Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Do not waste your time and money on this. I've done a lot of research and all reviews on this camera were ecstatic. I've already owned 2 Pentax cameras ( DSLR's) and I've had no issues with them at all. Quality and features are excellent on those. This camera is a direct opposite. I've tried 2 different Optio H90's before coming to this conclusion. The first one was the orange one. When I tried taking pictures with it on auto settings, the pictures come out all grainy, even with flash on and in pretty well lit room. Seems the camera is stuck on iso 800 no matter what the lighting is. After taking several shots on different settings, the camera started freezing up. A call to tech support confirmed that camera was defective. I returned the camera and ordered a silver one as a replacement, just to be sure I don't get the the same defective one back. Well much to my disappointment the new camera continued taking same crappy quality pictures, all grainy and underexposed. When setting iso down to 80 or 100 manually and using flash the pictures come out dark and not sharp at all, even when using a tripod. I spent about an hour on the phone with Pentax tech, going through different manual settings and both he and I came to the conclusion that this camera is just bad product. I took sample pictures with my old Canon sd500 and Optio H90 with same lighting and same distance and same manual settings and the difference was just day and night, Pentax picture quality was no better than a cheap disposable camera that takes iso 800 pics. Needless to say I returned this camera as well. I have no idea whether all those websites and magazines that did the review on this camera just got paid to give good review or they if they received a "ringer" but after having tried 2 of these I can honestly tell you not to waste your money on it...

i bought this cam for someone who hardly uses cams at all, my mother. mother knows only the on and off buttons and likes things that way. so, i decided an easy to use cam was sufficient. on the positive side; light weight and easy to carry, easy user friendly interface, a great many options on shooting environments, high definition imaging and great colors, great body design.

on the off side... there are none really. i knew what to expect for what i paid and my mother is happy! so i am too!

This is a nice little day to day camera. The picture quality is more than acceptable for capturing your average events but far from professional quality. The inclusion of 720p video on a camera in this price range is also a nice feature. It's a pretty standard digital camera, not a whole lot to write home about. I will offer some words of warning however.

The camera is advertised as having a manual mode which was a major factor in my purchase. If you are the type who likes to set your our aperture and f-stop settings then go somewhere else. Manual mode on this camera basically lets you set flash and exposure speed, that's all. This is pretty much unacceptable as far as I am concerned. I have a Kodak easy share nearly a decade old that cost $70 new that allows me to change these settings. I am not a fan of auto and preset modes as you usually end up with a nice digital looking picture. There are of course workarounds to this if you are willing to memorize which presets are closets to the setting you want but for a $150 in the year 2010 you shouldn't need to make such a compromise due to such simple settings missing from a camera.

I am a photography enthusiast who was looking for a quick point and shoot that could still be set to take a nice photo now and then. I figured "how could I really go wrong with a Pentax? Their film cameras were great." If you are looking for a nice simple point and shoot camera this will fit the need. If you happen to have even the slightest interest in actual photography however avoid this.

So I bought this because it looked retro, small, and lightweight. However, my compliments end there. I bought 32 GB for the camera, yet I can record only 12 SECONDS of video! On my old samsung (which I dropped and now only takes pictures in sephia) I got almost a half hour. Maybe this is because this Pentax records in HD... Perhaps, but not very useful nevertheless. As for pictures, I get I believe 85 in the lowest setting (computer display size). I really liked the idea of the 5x zoom, but once again this camera did not live up to its expectations. When I zoomed in all the way, everything became blurry. So disappointing. Good thing I bought this to take when I'm out and about rather than for "real" photographs.

Also, the package does NOT come with any memory and there is a notice telling you to not return this to the retailer but send it into Pentax if there's something wrong with the camera.