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Pentax unveils Optio RZ18 compact superzoom

Sep 12, 2011 at 22:05:46 GMT

CAMERA NEWS PENTAX

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Pentax has announced the Optio RZ18 - a compact superzoom camera with 18x zoom lens. The RZ18 combines a very flexible zoom range (25-450mm equivalent) with a 16MP image stabilized CCD sensor. It also features a 460,000 dot LCD and can shoot 720p HD video at 30 frames per second. The RZ18 will be available from October at a recommended price of $299.

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Press Release
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Press Release:

PENTAX ANNOUNCES THE OPTIO RZ18 WITH 18X ZOOM

GOLDEN, CO. (September 12, 2011)…PENTAX Imaging Company announced the Optio RZ18 digital compact camera. Featuring a slim, lightweight body, the new model offers a powerful 18X optical zoom lens covering focal lengths from 25mm wide angle to 450mm super-telephoto (in the 35mm format). The Optio RZ18 is the latest addition to PENTAX Optio RZ zoom lens series, which provides photographers simple, effortless shooting of a wide variety of subjects and occasions, from travel and landscape to action and spectator sports.

The Optio RZ18 features include:

Generous 18X zoom (equivalent to 25-450mm) with extra wide angle lens captures subjects near and far.
High resolution 16 megapixel sensor for large prints or aggressive image cropping.
Slim footprint for outstanding portability and inconspicuous use.
Multiple PENTAX Shake Reduction (SR) image stabilization options, including sensor-shift SR, for sharp images in any lighting.
Large 3 inch LCD with HVGA resolution (460,000 dots).
Powerful automatic shooting modes such as Auto Picture and scene modes take the guesswork out of great photography.
Creative special effects filters add artistic flair to the common snapshot.
Advanced 9-point autofocus with a 4cm super macro mode.
Face detection for perfectly focused and exposed portraits, includes a dedicated pet recognition feature.
Widescreen HD video in 720p at 30 frames per second.

The Optio RZ18 will be available in black, pearl white or metallic orange for $299.95 USD in October 2011.

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Pentax Optio RZ18

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Comments

Total comments: 33

Strange design...the flash is positioned too close to the hand grip!

0 upvotes

No direct "REC" button!?!
It appears you need to switch to movie mode to start recording. Unacceptable nowadays.. I hope at least it optically zooms while recording.

0 upvotes

I have one of these. It's a good camera for a rookie and the green button can be programmed to function REC or other.

0 upvotes

Wot no grip!! Struth what an uncomfortable looking bar of soap. 5/10 must do better Pentax...

0 upvotes

No manual, aperture, or SS priority? No GPS chip? No 1080p video? Sony HX9V kills it for $50 more. Most other cameras in that class have manual features, be it Panasonic, Sony, Canon, Nikon or Fuji. I won't touch any camera without shutter priority mode.

0 upvotes

DPReview lists it with a 16mp CCD sensor, kind of odd, because all other brands with this size of sensor have BSI-CMOS sensors. Where does Pentax get its sensor from for this one? Just curious.

1 upvote

I like this design. If the IQ holds up to Panasonic's TS10, I will definitely buy one.
Among compact cameras, Sony and Pentax's exterior designs are the best looking ones while Canon's, the most ugly.

2 upvotes

Only two features missing that would make this camera a winner in my book. 1080i HD Video in H264 format--pretty standard these days. mini HDMI Out--what's the point of having 16MP if you can't view it on your HD LCD or Plasma?

0 upvotes

Yes, 720p is a bummer, and the HDMI socket is a must nowadays.
Other details remain to be published, if they are not out yet (such as performance, burst mode, image quality, et.).

A better, curved grip would be nice, but that could make it not a shirt pocket camera any more.

Never had a Pentax product, so I can't say anything about their products.

If this was 1080i video, I would certainly consider it.

Thumbs up for the 18X zoom on such a small body.

0 upvotes

720p? 1080p is the standard these days.

1 upvote

Come on Pentax, where is your S95, XZ-1 or LX-5 competitor?

1 upvote

Pentax is in a process of ownership change, so wait until the process is over and then we might see some high end compacts.

1 upvote

Pentax Q is competitor.

1 upvote

Pentax now own by Ricoh, so look forward the next GR Digitial and GX series. And yeah the Pentax Q fit to compete well.

0 upvotes

Sad, that I never will consider this a great zoom in small cam - dividing megapixels with 2 would be another story...

0 upvotes

Then perhaps you're not the target buyer.

0 upvotes

More and more the number of megapixels is becoming kind of a negative indicator.
Pentax contribute their share.

1 upvote

Blasphemy, more megapixels makes one a better photographer, everybody knows that. I want a camera with a built in particle collider so I can break those photons down so small that it won't matter that I have a zillion sensors crammed into an area half the size of a postage stamp. Oh, and it should fit in my wallet. Kthxbye.

1 upvote

Why are people so negative about high pixel count?
The matter of fact is that it does not make that much of a difference whether you have a 16MP or 8MP (divide by 2 as you suggested) sensor! The most important is the sensor size.

So for the same 1/2.3" size sensor, and you print out a 8"x10" photo, it would look very similar whether it is from a 16MP or a 8MP sensor, in terms of image quality and ISO performance.

The main mistake is for people to pixel peep and look at the image at 1:1, in which case the higher pixel sensor will always look worse, as the pixel count probably out resolve the lens. Only compare sensors using the same output size/resolution.

1 upvote

I really like the very simple and reduced controls. It's a camera for people who just want to take a photo, not adjust. It's a different user than SLR customers and I think they will like the simplicity.
It also seems very compact for a 16x zoom.

4 upvotes

How did they make an 18X zoom this small? This camera looks around the same size as my 10X Panasonic TZ5. Is the sensor even smaller in this camera?

0 upvotes

The sensor size is 1/2.33", same as the Panasonic TZ5:

http://www.dpreview.com/products/pentax/compacts/pentax_optiorz18

0 upvotes

That is easy when you put an F3.5-F5.6 lens on an ultra small sensor point and shoot with way too many megapixels.

Pentax has succeeded in making the worst camera for taking photographs possible.

2 upvotes

It's actually f/3.5 - f/5.9 and I've seen 3x and 4x zooms that are f/3.5 - f/6.3 so being f/5.9 at 450mm FOV is pretty darn decent!

2 upvotes

waste.

1 upvote

Another 16-MP me-too cam ... *yawn*

1 upvote

No PASM???? No even AF/AEL lock? Why they also miss these on super-zooms?

1 upvote

This is a camera that is most times going to be used by someone in full auto mode. If you want those features buy a high end digicam.

2 upvotes

Because the target buyer for this sort of camera couldn't care less. Why do people always assume they are representative of the entire buying public?

2 upvotes

Interestingly styled, maybe except for the speaker/mic grilles. The recessed, textured grip surfaces might turn bulky protrusions obsolete.

1 upvote

No it won't because those "bulky protrusions" help make a camera easier to hold, more ergonomic because it takes more hand pressure to hold something heavy and thin than heavy but larger because something thinner makes your hand more closed all the time, i.e. muscles contracted more.

1 upvote

My my, aren't Pentax going for gold. Another niche camera that's shaking the mould and pushing boundaries......and this time has image stabilisation!!! Interesting sensor? Not the same as the Q is it? Wg1, Q, now this.............bring on Ricoh and some DSLR improvements.
Can't fault them for bringing out interesting cameras, what's next??

0 upvotes

This camera clones a Samsung model of a couple of years ago, with a longer zoom. Nothing ground-breaking here.

0 upvotes

Total comments: 33


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