Product of the Day, Day 25: Pentax X70 Megazoom Digital Camera
Pentax X70 Megazoom Camera
I had not planned on making the Pentax X70 my Product of the Day, but I spent a few hours in South Beach shooting with one today and I was very favorably impressed with it! The Pentax X70 is Pentax’s first attempt at a superzoom camera, and it is a very nice camera indeed. It is actually referred to as a megazoom due to its 24x zoom.
Here are things as I see them:
Pros:
- 26x zoom range of 26mm-624mm
- 26mm wide-angle setting is wider than most super/megazooms, and is very useful in tight quarters and when photographing large objects
- Extremely sharp images, natural colors and contrast
- Sensor-shift image stabilization (Shake Reduction, in Pentax parlance)
- Traditionally excellent Pentax color
- Records movies in high defintion 720p
- Fast focusing and responsive feel
- Control layout mimics a Pentax SLR, making this camera a natural choice for Pentax SLR users (like me)
Cons:
- Battery life leaves a bit to be desired, and this is not surprising given the tiny size of the battery. I was down to 2 out of 3 battery bars after a light afternoon of shooting. If you buy a Pentax X70 I recommend you get an extra battery to go with it.
- The 720p HD movie mode only records at 15 frames per second (15fps) which really isn’t enough for a stutter-free viewing experience. Other modes record at 30fps, which is stutter-free.
- The zoom lens zooms a bit too quickly and it is easy to overshoot or undershoot your mark when zooming in and out. A steady finger and some practice will have you setting the zoom exactly as you want it.
- Images taken at full resolution show jaggies when reviewing on the camera’s display screen. When viewed or printed at full size they look perfect- it is an issue of the screens resolution, not the images themselves.
Grip with shutter release on left, note focus assist lamp near shutter release
“Wide 26mm” in red says it all. The 26mm wide-angle is very useful indeed!
I think what won me over with this camera is the beauty of its images, its ease of use, and what a practical photographic tool it is. It was obviously designed by photographers and not computer geeks! Deciding to use a 26mm wide zoom lens rather than the usual 35mm makes for a camera that is much more effective in real-world use, as I experienced today when photographing large buildings. The 624mm long end of the zoom is practically inexhaustable… it is hard to get to the end of this zoom range.
Nice, big, colorful screen, but some jaggies are present at times. Controls mimic a Pentax SLR, a plus for Pentax users
The Pentax X70 starts quickly, feels great in the hand, , it focuses quickly, and the images have natural color and contrast rather than the oversaturated, harsh or grainy look of many 12 megapixel cameras. Some of Pentax’s compact cameras have lagged behind their competitors and it is wonderful to see their megazoom camera belongs up there with the best of them.
I’ll be updating this page with some sample images up later this week.
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That wraps up The Product of the Day, see you tomorrow!
