Pentax Optio i-10 review
Review Date : Mon, 2 Aug 2010
Author : Mike Lowe
- Product Shots: Pentax i10 product shots gallery
- Sample Photos: Pentax i10 sample images gallery
Pentax's retro-designed i-10 may look like the Micro SLR cameras of old, but does it continue the heritage in style? The What Digital Camera Pentax Digital i-10 review...
| Pros: | Funky design |
|---|---|
| Cons: | Poor image quality over ISO 200 |
Pentax Optio I-10 review - Features
The Pentax Optio Digital I-10's appearance may not seem all too foreign to all because it's based on the company's old Micro SLR series. The original cameras would take 35mm film but shoot at half the size (fitting in two shots per frame). Sadly the I-10 doesn't benefit from such an equivalent large digital sensor size, instead opting for a standard smaller-sized 12.1MP CCD compact sensor.
Quirkily designed, the I-10 is an affordable compact with a variety of features under its belt. A 28-140mm (5x optical) lens provides a wide range of potential, from semi-wideangle to short-tele and the CCD-shift Image Stabilisation mechanism ensures images are kept sharp when using lower shutter speeds or in low light.
Pentax i10 review sample image - click for full size gallery
Although full manual control isn't available, the Program mode does ensure an ample amount of control - with the ability to adjust ISO, white balance, exposure metering and compensation. Among a variety of scene modes there's also the ability to shoot 720p HD movie, which for the sub-£150 asking price sees the Optio I-10 relatively well kitted-out.
Pentax Optio Digital I-10 review - Design
The I-10's body is less rectangular than many current compacts on the market, its a retro-styled shape featuring a raised area above the lens that contains flash unit. It looks great, though the build quality lacks and feels rather light and plasticy.
The rear button layout has a four-way d-pad to the right; a main Menu and Green Button/Delete below this; with Playback and quick-access Face Detection options above. The shutter with a rear-facing zoom thread sits on top of the camera, which can feel slightly odd in use compared to most other compacts with a front-facing zoom thread.
The rear 2.7in screen has issues too: with its 16:9 designation, standard 4:3 still images only use up a smaller area of the screen which makes for small viewing and playback, plus the angle of view is poor too. Video recording in 16:9 obviously makes best use of the screen ratio however.
Interior menus designs are relatively simple, with three pages of Record Mode settings and the same space designated to Settings. This can make menu digging a bit long, yet the Green Button (Function button) can be user-defined for the quick adjustment of ISO, AF-area and so forth.
Have your say!
Latest comments
August 06 20:17
John Sansom
This new Pentax Optio 1-10 is based on the Pentax 110 SLR which used a 110 film cartridge. It was the only 110 camera with interchangeable lenses. The sensor size must be similar to the 110 format. I don't think Pentax ever produced a 1/2frame camera.
August 12 12:37
Dave
I thought the original camera used 110 film and not 35mm which was the problem with it as the negative size was too small to be blown up to even 6x4.
May 18 21:06
Steve
The Pentax Optio I-10 is fine camera within its limitations. The limits are not as restrictive as those for the original Pentax 110. I recently bought one as a go anywhere camera and notebook in ASDA's sale. All digital images out of the camera, no matter the make or manufacturer can be further improved in photoshop. The digital images from the I-10 are probably are sharper and can be enlarged to a greater size than those from 110 film used with the original Pentax 110 film camera
December 13 11:16
david
Had mine just over a year,with no complaints whatsoever.Macro function is excellent and yes, I'm a big Pentax fan of many years.