Pentax Optio Z10

Model Design / Appearance (7.5)
The Optio Z10’s small and sleek body makes it one of the most attractive cameras produced by Pentax. It has a black matte shell with a few chrome highlights and elements to add some visual interest. Overall, the camera looks good.

Size / Portability (7.5)
The Z10 has dainty measurements of 3.7 x 2.3 x 1 inches. The camera is thinner, at about 0.8 inches, but its siding lens cover adds just enough to make it an inch thick. This cover is one of the things that separates the Z10 from its sister model, the S10. The S10 has a 3x lens that extends from the camera and does not have a lens cover, but does have a 0.8-inch thin body. This Optio weighs 4.4 ounces unloaded and 5.1 ounces when the battery and memory card are inserted.

There is a wrist strap eyelet on the right side where users can loop the included strap into it and carry it like a giant charm on a bracelet.

Handling Ability (5.0)
This camera is about the width of two pancakes and handles similarly to the breakfast food. Maybe not even that well. The Z10 is a box of a camera and doesn’t provide any hand grip to make long photo shoots comfortable. It isn’t built for long photo shoots, though: it’s made to whip out of a pocket and snap an occasional picture. The sliding lens cover provides some substance for the right fingers to hold, and the plastic bumps on the back are a feeble attempt to provide traction for the right thumb’s support. Handling is not a strong point for the Pentax Z10. 

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (6.75)
The buttons on the back of the camera are small and plastic in contrast to the large, metal shutter release button on the top. The plastic buttons on the back make a high-pitched crackling noise when pushed in; they sound low-quality. They are small, but aren’t crammed together so tightly that they’ll be accidentally simultaneously pushed.

Menu (7.0)
The menu is easily accessible with the designated menu button to the lower right corner of the LCD screen. The menu’s contents vary depending on which recording mode is selected. The most options, outlined in the table below, are in the Program mode.

 

Recorded Pixels	8M, 5M, 4M, 3M, 2M, 1024, 640
Quality Level	Best, Better, Good
White Balance	Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten Light, Fluorescent Light, Manual
AF Setting	Focusing Area (Multi, Center, Tracking), Focus Limiter (On, Off)
AF Metering	Multi-segment, Center-weighted, Spot
Sensitivity	Auto (64-100, 64-200, 64-400, 64-800, 64-1600, 64-3200), 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
EV Compensation	-2, -1.7, -1.3, -1, -0.7, -0.3, 0, +0.3, +0.7, +1, +1.3, +1.7, +2
Movie	Recorded Pixels (640, 320), Quality Level (Best, Better, Good), Frame Rate (30, 15), Color Mode (Full Color, B&W, Sepia), Movie SR (On, Off), AF with recording (On, Off), Optical Zoom (On, Off)
Digital Wide	On, Off
Digital Zoom	On, Off
Instant Review	5 , 3, 2, 1, 0.5 sec, Off
Memory	Flash Mode, Drive Mode, Focus Mode, Zoom Position, MF Position, White Balance, Sensitivity, EV Compensation, AE Metering, Digital Zoom, Display, File No.
Green Button	Green Mode, Fn Setting
Sharpness	-1, 0, +1
Saturation	-1, 0, +1
Contrast	-1, 0, +1
Date Imprint	On, Off