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| Pentax Optio A40. Click photo for more images of the Pentax Optio A40 and Optio V10 cameras. |
Pentax has announced two new ultracompact point-and-shoots. The 8-megapixel Optio V10 and 12-megapixel Optio A40 are both designed for mostly automatic snapshot photography and couple very slim designs with numerous shooting modes and color options. The V10 provides an f/3.1-5.9, 36mm-108mm (35mm camera equivalent) 3X retractable zoom lens and a 230,000-pixel, 3-inch LCD. The more advanced A40 offers an f/2.8-5.4, 37mm-111mm 3x retractable zoom lens and a 2.5-inch, 232,000-pixel screen with a 160-degree viewing angle.
Both cameras offer advanced automatic features such as redeye correction and face-detection technology that optimizes autofocus and autoexposure for photos of people. The A40's system also includes Pentax's new Natural Skin Tone and Half-Length Portrait options, for smoothing out skin and automatically cropping portraits, respectively. The two cameras also offer Pentax's Auto Picture mode, which determines the appropriate scene mode for a photograph automatically.
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The A40 is the more advanced of the two models, with manual and shutter-priority exposure modes in addition to the numerous automatic shooting modes that both models provide. Although the V10 doesn't offer manual exposure options or even a selection of metering modes, it provides some creative control via spot and tracking autofocus. Both cameras offer ISO settings up to 3200, although the A40 shoots at a reduced resolution at that setting. The A40 also provides a Dynamic Range Adjustment tool in playback and a sensor-shift-type mechanical image stabilization system.
The V10 and A40 offer continuous-shooting modes that capture photos at 1.4fps and 1.25fps, respectively. They also record 640x480, 30fps video with sound and provide a separate voice recorder function. The A40 captures video in the DivX format for compatibility with players that support DivX, while the V10 records the more space-consuming Motion JPEG format.
The A40 will be available in October 2007 for $299.95 and the V10 will hit shelves in November for $249.95.
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