Optio

January 6, 2009 -- PENTAX Imaging Company has announced two stylish, colorful, compact digital cameras: the Optio P70 and Optio E70. The ultra-slim PENTAX Optio P70 digital compact camera is a high-performance model featuring fast, advanced functions to make high-quality digital photography simple and effortless. With 12 megapixels for large, detailed images, a 4X optical zoom (equivalent to 27.5mm-110mm), plus a wide angle 28mm lens that is ideal for landscape, indoor and group photos, the fashionable Optio P70 metal body is available in multiple stylish colors.

Additional features include a 2.7 inch high-resolution, wide-angle view LCD panel, and new Pixel Track Shake Reduction technology to assure sharp images with low noise even in poor lighting. The Optio P70 also offers Advanced Face Recognition that tracks up to 32 faces in 0.03 seconds, and both Smile Capture that automatically releases the shutter when subjects smile, and Blink Detection to alert you if your subject’s eyes are closed. Digital Shake Reduction sets the sensitivity up to ISO 6400 to prevent subject blur, HD movie captures vivid video in widescreen 720p at 15 FPS, and a Vertical Snap mode allows image capture with the ease of a cell phone camera. Read more

PENTAX just announced a significant price drop on its award winning digital SLR, the K20D. You can now (as of Sunday, October 12, 2008) get the 14.6 megapixel PENTAX K20D digital SLR camera body for $999.95. The weather-resistant DSLR features a three-step dust reduction system, the PRIME image processor, fully customizable capture and control settings, and PENTAX developed Shake Reduction that works with any of the 25 million PENTAX lenses ever manufactured. For more details, visit www.pentaxslr.com.

PENTAX also reduced the price of the waterproof PENTAX Optio W60 digital camera to $299.95. The Optio W60 features 10 megapixels and a 5X zoom lens with 28mm wide-angle capability. The Optio W60 operates up to 13 feet underwater for two hours and at extreme temperatures well below freezing. More Information is available at www.h20camera.com or read our article here. Read more

I just saw the new PENTAX Optio W60 compact digital camera. True to form, PENTAX has upped the ante again, offering an advanced, lightweight and fully waterproof, pocket-sized digital camera. The Optio W60 features 10 megapixels and a 5X zoom lens with 28mm wide-angle capability. The enhanced design of the Optio W60 allows the camera to operate up to 13 feet underwater for two hours and at extreme temperatures well below freezing.

Perfect for photography in adventurous as well as everyday settings, the 5X optical zoom refraction lens never protrudes from the Optio W60, yet it covers focal lengths from 5mm to 25mm (approximately 28mm to 140mm in 35mm format). This range allows the camera to capture a wide variety of scenes including expansive landscapes, architecture, and group photos in confined spaces as well as close-up telephoto shots of subjects. Another neat feature is a digital wide function which merges two shots into one image for ultra-wide-angle image capture (equivalent to a focal length of 21mm in 35mm format). I really enjoyed this aspect of the camera's performance, as I did not get an opportunity to test it out in cold water (or weather). Read more

May 23, 2008 --PENTAX Imaging Company has announced the PENTAX Optio W60 compact digital camera. Lightweight and fully waterproof, the Optio W60 features 10 megapixels and a 5X zoom lens with 28mm wide-angle capability. The enhanced design of the Optio W60 allows the camera to operate up to 13 feet underwater for two hours and at extreme temperatures well below freezing.

Perfect for photography in adventurous as well as everyday settings, the 5X optical zoom refraction lens never protrudes from the Optio W60, yet it covers focal lengths from 5mm to 25mm (approximately 28mm to 140mm in 35mm format). This range allows the camera to capture a wide variety of scenes including expansive landscapes, architecture, and group photos in confined spaces as well as close-up telephoto shots of subjects. A Digital Wide function merges two shots into one image for ultra-wide-angle image capture (equivalent to a focal length of 21mm in 35mm format). Read more

PENTAX just announced the PENTAX Optio V20 compact digital camera with a 5X zoom lens, 8.0 megapixels, and a 3.0 inch LCD monitor. The camera has three features to help consumers optimize portrait photographs – Face Recognition, Smile Capture and Blink Detection.

• Face Recognition function automatically detects and focuses on faces, then sets the optimum exposure.
  
• Smile Capture detects the key facial expression of happy people and releases the shutter automatically.
  
• Blink Detection reports to the user whether any subjects closed their eyes in an image, so that the shot may be recaptured if necessary.
  

Additional features include Auto-tracking AF for continuously focusing on a moving subject, 52MB of built-in memory, and an Auto-Macro mode that allows close-up photography as near as 4 inches (10 cm) without changing the normal focusing mode. Read more

January 23, 2008 --PENTAX Imaging Company announced three new compact camera models and confirmed the Optio A40 is scheduled to ship in February 2008.

The PENTAX Optio M50, with a 5X optical zoom housed in an ultra compact body with fun color options, is the ideal combination of style, function and price for both customers looking to update their camera and new digital users. The camera features a unique Smile Capture function, which distinguishes smiles on a subject and automatically releases the shutter. Available in three color choices including silver, light blue and pink, the Optio M50 will ship in March 2008 for US $229.95. Read more