Pentax Optio H90 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Silver)

by Pentax

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.7 x 2.2 x 1 inches ; 4.6 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 7 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B0035LBM9Y
• Item model number: H90 Silver
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,965 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 25, 2010

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The Optio H90 digital camera features a clean, contemporary design that is as in style in a museum of modern art as at a concert or sporting event. Developed with the concept of "functional beauty" in mind, the fashionable and affordable Optio H90 offers a full assortment of features to capture a variety of subjects and scenes. This first model in the new Optio H line features a wide angle 5x optical zoom lens (28mm-140mm equivalent), a 12.1-megapixel high resolution CCD sensor, and widescreen HD video capture at 720p and 30 FPS. Improved Pixel Track Shake Reduction technology captures blur-free images and the Face Detection, Smile Capture, and Blink Detection functions help users create better portraits.

Optio H90 Highlights

Clean, modern, functional design
Designed with functional beauty in mind, the Optio H90 features clean, straight lines and easy-to-push round, control buttons. Featuring high quality aluminum alloy and matte paint finish, the body is shaped for a firm, comfortable hold.

Optical 5x zoom lens for wide coverage from wide angle to telephoto The Optio H90 features a high-performance optical 5x zoom lens covering focal lengths from 5.1mm to 25.5mm (equivalent in the 35mm format to approximately 28mm wide angle to 140mm telephoto). With this wide zoom range, the Optio H90 may be used for a wide variety of subjects and scenes from spectacular landscapes, majestic architecture and group shots within confined spaces to tightly cropped snapshots from a distance. Featuring an Intelligent Zoom function, which allows for even tighter zooming in on the subject, the digital zoom range extends approximately 31.3x.

Exceptional image quality
Featuring 12.1 effective megapixels, the Optio H90 delivers exceptional image resolution with the Pentax-developed high-performance imaging engine for high quality images with well-defined details. Even when images are enlarged, the camera delivers sharp, high-resolution prints with edge-to-edge sharpness.

Large, easy-to-view LCD monitor
Despite its compact body, the Optio H90 features a large 2.7-inch high-brightness color LCD monitor with approximately 230,000 dots. With this large monitor, the user may check results of images and make any desired menu adjustments quickly.

High quality HD movie recording
The Optio H90 captures beautiful, high-definition movie clips (1280 x 720 pixels).* The camera is equipped with sophisticated Movie SR (Shake Reduction) mode,** which automatically compensates camera shake during movie capture for high quality, stabilized movie clips with minimal effort.
_{* When the Optio H90's AV output terminal is used, movie clips are output as normal-image-size data. If the user wishes to play back movie clips at high-definition-TV proportions (1280 x 720 pixels), the data must be transferred to a personal computer for playback.
** When the Movie SR mode is selected, the angle of view becomes narrower than normal shooting.}

Automatic Face Detection for effortless snapshots
The Optio H90's Face Detection AF & AE function detects up to 32 faces and optimizes focus and exposure settings in a mere 0.03 seconds even when faces are tilted or turned sideways. The Optio H90 is equipped with a Smile Capture mode that automatically releases the shutter the moment the camera detects the subject's smile, and a Blink Detection function that alerts users if a subject's eyes closed at the time of shutter release.

Additional features

• Eye-Fi connected: optimized for use with Eye-Fi wireless memory cards
• Pixel Track SR (Shake Reduction) mode to effectively compensate for camera shake during still-image shooting
• Auto Picture mode for automatic selection of one of eight shooting modes for optimum results
• Digital filters, including Toy Camera and Retro, to add distinctive visual effects to recorded images
• D-Range setting to prevent whitewashed (overexposed) and blacked-out (underexposed) areas in an image
• Auto-tracking AF mode to keep constant focus on a moving subject
• Digital Panorama mode to create a single panoramic picture from as many as three images
• Digital Wide function to compose an extra-wide-angle picture (equivalent to an image taken with an approx. 21mm lens in 35mm format) from two images.
• Frame Composite function (with 90 frames stored in the camera) to shoot or compose images with decorative photo frames
• Image Recovery function to recover accidentally erased images
• MediaImpression 2.0 for Pentax software for image viewing, editing and filing (compatible with the latest operating systems, including Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6)

Product Description

PENTAX 16486 12.1 Megapixel Optio H90 Digital Camera (Silver/Orange)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Little Package, June 30, 2010

By 

I love a bargain (Near Philly) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pentax Optio H90 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Silver) (Electronics)

I must start by saying, I also own a cannon digital SLR, but got this because I really just wanted something to carry around with me at all times. The ONLY thing I read so far in the manual was how to do the initial set up, other than that, I have been able to figure out pretty much everything. Just know that some modes do not allow you to disable face detection, and things like that and red-eye reduction DO add to the time it takes to take the picture, but otherwise, the shutter lag seems much shorter than other point and shoots my friends and family have.

I think the fact that they do not heavily advertise has kept it out of the spotlight, and probably kept the price down, but don't overlook this little gem. However, if you are looking for SLR quality, you still want an SLR. I will be going on a trip soon and will take BOTH because it is VERY easy to use this one and very easy to shoot in the movie mode as well, but I will still use the SLR for things like details of architecture. The sound on the movies does seem to pick up voice pretty well, even at a football (soccer) match!

In summary, this is a great little camera with some really simple to use features, but still no point and shoot replaces the speed and clarity of the SLR.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars At this price point, there are no better options. Great Value!, November 29, 2010

By 

C. W. White "electronics wizard" (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pentax Optio H90 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Silver) (Electronics)

I added a few comments to the other reviews posted here, but wanted to add my own review as well...

First, I am NOT an avid photographer or camera enthusiast. I am a bit of a tech/electronics junky and love a good deal, and have owned 3-4 digital cameras over hte past 10 years. So with that said, here's my review:

Form/Case:
To sum things up, the look and feel of this camera is better than any of the other big names (kodak, canon, nikon, olympus, sony, fuji, etc). The buttons are solid and good sized, as is the case material. Cosmetically, it in my opinion far exceeds any of the PS camera options available from the before mentioned makes. It looks and feels like a superior product.

Picture Quality:
Very good. At this price point, most of the PS cameras are all about on par, with Canon leading the pack. I don't have any direct comparisons, but From my personal experience with this camera, at half the cost of the comparative Nikon and Cannon models, the picture quality is easily as good.

Functions/Ease of Use:
The buttons, menus, and layout of functionality is superior. Most cameras have a similar layout, and are pretty easy to use, but I think Pentax really takes the cake with this. Pretty much anybody can get the hang of this camera in under 10 minutes and be an expert with it after a few days. The major complaint i have with it is the Auto Picture mode. This mode is the default (you can change that) and it really does not work well at all. In this mode the computer chip attempts to select the best photo function based on lighting conditions and the subject matter it is detecting, and then auto matically selects the mode it thinks you shuld use and snaps the picture. It almost NEVER works and you are better off choosing another mode. I found the available function modes very easy to choose from, and most of htem work as expected. That said, a basic knowledge of photography is a BIG ally here.

The stranger picture test curve was VERY Low as well. Anybody we handed the camera to instantly was able to take a picture without any real assistance or photography lesson from us. A big plus.


Size: Fits in a shirt pocket or jeans pocket. That's good enough for me. Also, after 3 weeks in hawaii swaping it in and out of my wife's purse, my pocket, and its' case, the finish on the case is like new. It seems to be holding up very well. it also is big enough that the buttons aren't clumsy or hard to press.

Battery Life:
Good, not great. But this is offset by the very inexpensive li188 battery cost. You can grab a fist full of batteries online for less than 20 bucks and never have to worry about having to recharge and wait. I was able to take about 200 pics per charge on average, but I also was swapping batteries sooner than I had to so I was sure to have enough juice if I had to snap a quick shot while on the go.

Response Times:
On and off times are Very quick, no complaints here. Actual picture capture time is good but not great. IT's certainly better than any of the cameras available at this price point, and better than anything using AA batteries. That said, if you spend more money on a competitors product, the capture time is probably going to better. That said, it was way better than the nikon a22 and canon m105.

Conclusion:

Is this a DSLR? NO SO DONT" EXPECT THAT KIND OF IMAGE QUALITY OR CAPUTURE TIMES! But at this price point, i challenge you to recommend any other PS camera that even comes close. I challenge you to point me to a 200$ point and shoot that compares at this size. Sure, there are slightly bigger 200 modesl that have a lot more features wise, but not in this small of a form. For around a 100 bucks, I don't see how you can go wrong here.

5.0 out of 5 stars Great copact camera, November 18, 2011

By 

Aquabuckeye - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pentax Optio H90 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Silver) (Electronics)

Opto H90 is a great camera. It's on my belt 12 hours a day. I take 15 pics a day at work, download them daily onto my laptop. Easy to use. Fast on the draw. People do not freeze up during video sequences because it's so small. Great photo quality. Menu function to photograph printed labels is amazing when pricing items in home improvement stores. Excellent reliability. Get 3 batteries! They don't last long. I'm getting a second one for the wife. She wants to get her perpective on life included in the facebook albums.