Manual Control Options
The Optio W10 does not have manual exposure control beyond EV compensation. It allows manual white balance, manual ISO setting, and manual focusing. These options are not prominent in the interface. Default camera settings leave the user a few steps away from controlling any of them.
Focus
Auto Focus (7.0)
The Optio W10 uses a through-the-lens contrast detection system, the most common focusing option, for autofocus. It uses nine AF points for multiple zone focusing and automatic tracking focus, or employs only the center AF point in spot focus mode. We found that the AF system was generally accurate when it could find a contrasty target. In extremely low light, it searched for focus quickly, and quickly gave up. In moderately dim light with a poor target, it seemed to search longer, but without success.
Manual Focus (5.5)
The Optio W10's manual focus system is surprisingly good, though it has some interface quirks. The close-up button on the 4-way controller brings up a column of focusing options along the right side of the frame, and manual focus is the last of these. Selecting it shows an enlarged view of the frame center and a distance scale on the left side of the screen. The up and down buttons on the 4-way controller shift the focus. After a couple seconds of inactivity, the screen reverts to the full scene view. Tapping the shutter release also reverts the screen, while tapping the close-up button re-activates the system, showing the enlarged portion of the frame and the distance scale. Focus doesn't really snap the way it does in a high-end DSLR, but it's certainly perceivable. When used carefully, the manual system is about as accurate as the autofocus on the W10. That's unusual for a compact camera – their manual focus systems are typically so blurry and plagued by delay that they're simply a novelty, not a viable control.
Exposure (7.0)
The Optio W10 has EV compensation of plus or minus 2 EV, in 1/3 EV increments. The control is the only direct way for the user to influence exposure. There are no manual modes.
Metering (7.0)
The Optio W10 has multi-segment, averaging, and spot metering, a typical range of options for digital cameras. Multi-segment takes several distinct readings across the image and compares them with a logic system that typically detects difficult exposure situations like backlighting. Averaging takes a single reading that averages the brightness of the whole scene. Spot takes a single reading from a small area at the center of the frame.
We found that the Optio W10's multi-segment system did a fair job in most typical situations. It detects backlighting, but its exposures in those situations are compromises – the subject is a little darker than it should be, which isn't good, but the background retains detail, which is desirable. Given the lack of manual controls, most users will leave the W10 in multi-segment mode, and they're likely to be satisfied with the results.
White Balance (7.25)
The Optio W10 allows the user to set a custom white balance by shooting a white surface. The system works well, producing natural colors under a range of conditions. White balance can also be set to Auto, which works in most typical circumstances, or the following presets: Daylight, Tungsten, Shade, or Fluorescent.
ISO (8.0)
The Optio W10 offers ISOs of 64, 100, 200, 400, and 800, as well as an auto setting. Though competition demands high ISO settings, as consumers get dissatisfied with harsh on-camera flash, the W10's shots at ISO 800 are blotchy with color noise.
Shutter Speed (0.0)
The Optio W10's shutter speeds run from 1/2000 to about 4 seconds, according to the camera manual. Because there’s no manual shutter speed control, we couldn't explore the shutter speed range directly.
Aperture (0.0)
The Pentax 6.3—18.9mm lens has a maximum aperture of f/ 3.3 to f/ 4. The smallest aperture the camera set for us was f/6.6, but again, because the W10 is fully automatic, we couldn't verify the minimum aperture by simply cranking it down. With a focal length of only 6.3mm, it's likely that f/6.6 really is its smallest aperture, though. Anything smaller would be so tiny that it would impair image quality.
