NewsSeptember 2010

Previous news story    Next news story

Pentax launches Optio RZ10 compact superzoom

Pre-Photokina 2010: Pentax has unveiled the Optio RZ10 compact superzoom digital camera. It features a 28-280mm equivalent stabilized zoom lens and 14 megapixel CCD sensor. It can shoot 720p HD video and up to 9.1 five megapixel frames per second. It also includes a 2.7" 230k dot LCD and comes in a variety of vibrant colors and is designed to be compatible with Eye-Fi wireless memory cards.

Jump to:

• Press Release
• Specifications
• Additional images

Press Release:

10x Zoom In a Compact Body

PENTAX Imaging Systems has today [September 9 2010] unveiled its latest zoom compact camera, the PENTAX Optio RZ10.

With the focus on ease of use, the PENTAX Optio RZ10, offers a 10x wide angle optical zoom lens, perfect for a wide variety of subjects and occasions, from landscape to people, sports to pets.

The attractive exterior hides a multitude of advanced features and functions, to make capturing images and video, simple but fun.

These include dual shake reduction for the unsteady hand, a 14 Megapixel sensor, an upgraded Auto Picture mode and an HD video function.

Available in a range of five colours, the PENTAX Optio RZ10 will be available to purchase in the UK in October 2010.  

Recommended Retail Price: £179.99

Key Features

• Optical 10x zoom lens for a variety of subjects and scenes – lens covering focal lengths from 28mm wide angle to 280mm telephoto.  An intelligent zoom function allows the zoom range to be extended to 67x (1876mm) in the 35 mm format.  With macro photography as close as 1cm you can be sure of capturing your subject near or far.
• Dual Shake Reduction to assure sharp images – combines mechanical and digital shake reduction systems which minimize camera shake to achieve the highest quality blur-free images.
• HD Movie recording – records movie clips in high definition HDTV resolution
• Auto Picture Mode – automatically selects the most appropriate shooting mode for a given subject or scene.  Selecting from 16 scene types this optimises numerous camera settings including sensitivity and shutter speed to ensure the best results.
• Exceptional Picture Quality – the high performance imaging engine combined with the 14 effective megapixels sensor reproduces true-to-life colours and exceptional image resolution.
• Automatic Face Detection – detection of up to 32 faces within the image field for sharp focus. Plus the ability to make faces smaller, an automatic shutter release to capture smiles and blink detection to avoid closed eyes.

In addition it has...

• Pet mode – detects pre-specified faces of pets
• Large, easy-to-view 2.7-inch colour LCD monitor with approximately 230,000 dots
• Burst Shooting of up to 40 images at a maximum speed of 9.1 images per second
• Digital filters, including Toy Camera and Retro, to add creative visual effects
• Choice of three image sizes (4:3, 16:9 and 1:1) to accommodate different applications
• D-Range setting to prevent whitewashed (overexposed) and black-out (underexposed) areas in an image
• Digital Panorama mode to effortlessly create a single panoramic picture from as many as three images
• MediaImpression 2.0 for PENTAX software for image viewing, editing and filing applications (compatible with the latest operating systems, including Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6)
• Eye-Fi connected: optimized for use with Eye-Fi wireless memory cards

Pentax Optio RZ10 specifications

Recommended price	• $219.95 • £179.99
Sensor	• 14.1 million effective pixels • 1/2.33" type CCD
Image sizes	• 4288 x 3216 • 4224 x 2376 (16:9) • 3216 x 3216 (1:1) • 3073 x 2304 • 1920 x 1080 (16:9) • 640 x 480
Sensitivity	• Auto ISO • 80 − 6400
Lens	• Focal length 5.0 − 50mm • 28−280mm equivalent (in 35mm terms) • 9 elements in 6 groups (5 aspherical elements) • f/3.2−5.9
LCD	• 2.7" • 230,000 dots
Image format	• JPEG (Exif 2.3) • DCF 2.0 • DPOF • PRINT Image Matching III
Movie format	• AVI (Motion JPEG)
Memory	• SD / SDHC • Approx. 82.7 MB internal
Autofocus	• TTL Contrast detection Autofocus system • Multi-AF 5 points zone, Spot AF, Auto-tracking AF (anticipating subject movement)
Focus distance	• Normal: 40cm − ∞ (W), 90cm − ∞ • Macro: 10cm − 50cm (W), 30cm − 50cm (T) • Super Macro: 1cm − 30cm at focal length of 7.3mm
Exposure control	• Multi-segment metering • Center-weighted • Spot metering
Shutter speed	• 1/2000th − 1/4sec • 4 sec in Night Scene mode
Exposure comp.	• ± 2EV (1/3EV steps)
Flash	• Integrated auto flash with Red-eye reduction function • Flash On, Flash Off and Soft Flash modes
Flash range	• 20cm - 5.3m (W, Auto ISO) • 90cm - 2.8m (T, Auto ISO)
Video	• HD, 720p 30/15fps • VGA, 640 x 480 30/15fps • QVGA, 320 x 240 30/15fps • with video editing and digital stabilization
Battery	• D-LI192 rechargeable Lithium-ion battery • Approx 260 shots (CIPA standard testing)
Interfaces	• PC / AV (PAL / NTSC) • USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed)
Drive modes	• One-shot • Self-timer (2 or 10 sec) • Continuous shooting (1.0 fps) • Burst shooting (5MP up to 9.1fps for 40 frames)
Digital filters	• B&W • Sepia • Toy camera • Retro • Color • Extract Color • Color Emphasis • High Contrast • Soft • Starburst • Brightness
White balance	• Auto • Daylight • Shade • Tungsten • Fluorescent • Manual
Weight (inc battery and card)	• 178g
Dimensions (inc lens)	• 97mm x 61mm x 33mm (3.8" x 2.4" x 1.3")

Additional images