Customer Reviews

Pentax Optio Z10 8MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I am about to travel around the world and want an alternative to my Pentax K10D, particularly when wishing to be unobtrusive in third-world countries. First, I spent some time with the Panasonic LX2 -- same camera as the Leica at less than half the price -- which has some unique features and seems to be a terrific camera. BUT it won't go into a shirt pocket because the marvelous Leica lens protrudes. At a hefty (!) 7.8 oz, it weighs 56% more than the Optio Z10's 5 oz. The Optio is so small that there is nothing to hold onto. The Panasonic is better in that respect, but significantly bulkier.

I had just about decided to send both cameras back when I realized that I hadn't even looked at the few pix I had taken with the Optio. So I duly transferred them to my Mac and was absolutely astonished by the results. For reasons I don't understand, the Optio seems to handle subtle shades in the sky and clouds better than the K10.

The bottom line: The Optio produces razor-sharp pictures, even when using the 7x zoom hand-held at a slow shutter speed. Given some of the negative comments in these pages, I really didn't expect that. The design of the camera is superb. I only wish there were some semblance of a grip to hold onto.

This is a great camera. You can use the Auto but I prefer to use the Green mode where you can set the settings as in my SRT 101 35MM camera. I took a outdoor shot of a veined flower, about 8 inches away. It came out extremely detailed, and trust me I'm pickey. I then used the stitch mode where you can create a 'Digital wide angle' it also worked great. The feature of the lens that uses a refraction mirror to go from wide angle to close is great as you never get the lens protruding from the camera. The features in this camera are plentiful and you can use them to get really fantastic pictures. Read up on this camera and compare for yourself, you'll love it.

I bought this camera because of its huge optical zoom, 8 MP, new mirror optics and because it is Pentax. And this camera is absolutely great! The pictures are very juicy in color and clear! Nothing moves when you zoom - only mirrors inside the camera! It's true that the camera marks easily, but it can be easily cleaned! The Menu is very easy to read, with helping tips about each mode of shooting - a great plus for me since I don't like to read the manual. However there was one thing that frightened me and I did read the manual - if you press several times Ok-button - histogram will appear and if you want to shoot something that has spots which are very dark and very light - they will appear as yellow and red spots on the LCD display! In the beginning that made me think the LCD or camera itself is damaged. But - it's actually the way it's supposed to work!!! And now I think this is very useful tool! O! btw, to turn the camera on - you should move the plastic piece that covers lenses on front - tricky to understand but easy to do!
So I'm completely satisfied with this purchase. That's why I give this camera 5 stars. A great camera in style!!!

This camera has speed settings from ISO 64 to 3200. Of these, only 64 and 100 are acceptable. In bright scenes you will get a picture with good detail and color and a small amount of noise. Even at these low settings, a slightly magnified image will show noise as a speckling in the image. I made a mistake buying this camera - somehow misunderstanding its characteristics before I bought it. If you do not believe me, then read the professional reviews, such as at http://www.digitalcameratracker.com/pentax-optio-z10/

The good - It's compact, has a 7x optical zoom, has a nice screen, easy to use controls, and takes adequate movies.

The bad - It takes low quality noisy pictures, it has no image stabilization. Pentax claims it has image stabilization, but what they really do is increase the ISO level, reduce the exposure time, and greatly increase the noise level. You will get this effect whenever you take zoom pictures, except in the brightest of sunlight.

My recommendation: Do not buy this camera! If you want a small high zoom camera that takes good movies, but has better noise characteristics, look at the very similar looking Casio with real image stabilization. Pentax certainly could do better.

I have several Pentax cameras (digital and 35mm) and I find that they are truly built to last and are as user friendly as they possibly can be. This camera is my quickie pocket camera and has proven itself worthy of the Pentax name. The buttons are simple, intuitive and easy to read for any digital camera this size. The zoom is awesome, but I usually don't go past the 7x optical because the digital zoom is like most digital zooms, grainy. It isn't the fastest between shots, but it's usually fast enough even for sports, kids and pet action. It shoots nice little videos with decent sounds quality too. I have dropped this camera several times on hard surfaces, used it in rain and snow, and even dropped it in some water once and it still works great. The LCD viewer is like all LCDs in the sun, a little hard to see, but I find that the photos always turn out better back home than they looked on the LCD. Bottom line, for $200, this is a great, great camera. I wouldn't have been upset paying $300 for it.

I didn't go looking for another Pentax. I bought a new laptop, which came with Windows Vista. The upshot was that I could no longer download photos from my old Pentax Optio. So I did my homework, looking for a lot of optical zoom, lots of pixels, big LCD screen, small package (I loved how the old Pentax fit into an Altoids box), small price. This one came out on top, so I bought it sight unseen. It is a wonderful camera, has amazing zoom capabilites, has anti-shake software and takes great time exposures/night shots. The battery lasts a long time and the camera feels great in the hand. My only complaint is that blues are too, well, blue! I love the camera and always carry it with me.

Great bargain. I love my new Pentax. The zoom is great and the camera fits in my shirt pocket, perfect combination. Battery life is fantastic, the best battery life I've ever seen.

Pros: 8MP, 7x (very nice zoom, great idea for such a small camera), size is perfect for travel or just fun events, battery life.

Cons: Just a minor thing, it took a bit of time to get used to holding due to it's small size. At first you feel like your fingers are in the way. Definitely worth getting used to.

I had been searching for a camera with more zoom,I was hoping for at least 10, but all the cameras I looked at were so big. I came upon the
Pentax and decided to give it a try. Could not be happier,this camera is
so easy and having the lense covered is great.Can carry in my purse or pocket. 7x zoom is plenty for me at this stage of my picture taking. Don't hesitate on buying this camera!!!!!

I have had a number of good point and shoot digitals and enjoyed them, but hated the lag time. This camera all but does away with that! I even took sports shots of my grandkids and got the "on the move!"
I like the shake reduction feature because I was shooting in low light a lot of times and needed it. Also, the night time and closeup features worked much better than my old Pentax, even though it was a great camera.
My only complaint is that in high light it is impossible to see the image on the screen, and I discovered immediately that I could not take vertical pictures with my sunglasses on because they are polarized.
Otherwise, it's a great little camera!!

This really is a remarkable camera. The moving-mirror zoom is one of those ideas which makes you wonder why somebody did not think of it and implement it sooner and works well. Picture quality is impressive and the quality of the colour is fantastic. And all at a very reasonable price.