Pentax X70
Digital Camera Review
Mar 09, 2009
- By Tim Barribeau
Pentax launches its first ultra-zoom with the X70, with an impressive 24x zoom, 12-megapixel resolution and CCD-shfit stabilization to help prevent camera shake. The camera will arrive in April for a recommended price of $399.95 We had the opportunity to try out a pre-production model at the PMA trade show in Las Vegas. Here's what we discovered.
| Top Point & Shoot Cameras |
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Design & Appearance
The Pentax X70 looks very much like an SLR writ small. It has the same form factor, matte black plastic, large grip, and pop-up flash. It's hardly a design breakthrough, but it looks decent enough, and quite sophisticated.
Size & Handling
While certainly smaller and lighter than most SLRs, the X70 still feels large and solid enough that it doesn't seem to be made of hollow plastic. The camera is 4.4 inches wide (112mm) by 3.2 inches heigh (81mm) by 3.9 inches deep (99mm), and weighs 14.5 oz (411g) with battery and memory card.
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| This camera fits well in the hand |
Menu
The menu system is entirely based around the Menu button, unsurprisingly, through the Green button on the lower right of the back of the camera can be set up to access four user-defined options, so that you can shortcut around the menu for serttings that are frequently changed. The menu system is superimposed over the live view on the LCD or viewfinder, which lets you keep composing your shot while changing options, but can also look busy and confusing at times.
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| That's definitely pre-production firmware |
Ease of Use
The X70 is designed as a halfway point between point-and-shoots and SLRs, and so shares features with both. It has full manual controls, much like an SLR, yet has a simple auto mode and a large number of scene modes, like a point-and-shoot. This combination is particularly appealing if different family members with a range of photographic expertise will be using the camera.
