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:
- 10.0 effective megapixels
- High-performance smc PENTAX 3x zoom lens
- New ASIC
- SR (Shake Reduction)
- Face Recognition AF & AE
- Auto-tracking AF continuously focuses on a moving subject
- High-quality movies with an anti-shake function
- Auto Picture mode automatically determines the best settings for the shooting conditions
- ISO 64-800
- Shutter Priority, Manual and numerous scene modes
- SDHC support
- Post-shot red-eye removal
Pentax Optio A20 Key specifications
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
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