Review based on a production Pentax Optio A20
As is the nature of this business the Option A20 replaced the A10 only seven months after that model had been announced (and is itself about to be replaced by the further upgraded A30). The |A10 was one of the disappointments of last year, offering typical Pentax high quality output and wealth of features but with serious performance issues that made using it frustrating to say the least. The A20 has a new ASIC (processor), two million more pixels (10.0 MP 1/1.8-inch sensor) and a handful of new features. We decided to find out if Pentax has solved the problems that stopped the A10 from being a really great camera, starting as ever with the headline features:
| Street Price | • US: $270 |
|---|---|
| Body Material | Metal |
| Sensor | • 1/1.8 " Type CCD |
| Image sizes | • 3648 x 2736 • 3072 x 2304 • 2592 x 1944 • 2048 x 1536 • 1600 x 1200 • 1024 x 768 • 640 x 480 |
| Movie clips | • 640 x 480 @ 30fps • 320 x 240 @ 30fps |
| File formats | • JPEG Exif v2.2 • DCF • DPOF • PRINT Image Matching III • AVI MPEG-4 |
| Lens | • 38-114mm (35mm equiv) • F2.8-5.4 |
| Image stabilization | • SR (Shake Reduction) • Movie anti-shake |
| Conversion lenses | No |
| Digital zoom | up to 4x |
| Focus | TTL contrast detection AF |
| AF area modes | • 5-point multi AF • Spot AF • Tracking AF switchable |
| AF assist lamp | Yes |
| Focus distance | • Normal: 0.35m - infinity • Macro: 0.12m - 0.4m (at full wide-angle setting to 11.5mm) • Supermacro: 0.06m - 0.15m (at full wide-angle setting) |
| Metering | • TTL metering • Multi-segment • Center-weighted • Spot |
| ISO sensitivity | • Auto • ISO 64 • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 |
| Exposure compensation | +/- 2EV in 1/3 steps |
| Shutter speed | 1/2000 sec to 4 sec |
| Aperture | F2.8-5.4 |
| Modes | • One shot • Self timer • Continuous • Remote Control |
| Scene modes | • Auto picture • Program • Night scene • Movie • Voice recording • Landscape • Flower • Portrait • Kids • Blur reduction • Surf & snow • Sport • Pet • Text • Food • Frame composite • Shutter Priority • Manual |
| White balance | • Auto • Daylight • Tungsten light • Fluorescent light • Manual |
| Self timer | 2 or 10 secs |
| Continuous shooting | n/a |
| Flash | • Auto • Flash On / Off • Soft Flash • Red-eye reduction • Range: Wide: approx 0.06m - 7.1m / Tele: approx 0.35m - 3.5m |
| Viewfinder | No |
| LCD monitor | • 2.5-inch TFT Low-reflective type • 232,000 pixels |
| Connectivity | • NTSC / PAL • USB 2.0 Hi-speed • AV out • DC in |
| Print compliance | PictBridge |
| Storage | • 22MB built-in memory • SD / SDHC card compatible |
| Power | • Rechargeable D-L18 Lithium-ion battery • Optional AC adapter |
| Weight (no batt) | 125 g (4.4 oz) |
| Dimensions | 88.5 x 54.5 x 23 mm (3.5 x 2.1 x 0.9 in) |
* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital
Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help
you understand some of the terms used).
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Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C. |
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This article is Copyright 2007 and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author.
Pentax Optio A20 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and Shake Reduction | $55.00 |
Pentax Optio VS20 16MP Digital Camera with 20X Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD Screen (Black) | $112.94 |
Pentax Optio VS20 16MP Digital Camera with 20X Optical Zoom and 3-Inch LCD Screen (White) | $142.00 |
Pentax Optio A20 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom and Shake Reduction | $55.00 |
Pentax Optio RZ-18 16 MP Digital Camera with 18x Optical Zoom - Black | $199.00 |
Pentax Optio W20 7MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom | $399.00 |
Pentax Optio M20 7MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom | $355.55 |
Pentax Optio V20 8MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom | $304.01 |
Pentax Optio T20 7MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom | $349.95 |
Pentax Optio WG-3 16MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3-Inch LCD Screen (Black) | $218.59 |
Pentax Optio M50 8MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Pink) | $144.97 |
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