely, the pet mode offers a choice of icons, for a cat or a dog depending on your preference. It makes no difference to the operation of the camera which you choose, only the icon is different.
Other options are more basic. The top slot on the menu is image tone, which has only two settings. Unfortunately, these aren’t labelled on the menu, but page 110 of the manual reveals that they are bright and natural modes. Other choices on the menu include three image sizes (1.5, 4 and 6MP) and four image quality settings including RAW mode. There are also sliders for saturation, sharpness and contrast, although the actual degree of control is limited.

Metering gets the usual three choices - matrix, CW or spot, but focus area has only wo, wide area or centre spot. There is no option for a selectable focus point.

One unusual feature is the aperture preview. Turning the on/off dial clockwise an extra notch activates the preview function. Rather than showing you the result in the viewfinder like most SLRs, the DL2 takes a picture and displays it on the monitor, but doesn’t write it to the memory card. It would be even better if it was possible to zoom this picture to check sharpness more closely.

Other external controls include exposure compensation, AE lock, and an FN button that provides a wide range of secondary functions on the D-pad. Manual or auto focus is selected by a two-position switch on the side of the lens mount. There is no continuous AF option.

Despite its cut-down list of features, it still has some nice touches. The self-timer includes a 2-second option with mirror lock-up for vibration-free shots, and its ISO range of 200-3200 beats both the D50 and 350D. Like the D50 the DL2 uses SD cards for storage, so those memory cards from your compact will work.

The built-in pop-up flash is particularly nice. It has a stated guide number of 15.6, but I found that it was easily capable of lighting up a large room. It also doubles as a long-range AF lamp, firing as a high-frequency strobe so fast that it appears to be continuous illumination.

Shooting performance is a little erratic. In continuous mode the DL2 can shoot five frames in about three seconds, and after that slows to an average of about one frame a second. I say average because it has no sense of rhythm at all, and shoots at apparently random intervals.

However, in single shot mode, focusing and exposure are admirably quick and shutter response is effectively instant, which is what one expects from a digital SLR.
The DL2 uses the same 6MP sensor as the rest of Pentax’s current DSLR range, which is, I think, the same sensor as the Nikon D50. However, Pentax seems to have been able to do more with it than Nikon could. If you refer to my review of the D50 from December last year, you’ll find that it suffered from purple fringes on high-contrast edges and the white balance system tended to put a blue colour cast over everything.

Fortunately the *ist DL2 has none of these problems. In the default vivid mode, images are sharp bright and colourful. Possibly a little too colourful in fact, with reds especially being a bit over-saturated. In natural mode, images have a much more realistic tone, with just a hint of softness that responds very well to a light application of unsharp mask.

In fact, the natural mode JPEG images taken straight out of the camera and slightly sharpened in Photoshop actually had more detail and better contrast than RAW mode images processed using either Photoshop or the supplied RAW conversion utility. Images at 200 and 400 ISO were essentially noise-free, with only a little noise visible at 800 ISO. 1600 ISO was grainy but usable with no colour distortion, although 3200 ISO would be best avoided.

The 18-55mm (28-70mm equiv.) standard zoom lens supplied as part of the kit is very good, especially compared to the sub-standard optics bundled with the Nikon D50. It focuses quickly and accurately, and provides excellent corner-to-corner sharpness and a minimum distortion. It did catch a little lens flare when shooting into the sun, but it is supplied with a lens hood to combat this. Pentax lenses have always enjoyed a very good reputation for outstanding quality with compact size and low weight, and thanks to the K-bayonet lens mount the *ist DL2 is fully compatible with every Pentax lens ever made, including old M42 screw-mount lenses and 645 medium-format lenses via adapters.

Verdict

The Pentax *ist DL2 is bargain-priced entry-level DSLR that combines the ease of use of a compact with the performance and picture quality of an SLR. It may lack some features, but it has all the important ones and even has one or two surprises. Experienced users may find it restrictive, but it is a perfect camera for the beginner who wants to learn, or for those making the switch from compact to SLR. It also gives you access to a vast range of Pentax lenses and accessories.

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Pentax K100D Digital SLR

Although I have a deep and abiding respect for the many marketing people without whom I could not do my job, I have to wonder at the sanity of the marketing genius that came up with the name for Pentax’s previous line of digital SLRs. The name, “*ist”, was explained to me by a marketing guy from Pentax UK, and to be fair he thought it was a bloody stupid idea too. The asterisk is a wild-card character, you see, and the –ist part is like scientist, or artist, or any other sort of –ist, so with the wild-card it means the camera can be anything you want it to be…

Yeah, right. It’s a camera, which means it takes pictures. How can you go into a shop and ask for a product if you can barely even pronounce it? “I’d like an asterisk-ist DL2 please.” Try saying that out loud; it sounds stupid, and I can’t help but wonder how much better the *ist range would have sold if it had been given a more sensible name.

Well, maybe now we can find out, because when Pentax was naming its newest range of SLRs that marketing genius must have been locked out of the meeting. Instead of wild cards it just has the letter K, which harks back to Pentax’s most famous film SLR, the classic K1000 with which we all learned photography at school. Trading on a legacy like that has got to be a better idea than some wacky marketing gimmick.

Echoing the K1000 is also appropriate to the first of the new models, the K100D and its stablemate the K110D. Launched simultaneously both are 6-megapixel entry-level cameras aimed at newcomers to digital SLR photography. The only difference between the two models is that the K100D features Pentax’s newly developed moving sensor Shake Reduction system. The new models will replace the consumer-orientated cameras in the *ist range, including the DS2. Pentax’s other new camera, the 10-megapixel K10D due to go on sale this month, will replace the aging *ist D.

The pricing of the new models is highly competitive. The K100D is available online for around £399 complete with a lens, while the K110D is about £50 less. This compares favourably with other entry-level DSLRs, including the Nikon D40 (6MP, £399), Canon EOS 400D (10MP, £480) and the Olympus E-500 (9MP, £500). It’s worth noting that none of these competing cameras have shake reduction systems. The next cheapest DSLR to feature that technology is the Sony Alpha A100 at £490.

The K100D looks superficially similar to the *ist DL2, but it is in fact a completely new body design. Measuring 129 x 93 x 70mm it is only a few millimetres wider and thicker, but at 660g including batteries it is 55g heavier. In fact, and unusually for a Pentax, it is the largest and heaviest of all the entry-level cameras in its price range, 100g heavier than the Canon 400D, 140g more than the Nikon D40 and a big 190g heavier than the Olympus E-500. The K110D is 75g lighter without the shake reduction system, but is still heavier than all of its competitors.

That bulk is reflected in the build quality. The K100D has a solidly made plastic body over a tough steel frame and feels extremely robust. The body shape and control layout is similar to the earlier models, but has also been revised. It has a large and extremely comfortable rubberised handgrip, a large LCD data panel on the top plate, and a big 2.5in 210,000 pixel LCD monitor screen on the back.

The controls are nice and simple, as befits its entry-level status. There’s a large rotating dial on the top left which selects the main shooting modes, which include the usual DSLR staples of program, aperture and shutter priority and full manual exposure (plus B mode), along with a scene mode with eight options, five special program modes and Pentax’s unique Auto Pict mode. This is a bit more sophisticated than most auto modes, because it tries to analyse the scene being shot and then automatically select the best special program mode for the circumstances. I found that it would normally default to program mode, but several times I noticed it setting sports or landscape mode at the appropriate times, so it does work.There is a function button on the back for quick access to white balance, ISO, drive/timer mode and flash mode, separate buttons for exposure compensation (handily located next to the shutter button) and AE lock and the usual playback, file info, delete and menu buttons down the left of the monitor, just as they have been on all previous Pentax DSLRs. The shooting menu itself is only two pages, but it has options to alter the saturation, contrast and sharpness, metering and AF modes and flash compensation. In other words it covers all the essentials without being over-complicated.

It has to be said that some of the menu items are downright bizarre. What exactly is “Swtch dst msr pt” supposed to mean? It’s an option to change between auto AF area, manual AF area and centre spot AF, so why not just label it “AF area”? Even the manual didn’t explain the abbreviation.

I really must mention that manual. I’ve often criticised certain manufacturers for putting the manual for their complex DSLRs on a CD in PDF format to save money, but despite the K100D’s budget price it comes with a large well-written fully-bound 216-page manual, all in English, with a colour cover and a full index, exactly what you need if you’re a beginner with a new camera, so major Kudos to Pentax. I hope you’re paying attention, Canon…

While the K110D is definitely aimed at the consumer end of the market, it’s not short on advanced features. At no time did it feel like it had been built down to a price. It has the same fast, accurate 11-point SAFOX VIII AF system and 16-point multi-pattern exposure metering as the *ist DL2, but these are now coupled with an all-new image processing engine which certainly seems to be a massive improvement. The DL2 was by no means bad, but its images always looked a little soft and its high-ISO noise reduction was never brilliant. Both image quality and noise reduction are much improved by the new system, and by all accounts the quality is as good as, if not better than the Nikon D40. Pentax lenses have always had an excellent reputation, and the SMC Pentax DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens has optical quality at least as good as anything you’ll find on the front of a Nikon D40.

There are several other nice little features that don’t get headline billing but are worth a mention. For instance when using the 2-second delay timer, usually needed to avoid camera shake on tripod shots, the mirror flips up as soon as the shutter is pressed, thus avoiding any mirror vibration when the shutter fires, ensuring a completely blur-free shot. Also worthy of mention is the live aperture preview. Instead of a dim, stopped down preview in the viewfinder, the camera takes a picture and displays it on the monitor without writing it to the memory card.On the subject of memory cards, like the *ist DL and DS, the K100D uses SD cards for storage, and in highest quality JPEG mode a 1GB card is enough space for approximately 340 shots, while in RAW mode it’s 93. Like most DSLRs the K100D can shoot in RAW mode, as well as the usual JPEG, but unlike some models it can’t shoot RAW + JPEG, which will put some enthusiast users off.

Also like previous Pentax DSLRs, the K100D uses 4x AA or 2x CRV3 batteries for main power. This has the advantage that these batteries are readily available all over the world, but it does add to the weight of the camera. The number of shots per charge will obviously depend on the type of battery used, but I took several hundred shots with a set of Duracell M3 Ultra batteries and the charge level was still reading half full.

The camera’s overall performance is good, but it’s not going to win any races. The AF system and metering are nice and quick, certainly on a par with any recent competitor. In continuous shooting in JPEG mode it can fire off five frames at 2.5fps, but then slows to about 1.3fps, although it can keep this up until the card is full. In RAW mode it can fire a quick three-shot burst, but then has to pause for about four seconds to empty the memory buffer before the next shot. This is a lot quicker than previous Pentax SLRs could manage, undoubtedly another benefit of the new image processing engine. In low light, popping up the flash enables it to operate as a powerful AF assist lamp with a range of at least 4m.

Of course the big selling point for the K100D is the shake reduction system. It is a new Pentax-developed moving-sensor system of the type pioneered by Konica Minolta and now used in the Sony A100, as well as some new models from Ricoh. Sensitive motion detectors react to any camera shake at low shutter speeds, and tiny high-speed actuators move the CCD automatically to compensate. This makes it possible to take hand-held shots at lower shutter speeds, or using longer lenses, with less chance of blurring due to camera shake.

Sony claims approximately 3.5 stops of extra shooting speed for its system, although most reviewers agree that about 2.5-3 stops is probably more realistic. I’ve tested the Pentax system extensively, and I found its performance was generally about the same as the Sony. It usually allowed shake-free shooting at least two stops below the safe speed, but would sometimes allow a shake-free shot as much as four stops slower, while occasionally shots just one stop slower would show slight motion blurring. The trick is, I think, to take several shots if you’re not sure. The chances are that at least one will be shake free.

Verdict

It may be the cheapest DSLR on the market, but the Pentax K100D isn’t short of advanced features, performance or image quality, and can comfortably hold its own against the Nikon D40. Build quality, design and handling are all superb, and the Shake Reduction system is as good as any on the market. If you’re looking for a good entry-level DSLR with the option to build up a kit, then look no further.

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Pentax W20 Waterproof Camera

I can tell from the pounding of my head that it must be roughly January 1st, so a Happy New Year to all of you. Being early January of course, it is traditional at this time of year for Pentax to send me its latest waterproof camera to test. In previous years this has involved risking frostbite in near-freezing rivers and lakes, but this year the camera arrived a few days early, so I was able to subject it to the ultimate test of both camera durability and photographer’s stamina; the New Year’s Eve Pirate Party.

Down here in Devon we’re rather proud of our pirates, and what better way to celebrate this heritage than getting about 200 people all dressed up like the crew of the Black Pearl, singing an assortment of sea shanties to the accompaniment of a local band, fuelled by copious quantities of ale and a heightened sense of the ridiculous. Shiver me timbers, splice the mainbrace, avast there ye scurvy dogs etc. Honestly, it’s not embarrassing at all if everyone else is doing it too.

The camera that was unlucky enough to be subjected to this mayhem was the Optio W20, the latest in Pentax’s successful line of waterproof compacts. Previous models include the WP, WPi and W10, all of which, both 6-megapixel models, have been reviewed here. The W20 was launched in August 2006 and sells for around £220 on the high street, or around £170 online.

The W20 improves on the specification of the W10 only marginally, adding only a 7-megapixel sensor, a larger internal memory (22MB rather than 10.5), higher maximum sensitivity (1600 ISO over 800 ISO) and compatibility with the new SDHC (High Capacity) memory cards. Other than those changes the two camera are very similar. Even the body design is virtually identical, although the W20 adds a slight flare to the front of the case on the handgrip side, making the camera slightly more secure to hold.

Unchanged are the 2.5in 115,000-pixel monitor, the 3x optical zoom non-protruding lens, and the ability to survive immersion in water to a depth of 1.5 metres for up to 30 minutes.

The W20’s body is mostly plastic, with an aluminium inset front panel. Build quality is very good, and although it doesn’t have the shock-proof abilities of the Olympus mju 725 SW it still feels sufficiently robust to survive a few knocks. The shape is smooth and sleek with no protrusions to catch on clothing or get snapped off.

Like the previous Optio W models the W20 is designed for casual outdoor use in wet weather or for activities such as skiing or sailing, rather than for serious underwater use. It can survive immersion in water and even has special modes for shooting stills or video clips underwater, but there’s no point pretending that it is a real diving camera. If you want something to use while SCUBA diving, you would be much better off with a normal zoom compact fitted with an underwater case, which are usually waterproof to at least 40 metres and have larger controls. While the controls on the W20 are sensibly laid out and easy to use, they are slightly too small to be easily operated while wearing gloves.

The internal electronics seem to have been slightly improved for the new model, although to be honest there’s no dramatic improvement so it’s hard to tell. The camera starts up in about 1.5 seconds, which seems to be a little quicker than the previous model, but the AF system is still a bit slow when compared to many other current models. However, like the W10, despite lacking an AF illuminator the W20 has a remarkable ability to focus in very low light conditions. At one point last night someone turned the lights out for a laugh, but I was still able to take photos with little difficulty, apart from a side-to-side slight swaying motion, possibly caused by the notoriously rough seas of the Spanish Main. Fortunately the improved high-ISO capability helped to cope with this.

The W20 has two continuous shooting modes, a normal one that shoots at around one frame every two seconds, and another that fires off five frames in two seconds, but then has to pause and write them to the memory card. This is about average performance for a current compact. The movie mode is also up to current standards, offering VGA resolution at 30fps.The W20 is, at heart, a simple compact snapshot camera, and it has a range of options to match. Its standard mode is Pentax’s useful Auto Picture mode, whereby the camera will attempt to select the best shooting mode automatically. Pressing the Mode option on the D-pad reveals a selection of 25 shooting options and scene modes, including the usual selection of program auto, landscape, portrait, sports, surf & snow, fireworks and flowers, as well as some Pentax favourites including Synchro Sound Recording (recording the ambient sound for a few seconds when a shot is taken) and the ever-amusing Frame Composite mode, which allows you to add one of three hilariously awful frames to your pictures.

There are three pages of menu options, although for some reason the often-used exposure compensation is relegated to the second page. There are several useful entries though, including an interval timer and adjustable contrast, saturation and sharpness.

Picture quality is, to be fair, no better or worse than average for a 7MP compact. Also to be fair, with the incredibly awful weather we’ve had recently it’s difficult to take a good picture even with the best camera in the world, so bear that in mind when you look at the sample shots.

There’s not a lot of improvement in detail between 6MP and 7MP, so the major difference between the W20 and W10 in terms of image quality is of course the higher sensitivity. The Auto ISO setting has an upper limit of 400, and at this level the image quality is generally very good. The picture quality of the W20 at 800 ISO is roughly the same as the W10 at 400, so there’s a 1-stop advantage in shutter speed, enabling some low-light shots to be taken without the flash. The very highest setting, 1600 ISO, is very noisy and should only be used when there’s no alternative.

The W20’s lens appears to be the same excellent folded-optics unit as on the W10, and again it produced good edge-to-edge sharpness and very little distortion at wide angle. Colour rendition and exposure were both as good as the dreadful lighting conditions would allow, and the level of detail in the test shots was good, although there was some evidence of over-processing and noise reduction.

Verdict

If you need a camera that can withstand immersion in water, your choices are basically limited to the Pentax Optio W20 or the Olympus mju 725 SW that I reviewed last week. The Pentax is cheaper, smaller, takes slightly better pictures, and looks more like a normal compact than the Olympus, but lacks the shock-proof credentials.

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Pentax Optio T20

Pentax has an unusual approach to the digital camera market. While the other manufacturers have a wide range of models in all the different categories – ultra-compact style cameras, standard zoom compacts, superzooms, semi-pro “bridge” cameras and DSLRS – for several years now Pentax has poured most of its resources into just two of those categories, ultra-compacts and DSLRs. This might seem like a risky strategy, but perhaps Pentax figures that it’s better to be the master of two trades than Jack of all.

As a result the Pentax digital camera range currently consists of three DSLRs and no fewer than sixteen 3x optical zoom ultra-compact cameras. Within the range are many variations on the basic theme, with sensor resolutions ranging from 5.0 to 10.0 megapixels, some cameras powered by AA batteries and others by rechargeable Li-ion cells, and also the W-series of waterproof cameras, including the W20 that I reviewed last week. If you’re looking for a compact digital camera with a 3x zoom lens, the chances are that Pentax has something that will suit your needs.

One of the latest is this, the Optio T20. It’s a 7.0-megapixel model featuring a big 3in high resolution monitor and an innovative touch-screen menu system. Launched late last year with a list price of £249.99, it is currently available at retail for around £185. This puts it at about the mid point in the price range for 7-megapixel compacts, compared with such models as the Casio Exilim EX-Z70 (£140), Olympus mju 700 (£140), Sony DSC-W70 (£160), Canon IXUS i7 Zoom (£190), Ricoh caplio R5 (£205), Kodak Easyshare V705 (£209), Nikon Coolpix S7c (£215) and Canon IXUS 850 IS (£244).

Like its siblings it features Pentax’s 6.2-18.6mm (37.5mm-112.5mm equiv.) Sliding Lens System, which folds down flush with the camera’s body. This allows the T20 to be just 19.5mm thick, making it one of the slimmest cameras available. It has a very sleek and minimalist appearance, with a simple rectangular shape rounded off on the top and bottom edges. The body is all aluminium alloy which feels nice and sturdy, and build quality is of a very high standard. Weighing 135g it is nice and light and won’t make much of a bulge in your shirt pocket.

Because of its touch-screen control system there are only two buttons on the back panel, so despite the large monitor there is plenty of room to grip the camera, with a large textured thumb grip area on the back.

On the top panel there is only the on/off button, the shutter release and the zoom control, which is a rotating bezel around the shutter button. The controls are clearly labelled and easy to operate, although the on/off button is recessed to prevent accidental activation.

Touch-screen operation isn’t a new idea, and I’ve used several cameras in the past that have made use of it, but few of them have been successful. Pentax’s version however works very well, and makes the camera very quick and simple to operate. In shooting mode a single finger-tap of the screen brings up the main shooting options, eight finger-sized icons for shooting mode, flash mode, drive mode, AF setting, ISO, picture size and quality, and metering mode. Tapping any of these brings up a sub-menu, so changing any of the settings usually takes no more than three taps.

The menu button likewise brings up a series of touch-buttons for the usual menu options, some of which duplicate the shooting menu, but also include things like adjustable saturation, contrast and sharpness.

One useful feature of this system is that the bottom row of shooting mode buttons are user-defined, so you can choose whichever four menu functions are most useful to you. This is handy, since exposure compensation is not included in the default set, but can be added by the user.

The shooting mode palette has fewer options than most of Pentax’s range, with just twelve choices. However these cover all of the most useful options, including portrait, landscape, sports, surf & snow, night scene, food, and of course the inevitable “Frame Composite” mode. It also has a “Pets” option, with three different options for light, mid and dark coloured coats.

In playback mode there are some neat features, including automatic red-eye correction, and the ability to draw or add clip-art directly onto your pictures using the touch screen, although this is a lot easier if you use a stylus of some sort.
So far so good then, but nearly every camera has a weakness, and for the T20 it’s performance. Start-up time is just over three seconds, which might not sound like a lot but is well below average for a modern compact. Continuous shooting is also slow, shooting at approximately one frame every two seconds. However it’s the AF system that really lets it down. It’s one of the slowest I’ve seen in a couple of years, taking well over a second to achieve focus even in good light. Although its low-light focusing ability is very good thanks to a nice bright AF lamp, in the dark it’s focusing is even slower.
It also has one massively annoying trait. When you press the shutter button to focus, the scene on the monitor freezes until the AF system locks on, so trying to frame a moving subject is almost impossible. In continuous shooting mode this effectively means that the monitor is useless, because it only shows the shots that have been taken, without showing what you’re trying to frame.

Battery life is also extremely poor. The T20 uses the same small 710mAh Li-ion battery that Pentax has used in most of its compacts since the original Optio S four years ago, and it simply isn’t powerful enough to cope with a complex technological camera like the T20. Even Pentax’s own spec sheet only claims 130 shots on a full charge, and to be honest I think this is an over-estimate. Reviewing pictures or heavy use of the touch screen depletes it even faster.

This is a shame, because in other respects the T20 is a nice enough camera. Image quality, while not brilliant, is at least above average, with good exposure metering, decent colour reproduction and reasonable high-ISO noise control. Low light flash photography is very good, with a maximum flash range of 4.5m and excellent frame coverage. File size at maximum size and quality is around 3.2MB per shot, with a 1GB card providing enough space for approximately 283 pictures. The movie mode is also good, shooting at 640 x 480 resolution and 30fps, with a 1GB card providing nearly 22 minutes of shooting.

Verdict

The Pentax Optio T20 could have been a much better camera. It is stylish, well made and the touch-screen technology is well implemented and has some genuinely useful features. However very slow performance, severely limited battery duration and the annoying AF monitor-freeze are major handicaps that are impossible to ignore.

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Pentax Optio E30

A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the Nikon Coolpix L10, the entry-level model of Nikon’s compact camera range. This week it’s the turn of Pentax’s bottom-of-the-range model, another low-cost camera using AA batteries for power.

The Pentax Optio E30 is a budget-priced 7.1 megapixel compact camera featuring a 3x zoom 6mm-18mm f/2.7-4.8 lens (equivalent to 36mm-108mm in 35mm format), a 2.4-in LCD monitor, and a fairly basic specification. It is available from online retailers for just under £95. There are a surprising number of 6-7MP entry-level cameras with AA battery power available, but most are more expensive than the Pentax. For example the Canon PowerShot A550 is around £140, the Nikon CoolPix L11 is £119, the HP Photosmart M627 is £159, the Samsung DigiMax S730 is £109 and even the Kodak EasyShare C653 is £100. Of cameras from the major brands only the Fujifilm FinePix A700, the Olympus FE-210 and the 6MP Panasonic Lumix DMC-LS60 are about the same price.

Initial impressions of the E30 are not massively encouraging. Its appearance looks quite dated by recent standards. Measuring 61.5 x 94.5 x 35.4mm it looks positively bulky next to the ultra-slim M30. However even with two alkaline batteries inserted it somehow manages to feel rather light and insubstantial, which is odd since it weighs a fairly hefty 185g.However a closer examination reveals that despite its plastic body it is solidly put together with no creaks or groans even when squeezed. The comparatively large handgrip, the larger-than-average size of the controls, and particularly the large shutter button might make it a suitable camera for someone with limited flexibility in their hands and fingers, something which I imagine would be a serious problem with many of today’s ultra-compact cameras. Likewise the battery hatch and card slot are very easy to open, with a simple sliding hinged cover that has no latch. This does mean it can be prone to accidental opening, in which case your batteries will fall out, but if easy access was the intention then it has succeeded.

Like many Pentax compacts, performance is not exactly a highlight. It starts up in just over three seconds, which is a bit on the slow side, and shuts down again in just under two. In single-shot mode it can average one shot every 2.5 seconds, which is a little on the slow side even for a low-cost camera. In continuous shooting mode it can manage a burst of three shots in just over one and a half seconds before it has to pause for about seven seconds to write them to the memory card. Focusing speed isn’t bad though, and is one of the areas where it appears to be significantly quicker than the M30. It struggles a bit in low light though, and since it has no AF assist lamp it doesn’t focus at all once light levels fall below a certain point. The zoom control is a bit hit or miss as well, since it only has five steps from maximum to minimum focal length.

The E30 is a bit short on features even for a budget camera. It does have infinity and manual focus, and a two-speed self-timer (2 or 10 sec). It also has 15 modes, but these include the movie and sound recording modes. There only 12 actual scene modes, including all the usuals, such as portrait, landscape, sports, flowers, snow, sunset, food etcetera. It also has the unusual Pentax Pets mode, with separate settings for cats and dogs, and of course the much admired Frame Composite mode. Even the usual Pentax playback modes such as colour filters are absent from the E30. The movie mode is adequate, shooting in 640 x 480 pixel resolution at 28 frames a second with mono sound, although the audio quality is very poor.

The LCD monitor is quite low resolution by recent standards, with only 110,000 pixels. It is also very reflective and not very bright, which makes it difficult to see in sunlight. The angle of view is also much lower than in many cameras I’ve seen recently. Really, I thought we’d seen the last of problems like these five years ago.In its promotional blurb Pentax claims around 200 shots on a set of alkaline AA batteries as though this was somehow remarkable, whereas in fact that’s a fairly average performance for a modern AA-powered compact. Unfortunately it may also not be true. Using the AA alkaline batteries supplied with the camera I was only able to take 65 shots before the battery ran out, although to be fair they were undated Chinese imports so there’s no way to know how long they’d been sitting on a shelf in some Beijing warehouse.

It’s hard to avoid comparisons between the E30 and the Nikon L6 that I reviewed a few weeks ago. That camera was smaller, lighter, better looking, had double the battery duration and had many more features for about the same price. It may have only been 6 megapixels, but it was a much better camera. There was a time a few years ago when Pentax was the undisputed king of ultra-compact cameras, but I have to say that these days most of the Optio range is lagging a long way behind the competition and is overdue for a major shake-up. About the only recent camera I can think of that the E30 beats is the dismal Fuji A700, and that’s not saying a lot.
The E30’s one saving grace is its picture quality, but even that has its limits. The lens performs well, providing good corner-to-corner sharpness with minimal distortion, and colour rendition and exposure are very good. Dynamic range is fairly limited, but then it frequently is with cameras in this class. As long as you manually set the camera to 80 ISO and only ever use it at this setting then noise control is also very good, but as soon as the ISO gets even as high as 160 there are image noise problems, which by the camera’s maximum setting of only 400 ISO are so bad the pictures are unusable. All in all a rather disappointing camera from one of the big name brands.

Verdict
The Pentax Optio E30 has little to recommend it besides its price. Build quality and handling are of an acceptable standard, but performance and features do not match up to similarly priced models from other brands. Optical quality is good, but let down by limited dynamic range and poor noise control at all but the lowest sensitivity.

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Pentax K20D Hands On Preview

Pentax has announced it's new enthusiast level DSLR, the Pentax K20D, set to replace the K10D of 2007. Like that camera, the camera is the result of a collaboration with Korean electronic Samsung. We are told that the electronics are produced by Samsung, while design and camera know-how comes from Pentax. As with the K10D, Samsung has also announced an almost identical model, the GX20.
I recently joined Pentax at the cameras launch in Dubai and spent a couple of days using a pre-production model. While this camera is pretty much the final version, there will probably be final firmware updates before the final release, so we can't give a full review at this time.
At the cameras heart is a newly developed CMOS sensor, produced by Samsung, with an effective resolution of 14.6 million pixels. This places the camera at the top of the tree in regards to resolution, surpassing that of the recent models from Nikon, Canon and Sony. In fact the only DSLR to top the resolution is Canon flagship EOS 1DS Mk III.

The sensor is APS-C sized and at full resolution will produce images sized at 4672 x 3120 pixels. In print terms this equates to approximately 15.6 x 10.4 inches at 300dpi. File sizes are approximately 45MB when opened and around 6MB for a closed JPEG. Files can be saved as Raw in Pentax's own PEF format, DNG, or JPEG. There's also the obligatory RAW+JPEG option.

Like the K10D, the new model has an opto-magnetic 3D-Sensor image stabilisation system. This in-camera system allows users to use standard Pentax K-mount lenses at slower shutter speeds. Pentax claims up to 4 stops slower shutter speeds can be used with the newly improved system. Furthermore the sensors sensitivity covers ISO 100-6400, allowing photography in a range of lighting conditions. Pentax has added a new Dynamic range function allowing +2EV extension for improving highlight and shadow details.
The moving sensor also allows dust to be shaken from the sensor, to be caught by an adhesive pad in the base of the chamber, while an anti-static coating over the sensor reduces the chance of dust adhering to the sensor in the first place.
The camera body maintains a similar look and feel to its predecessor, with a steel chassis and weatherproof seals, while Pentax's design ethos ensures the camera remains small and light, weighing just 800g with battery and SD card. As with other Pentax DSLRs, the K-mount allows compatibility with older Pentax lenses, as well as the new DA range, while an adaptor is available for using Pentax 645 and 67 series lenses. It is also compatible with Samsung and new Schneider lenses.

The LCD screen has been enlarged to 2.7" with 230,000 dots resolution, which fails to match the size or resolution of the Nikon D300 OR Sony A700, but it does now incorporate Live View so images can be composed via the monitor. The monitor is fixed though and lacks the multi-angle hinge found on the Panasonic Lumix L-10 or Olympus E3, which I personally prefer.
Button placement follows a similar pattern to that of the K10D, with easy access to the main functions, while a function button quickly opens the menu to change flash modes, WB and ISO. A rotating scroll wheel is used to change the 11 AF points, while a pair of front and rear command dials offer natural and quick exposure control.

It's not a hard camera to use, feels very comfortable with all of the main fuctions one would require of a semi-pro model. Like other cameras at this level it lacks scene modes, but does offer a range of picture options settings, which can also be customised in the menu.

The menu in particular has seen a few changes, with a better tyoe face and importantly much clearer labelling of some of the functions. One of my criticisms of Pentax cameras in the past has been their somewhat esoteric naming conventions. The sensor cleaning function for example, is no longer named ‘Switch dst msr pt'.
In the playback menu there are a number of direct image manipulation options, including a range of colour filters, an HDR function and colour extract tools. The camera also follows the K10Ds lead by providing in-camera Raw processing. Whenever any of these functions are performed, a new image file is created and saved, leaving you original file untouched. Personally I don't use too many of these functions, but for some, especially if you intend on printing directly from the camera, they can prove very useful.

One welcome improvement is the new 11 point AF with 9 cross sensors. In conjunction with the new standard smc PENTAX-DA 18-55mm F3.5-5.6 AL II zoom, the AF speed and accuracy shows an improvement over the previous models. However, again, the camera fails to match the AF specification of rivals such as the Nikon D300 and Canon EOS 40D.

Pentax is happy for us to show images from the pre-production model, but it should be reiterated that this is not the final firmware version, and there may be some changes to the final output.

My main criticism is the cameras exposure system. This has been a consistent failure of Pentax, and like earlier models the camera has a tendency to underexpose. This is disappointing as accurate exposure is a fundamental requirement of a camera, and there really is no need for poor metering in this day and age. Having said that, the cameras histogram feature in playback allows the user to assess the images better than simply viewing the monitor, and I found that by using exposure compensation of +1EV, exposures were much improved. Other features such as the dynamic range expansion proved useful, but less so than the Sony A700.

White balance is consistent and produces pleasing results even under mixed lighting. I occasionally needed to switch to a preset from Auto, but that's usual. Colour and tone in general is very good with nice punchy images at the default settings.
The noise at higher ISOs is impressive too, with excellent results at ISO 3200 though images get a little too speckled at ISO 6400, but they are usable and Raw images should be easily fixed in Adobe Camera Raw or similar processing. Unfortunately at the time of review, no Pentax Raw software was available.

A sensor with this many pixels has a distinct advantage, of course, and that is image sharpness. The K20D does produce sharp images, especially when viewed on A4 prints, or on screen. You need to be careful to keep the camera steady however as the closely packed pixel population will show up and amplify the effect of any movement.

Verdict
Pentax (and Samsung) has produced a solid mid range camera with many features that match its rivals. On top of that the densely populated, class beating CMOS sensor is sure to prove popular and give the K20D an edge of its rivals.

The camera is fun to use, without being intimidating and it's backlog of compatible lenses will prove to be useful to existing Pentax users.

On the downside, the inaccurate metering is a disappointment, though easily remedied by anyone with a basic understanding of the principles of exposure, but it really should be better. The price of £899 is very good indeed and should definitely be an incentive to new users to pick the K20D over it's rivals.

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Pentax Optio A40

I have to wonder if the Pentax Optio A40 is jinxed. It was originally supposed to be launched in November 2007, but a fire at the factory making the batteries delayed the launch by five months. The A40 is now available in Europe, but its launch has been overshadowed by even worse news. There is an ugly rumour circulating that Pentax is soon to phase out production of its Optio range of digital compact cameras. Since Pentax is due to merge with optics manufacturer Hoya this month, and co-develops its digital SLRs with Samsung, the end of the Optio range could mean the end of Pentax as an independent camera manufacturer. We've had no official response from Pentax Europe yet, but they haven't denied it so far. There's also no word on how this will affect other areas of Pentax's business, such as binoculars, CCTV systems, surveying equipment and surgical endoscopes, but the illustrious 90-year history of one of Japan's major camera brands could soon be coming to an end.
This is a great shame, because the Optio A40 deserves a much happier fate than to be the Optio range's swan-song, although at least it would end on a high note. The A40 is a high quality 12-megapixel ultra-compact camera with an f/2.8-5.4, 3x zoom lens equivalent to 38-114mm. Features include a 2.5-inch 230k wide view monitor, face detection, moving-sensor image stabilisation and the new Dynamic Range Adjustment function, which reduces burnt out highlights and murky shadows. It succeeds the excellent Optio A30, and shares a number of features including the lens, monitor, autofocus system and metering system, although the A40 does have a new body.
Currently priced at around £190, the Optio A40 is not a cheap camera even when compared to other 12-megapixel compacts. The Fuji F50fd is currently selling for around £143, both the Panasonic FX100 and the Sony W200 are about £165, the Casio EX-Z1200 is just under £170, and even the Nikon S700 is available for under £180. The price of the A40 will undoubtedly come down over the next couple of months as more stock becomes available, but right now it's a very expensive camera.

If cameras were sold on looks alone, the A40 would certainly be worth the money. Pentax pretty much invented the ultra-compact digital camera, and over the years it has refined its design down to a fine art. The A40 has a robust all-metal body finished in either matt black or silver, with chrome trim and controls. The design incorporates a small textured thumb grip on the back, and the small raised flash detail on the front also provides some grip, so despite its exceptionally compact dimensions the camera feels solid and secure to hold. It measures just 57 x 89 x 23.5mm and weighs only 150g including battery, and its smooth-cornered shape slips easily into a shirt pocket.
The control layout is basically identical to the Optio A30 and several previous Pentax ultra-compacts. The power button and shutter release are on the top panel, while on the back are the D-pad, playback and menu buttons, the zoom control and the Green Button, the instant easy-mode control found on all of the Optio range. The zoom control is a relatively chunky rocker switch positioned under the right thumb, but it is stiff enough that it isn't easy to operate it accidentally. It's not the most sensitive control in the world though, and the zoom is stepped with seven positions from wide to telephoto, so precise framing is going to mean some moving backwards and forwards.

In common with most high-spec compacts the A40 offers some manual exposure control, in the form of shutter priority or full manual modes. The only available aperture settings in manual exposure mode are minimum and maximum (f/8.0-f/15.4), although shutter speeds from four seconds to 1/2000th of a second are available in 1/3EV increments, so there is some room for creativity. The menu does also offer some degree of picture control, with adjustable contrast, saturation and sharpness, but there is no control over noise reduction. It does offer some other creative features though, including multiple exposures on the same frame, and a wide range of scene modes.

The Dynamic Range Adjustment feature is similar in function to Sony's DRO system. It proportionally increases the sensor gain in darker areas and reduces in in highlights, reducing the occurrence of black featureless shadows and burned-out highlights in high contrast shots. It has four settings; off, weak, strong and automatic. I found that it didn't do much about the highlights, but was able to pull out about a stop and a half of extra shadow detail without significantly increasing image noise, which should go some way towards alleviating the inherent dynamic range limitations of the 12MP 1/1.8-inch sensor.
Pentax's moving-sensor image stabilisation system is well-proven, and I found I was able to take sharp hand-held shots at full zoom at 1/25th of a second, a gain of about two and a half stops. This is approximately the same performance and Panasonic, Canon and Sony's optical image stabilisation systems.

The A40's overall performance is very good. It starts up in just under three seconds, which is a little slow, but not intolerable. It shuts down again a bit more briskly in 2.5 seconds. In single shot mode the shot-to-shot cycle time is very quick at about 1.2 seconds, while in continuous shooting mode it can maintain a speed of just under two frames a second, not bad for a 12MP camera. The autofocus system is a lot quicker than some of Pentax's previous efforts, and although it isn't as fast as Casio or Canon AF systems it isn't painfully slow, and also doesn't slow down much in low light or at longer focal lengths. Low light focusing is very good, and the AF assist lamp means it will focus fairly reliably in total darkness at a range of about three metres. Flash exposure is also very good, producing even exposures at close range and filling a large room easily. Battery duration isn't too bad either, managing to squeeze about 200 shots out of the small 710mAh Li-ion battery.
Image quality has never been a major problem for Pentax's high-spec cameras, and here the A40 shows its class. Focusing, exposure metering and colour reproduction are all excellent. The lens quality is also up to Pentax's usual high standard, with superb sharpness from edge to edge and no chromatic aberration. It does produce some barrel distortion at both ends of the zoom range, but it is fairly even. Noise control is about average for a 12MP compact camera, with very good picture quality up to 200 ISO, and then progressively lower quality from the just-about-printable 400 ISO to the pretty ugly maximum of 1600 ISO. With the Dynamic Range Adjustment set to strong or automatic, the A40 coped very well with high contrast lighting, keeping a good amount of shadow detail and not too many blown highlights.

Verdict
Hopefully the Optio A40 doesn't represent the last generation of Pentax compact cameras, because despite its ultra-compact size it is packed with clever technology, including effective image stabilisation and dynamic range improvement. Build quality, design, performance and image quality are all very good, and the camera is easy and satisfying to use. It may be expensive at the moment, but it offers a very complete and attractive package, and compares well in quality and performance with the very best of the competition.

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