Pentax Optio E70 (red)
Manufacturer: Pentax Part number: 17472
- CNET Editor rating: 3.0 stars Good
- Design: 8.0
Features: 6.0
Performance: 5.0
Image quality: 6.0
Overall score: 6.6 (3.0 stars) - Average user rating: 0 stars No reviews, write one!
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- For a low-cost pocket camera, the Pentax Optio E70 is a good option for those with simple needs.
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CNET editors' review
Pentax Optio E70 (red) price range: $89.95 - $139.95
- Reviewed by: Joshua Goldman
- Reviewed on: 03/25/2009
- Released on: 02/01/2009
The good: Large, easy-to-read controls; simple operation.
The bad: Slow; small LCD.
The bottom line: For a low-cost pocket camera, the Pentax Optio E70 is a good option for those with simple needs.
The Pentax Optio E70 is an inexpensive ultracompact camera that takes good photos for the required investment in time and money. It's a nice-looking camera, too, with big controls well suited for beginners. Of course, you don't get much more than the basics at its price point and it certainly can't take on models priced a little higher in photo quality and especially not performance. But it would be tough to find something better with the E70's price, features, and size combination.
| Key specs | Pentax Optio E70 |
| Price (MSRP) | $139.95 |
| Dimensions | 3.8 inches wide by 2.4 inches high by 0.9 inch deep |
| Weight (with battery and media) | 5.6 ounces |
| Megapixels, image sensor size, type | 10 megapixels, 1/2.33-inch CCD |
| LCD size, resolution | 2.4-inch LCD, 112K dots |
| Lens (zoom, aperture, focal length) | 3X, f3.1-5.9, 35-105mm (35mm equivalent) |
| File format (still/video) | JPEG/Motion JPEG |
| Highest resolution size (still/video) | 3,648x2,736 pixels (4:3)/ 640x480 at 30fps (16:9) |
| Image stabilization type | Electronic (auto, two types) |
| Battery type, rated life | 2 AA (alkaline, Li-ion, NiMH), 620 shots (Li-ion) |
The E70 is just small enough to be considered an ultracompact and is slight enough and light enough to stick in a pants pocket or small handbag--a rarity at its price. It's available in three colors, too: gold, blue, and red. Its design strength lies in its simplicity, though some may see this as just a lack of features. On top is a power button and shutter release with the rest of the controls (zoom rocker included) on the back.
If you really don't like small or cramped buttons, you'll probably love the E70. Buttons for menu navigation, flash, capture mode, drive mode, focus, playback, and even activating face detection are big and spaciously laid out and labeled with a large icon or word. This would be a front-runner for someone who has trouble seeing or using the smaller controls of other compact cameras. Pentax used a relatively small 2.4-inch LCD on the E70, though.
| General shooting options | Pentax Optio E70 |
| ISO sensitivity (full resolution) | Auto, 100, 200, 400, 800 |
| White balance | Auto |
| Recording modes | Auto Picture, Program, Scene, Movie |
| Focus | 9-point AF, Spot AF, Auto-tracking AF |
| Metering | Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot |
Not surprisingly, there isn't a lot of shooting flexibility with the E70. The Mode button opens up a menu of 18 shooting modes, including Pentax's auto-scene-selection option called Auto Picture, which determines the best shooting mode for your subject such as Landscape, Night Scene, or Flower. The results are reliable, so those who like to leave it in auto should be happy with the outcome. There's also a Program mode, which lets you pick focus area and ISO sensitivity, and adjust exposure compensation, and Pentax's anti-Program setting, Green mode, which takes away all control.
One thing worth mentioning is Pentax's new Pixel Track SR for helping minimize the effects of motion blur. Turn it on and it will track motion blur at the pixel level, determining in real time the amount of blur. Once you've taken a shot, it filters the effect motion has on each pixel to sharpen them and remove blur (all of this takes a few seconds after the photo is captured). In my tests it worked better than the traditional method of electronic stabilization of boosting ISO and shutter speed, as Pixel Track doesn't introduce more noise. However, in some of my shots it sacrificed sharpness in order to remove a slight blur. So it's not perfect, but it would be worth turning on if camera shake is unavoidable.
The camera's overall performance is merely OK. In CNET Labs' tests, the E70 averaged a power-on-to-first-shot time of 2.4, which isn't actually too bad. However, the shutter lag was long under both bright and dim lighting, 0.6 second and 1.2 seconds, respectively. Shot-to-shot times averaged 3.3 seconds without flash and 4.2 seconds with. Finally, though there isn't a burst mode, just a continuous shooting option, it was able to eke out 0.6 frames per second.
For the money, the E70 produces good photos. The camera offers ISO sensitivity settings from 100 to 6,400; however, ISO 3,200 and 6,400 are fixed at a 5-megapixel resolution. The E70 is best at or below ISO 200, but photos at all sensitivities look softened from noise reduction. There are no white balance options and unfortunately everything we shot indoors under incandescent light looked too warm. (This is particularly disappointing because the auto white balance in last year's Optio E60 was really accurate.) However, outdoors colors looked bright and natural, and photos were reasonably sharp and detailed.
The Optio E70 can record VGA-quality (640x480) motion JPEG video. But the quality isn't good for the most part, and the optical zoom does not function while recording. It's sufficient for small Web videos, but little else.
Yes, you can spend a little more money and get more features and possibly better photo quality and performance than the Pentax Optio E70. But if all you need is a convenient, attractive, and simple ultracompact camera for taking snapshots, the E70 should suffice.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)
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(Longer bars indicate better performance)
Find out more about how we test digital cameras.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Pentax
- Part number: 17472
- Description: The Optio E70's shutter release button on the top panel and other control buttons on the back panel have been designed to be larger than those of conventional models to facilitate camera operation. Coupled with the use of larger icons in the LCD monitor, the Optio E70 not only makes it quick and effortless to set desired modes and functions, but also assures at-a-glance confirmation of operational status. The Optio E70 features the advanced auto picture mode, which automatically selects the most appropriate shooting mode for a given subject by detecting subject lighting and other conditions. This user-friendly mode not only makes the right mode choice for the photographer, but it also features an auto macro mode, which automatically switches the camera's focus range to macro in close-up applications.
General
- Product Type Digital camera - Compact
- Width 3.9 in
- Depth 0.9 in
- Height 2.4 in
- Weight 3.9 oz
- Enclosure Color Wine red
Main Features
- Resolution 10 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Total Pixels 10,700,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 10,000,000 pixels
- Light Sensitivity ISO 64, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO auto, ISO 3200 (5Mpix), ISO 6400 (5Mpix)
- Digital Zoom 5.7 x
- Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
- Shooting Programs Pet, Copy, Flower, Museum, Sundown, Aquarium, Fireworks, Landscape, Back light, Kids & pets, Sports mode, Surf & snow, Party/indoor, Portrait mode, Night portrait, Night landscape
- Image Stabilizer Electronic
- Max Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec
- Min Shutter Speed 4 sec
- Exposure Metering Multi-segment
- Exposure Modes Program, Automatic
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- Face Detection Yes
- White Balance Automatic
- Digital Video Format AVI, MJPEG
- Still Image Format JPEG
- TV Tuner None
- Video Capture AVI - 640 x 480, AVI - 320 x 240, AVI - 640 x 480, AVI - 320 x 240
Memory / Storage
- Supported Flash Memory MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
- Integrated Memory 35 MB
- Floppy Drive None
- Digital Storage Media None
- Image Storage JPEG 3648 x 2736, JPEG 3072 x 2304, JPEG 2592 x 1944, JPEG 2048 x 1536, JPEG 1920 x 1080, JPEG 1024 x 768, JPEG 640 x 480
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Built-in flash
- Flash Modes Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
- Red Eye Reduction Yes
- Effective Flash Range 4 in - 11.5 ft
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 6.3 mm - 18.9 mm - F/3.1-5.9
- Focal Length 6.3 mm - 18.9 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 35 - 105 mm
- Focus Adjustment Manual, Automatic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Auto Focus Points (Zones) 9
- Min Focus Range 15.7 in
- Macro Focus Range 10-100cm
- Lens Aperture F/3.1-5.9
- Optical Zoom 3 x
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Lens Construction 5 group(s) / 6 element(s)
- Features Aspherical lens, Built-in lens shield
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
- Additional Features DPOF support, Direct print, Face detection, Audio recording, Date/time stamp, Cropping an image, Histogram display, Resizing an image, PictBridge support, PRINT Image Matching, USB 2.0 compatibility, Digital image rotation, RGB primary color filter, Face-priority AF function, Blink Detection technology, Smile Detection technology, Digital image stabilization (video mode)
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type None
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.4 in - Color
- Display Form Factor Built-in
- Display Format 112,000 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
- Microphone Technology Electret condenser
- Microphone Operation Mode Mono
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x Composite video/audio output, 1 x DC power input
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Software
- Software ACD Systems ACDsee, Drivers & Utilities
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows XP, MS Windows 2000, MS Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS X 10.3 - 10.5
- Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive
Miscellaneous
- Included Accessories Carrying strap
- Cables Included USB cable, A/V cable
Battery
- Supported Battery AA
- Supported Battery 2 x AA ( Included )
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
Product series
-
Manufacturer: Pentax
Specs: Ultracompact, 10 megapixels, 3 x, 2.4 in LCD display
-
Manufacturer: Pentax
Specs: Ultracompact, 10 megapixels, 3 x, 2.4 in LCD display
-
Manufacturer: Pentax
Specs: Ultracompact, 10 megapixels, 3 x, 2.4 in LCD display
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Pentax
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Pentax products on Shopper.com
-
- Address:
35 Inverness Drive East, Englewood, CO - Phone: 1-800-877-0155
- Fax: 303-799-9213
- Address:
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