Pentax Optio Z10 review

There is a growing trend for ultra-compact cameras with non-protruding lenses, but Pentax's plastic-clad Z10 looks frumpy compared with the more stylish designs from Fujifilm and Sony.

However, its 7x zoom lens lets you get much closer to the action, and isn't bad for a camera that's just 25mm thick. The lack of optical image stabilisation is disappointing, though, as big zooms increase the likelihood of blur.

The A30 (Labs, Shopper 239) bucked the Optio range's trend for poor performance, but the Z10's speed is similar to those of the older, slower models. There was a 3.5-second gap between shots, and an even longer wait when we tried to adjust a setting directly after taking a photo. The auto-focus took up to four seconds at telephoto zoom settings but was reasonably quick at wider angles. At least the controls are quick to operate, with straightforward menus that respond quickly to button pushes. A so-called Green button switches the camera to a fully automatic mode, but this can be reassigned to provide short cuts to any four photographic functions.

We really like the way you can limit the ISO speed range available in Auto ISO mode from 64-100 to 64-3200. In dwindling light, the camera automatically raises the ISO speed from the highest-quality ISO 64 setting as soon as the shutter speed reaches a particular threshold (1/50 seconds at the wide angle setting, 1/250 seconds at telephoto). Then, once it reaches the designated maximum ISO speed, it continues to increase the shutter speed. This is exactly the way cameras should behave in low light, and having control over the maximum ISO speed enables the user to set their preference without having to adjust the settings for each shot.

The downside is that the Z10's image quality at higher ISO speeds isn't particularly impressive. Shots taken at ISO 400 were pretty noisy and, at ISO 800 or higher they became almost unusable. However, the noise levels were partly down to Pentax's restrained use of noise reduction processing, so there was still plenty of detail in photos at higher settings. Otherwise, image quality was competent but nothing special at this price. We saw a slight lack of crisp detail when we scrutinised shots up close, and colours were a touch under-saturated, although neither issue was serious enough to be a fatal flaw.

If you're after a compact camera with a big zoom range but you don't need to fit it into drainpipe jeans pockets, Sony's DSC-H3 is a little bulkier and pricier but is a better camera. Meanwhile, if compactness is paramount, Casio's EX-V7 (What's New, Shopper 235) matches the Z10's size, 7x zoom and price, but its image stabilisation and superior performance make it a better buy.