Compact cameras keep recipient additional besides more compacted besides few perfect "compact-ness" sophisticated than Pentax. A few elderliness ago, Pentax got a lot of mileage out of a marketing campaign that boasted that its Optio S digital camera was so small it could fit into an Altaics mints tin. And it really could. Now that's small.

While the Pentax Optio A10, introduced earlier this year, may stage a undeveloped racket notably walloping to dilemma care a tin of mints, de facto comes shapely close. That what this camera has to mention is so far beyond what the tiny 3.2-megapixel Optio had back in 2003 is a testament to how much technology manufacturers have been able to squeeze into their little tin boxes lately. Along with an 8.0-megapixel, 1/1.8-inch CCD image sensor, the Pentax A10 has a 3x optical zoom, a 2.5-inch LCD with plenty of resolution, and a newly developed "Shake Reduction System" which uses two gyro sensors coupled with focusing info and a proprietary CCD shift mechanism to reduce blur caused by camera shake. Though Pentax is not the first manufacturer to include optical image stabilization in a compact digital camera, it's a welcome addition which I hope will one day become ubiquitous in all models.

In keeping with its indurate hatch agency -- less than an inch friendly -- the Pentax A10 uses Pentax's Sliding Lens System technology which removes elements from the lens' optical passage for positive retracts to authorize a slimmer mode when the camera is powered off. So epoch in a head to head comparison, the old Optio "Algoid model" might be slightly smaller and lighter than the A10, it's no match when it comes to firepower. Read on to find out if all the Pentax A10's firepower can be harnessed to capture quality pictures.

Basic Description

• 8.0-megapixel (effective) CCD captures images as high as 3,264 x 2,448 pixels
• 2.5-inch color TFT LCD with 232,000 pixels of resolution
• 3x zoom lens (equivalent to a 38-114mm lens on a 35mm camera)
• Maximum 4x digital zoom
• Green (Basic) and Program main exposure modes
• Shutter speeds from 1/2,000 to 4 seconds
• Maximum aperture from f/2.8 to f/5.4, depending on zoom position
• Built-in flash with six modes
• SD/MMC card storage slot plus 24MB built-in memory
• Power supplied by one proprietary, rechargeable lithium-ion battery
• USB 2.0 high-speed computer connection
• ACDSee software and USB drivers included for both Windows and Mac platforms
 
Special Description

• Built-in Shake Reduction System for reducing image blur
• Sliding Lens System for slimmer camera profile when powered down
• DivX MPEG-4 movie mode (maximum 640 x 480 resolution) with sound
• Anti-shake movie function
• Voice Recording mode
• Normal and Continuous shooting modes
• 11 preset "Scene" exposure modes
• Playback Mode Palette with 15 playback options
• Two- or 10-second Self-Timer for delayed shutter release
• Macro and Super Macro modes
• ISO settings of Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400, and 800 equivalents.
• Image Contrast, Sharpness, and Saturation adjustments
• White balance (color) adjustment with six options, including a manual setting
• Multi-segment, center-weighted, and spot metering
• Five Digital Filter modes -- Soft, Illustration, Special Effect 1, Special Effect 2, Slim
• Automatic exposure compensation with manual adjustment at +/-2 EV in 1/3 steps
• DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) and PictBridge printing compatibility
 
Inside

The retail package contains the following items:

• Pentax Optio A10 digital camera
• D-LI8 rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack
• Battery charging stand with AC plug cord
• USB cable
• AV cable
• Wrist strap
• Software CD
• Operating manual and registration card