Pentax Optio V20 Digital Camera Review

Pentax Optio V20

Digital Camera Review

Dec 17, 2008 - By Steve Morgenstern
1.9 Our search for inexpensive point-and-shoot cameras offering good performance for not much money leads us to the 8-megapixel Pentax Optio V20, a compact model with a big 3-inch LCD screen and a 5x optical zoom that provides far more flexibility when composing shots than the 3x lens typically found in this camera category. The V20 lists for $249.95, though we've seen it selling at closer to $200 from several discounters, a nice price considering the large screen and extended zoom. Lab testing results overall make the V20 an average performer, a bit behind the pack in some areas, a skinch ahead in others. To determine if this is the camera to fill your photo album without emptying your wallet, read the complete review.
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Pentax Optio V20 Review

Speed/Timing
When the difference between a great photo and lasting regret can be measured in fractions of a second, the responsiveness of your camera is clearly a critical consideration. We test four different areas of speed and timing performance, using a high-speed SD card to eliminate potential memory bottlenecks that might otherwise skew the results.

Startup to First Shot (6.10)
Pull the V20 out of your pocket, press the On button and you're ready for action in under four seconds. This is a bit slow, largely because the telescoping lens has to extend fully before the camera can start shooting.

Shot-to-Shot (8.40)
We found problems in the continuous shooting mode. When shooting at full resolution, the camera can handle two consecutive shots quickly, but then slows to write the data to memory before continuing on. The result is a herky-jerky shooting rhythm and an average of about  1.6 seconds per shot. The slow timing is one issue, but the unpredictability of when the next shot will fire in "burst: mode is far worse.

Shutter-Shot (5.56)
The delay between the moment you press the shutter and the moment the photo is actually taken averages out to 0.36 seconds, an acceptable result for this class of camera.

Processing (4.95)
After you press the shutter, the camera has to process the data and store it to memory before you're free to fire off the next shot. To measure this processing time, we take as series of photos and time how long it takes before the review image appears on the LCD panel. For the V20, this delay came out to about 1.7 seconds, which shouldn't slow you down in real-world shooting situations.
 

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