Press Releases

Pentax Canada Announces RZ10

PENTAX Optio RZ10

A high-performance digital compact camera featuring a compact, lightweight body and 10X optical zoom lens

Mississauga, ON – September 9, 2010

PENTAX Canada Inc. is pleased to announce the introduction of the PENTAX Optio RZ10 digital compact camera. The Optio RZ10 offers a high-magnification 10X optical zoom that can handle a wide variety of subjects and occasions — from travel and landscape to action and sports. It also provides a host of advanced features including a high resolution 14 megapixel CCD, dual shake reduction for effective reduction of camera shake, and an upgraded Auto Picture mode. Sporting a simple but functional exterior design, the stylish, lightweight Optio RZ10 is the perfect partner for all casual photographers.

The Optio RZ-10 will be available in Canada October 2010.

Major Features

1. Optical 10X zoom lens for a variety of subjects and scenes
Equipped with a high-performance 10X optical zoom lens covering focal lengths from 28mm wide angle to 280mm telephoto (in the 35mm format), the Optio RZ10 can capture beautiful, pictures with a wide range of subjects and scenes — from spectacular landscapes to fast-action sports events. It also offers high-quality macro shooting, down to just one centimeter away from the subject. When coupled with the Intelligent Zoom function, which allows for even tighter zooming in on the subject, the zoom range can be extended to approximately 67 times to cover the focal length of a 1876mm super-telephoto lens (equivalent in the 35mm format).

2. Automatic selection of the most appropriate shooting mode
The Optio RZ10 features an upgraded version of the PENTAX-original Auto Picture mode, which automatically selects the most appropriate shooting mode for a given subject or scene by accurately assessing various photographic conditions on and around the subject. This user-friendly mode instantly and reliably selects one of 16 shooting modes (eight conventional modes, plus eight new modes including Blue Sky, Sunset and Pet) and optimizes various camera settings, including sensitivity and shutter speed, to assure the best results.

3. Dual shake reduction to assure sharp, blur-free images
By combining a CCD-shift-type SR (Shake Reduction) mechanism with a Pixel Track SR, the Optio RZ10’s dual shake reduction system minimizes annoying camera shake more effectively than before. The photographer is assured of sharp, blur-free images even under demanding photographic conditions prone to camera shake, such as when using a telephoto lens or when shooting a sunset or indoor scene without flash.

4. High-quality HDTV-proportion movie recording
The Optio RZ10 captures beautiful, high-definition-TV-quality movie clips (1280 x 720 pixels).* It also features the sophisticated Movie SR (Shake Reduction) mode,** which automatically compensates camera shake during movie shooting with the help of exclusive software. Everyone can enjoy high-quality movie shooting with minimal effort. You can also extract stills at 1280 x 720 resolution from HDTV movies in the camera.
* When the Optio RZ10’s AV output terminal is used, movie clips are output as normal image-size data. If the user wishes to play back movie clips at high-definition TV proportions (1280 x 720 pixels), the data must be transferred to a personal computer for playback.
** When the Movie SR mode is selected, the angle of view becomes narrower than normal shooting.

5. Exceptional image quality
By coupling approximately 14 effective megapixel resolution with a high-performance imaging engine capable of reproducing true-to-life colours, the Optio RZ10 delivers brilliant, high-quality images with well-defined details. Even when images are enlarged, users are assured of sharp, high-resolution prints with edge-to-edge sharpness.

6. Automatic face detection for beautiful, lively snapshots
The Optio RZ10 features the sophisticated Face Detection AF & AE function. This user-friendly function instantly and accurately detects up to 32 faces in the image field, then optimizes focus and exposure settings in a mere 0.03 seconds. The Optio RZ10 also comes equipped with other convenient features to assist the photographer in capturing beautiful snapshots, including the Small Face filter that makes the subject’s face appear smaller than actual in recorded images— ideal for pictures of children, Smile Capture mode that automatically releases the shutter the moment the camera detects the subject’s smile and the Blink Detection function that warns the photographer when the subject’s eyes are closed when the picture is taken.

7. Unique Pet mode for automatic detection of dog and cat faces
The Optio RZ10 features a much-improved Pet mode, which comes in handy when taking pictures of dogs and cats. This upgraded version not only assures far greater accuracy in detecting the three pre-registered faces of dogs and/or cats, but is also capable of automatically detecting unregistered faces of dogs and cats.

8. Casual, all-purpose design for every occasion
The Optio RZ10’s casual but stylish lightweight design makes it perfect for all occasions, from trips to day-to-day snapshots and at holiday events. It is designed to be functional and maneuverable, while meticulous attention has been given to every part of the camera body, including the smoothly rounded edges, an easy-to-hold rubber-coated grip, and a beautiful, lustrous alumite-finish black lens barrel.

9. Other features
(1) Large, easy-to-view 2.7-inch colour LCD monitor with approximately 230,000 dots
(2) Burst Shooting of up to 40 images at a maximum speed of 9.1 images per second
(3) Digital filters, including Fish-Eye, Toy Camera and Retro, to add creative visual effects
(4) Choice of three image sizes (4:3, 16:9 and 1:1) to accommodate different applications
(5) D-Range setting to prevent whitewashed (overexposed) and black-out (underexposed) areas in an image
(6) Digital Panorama mode to effortlessly create a single panoramic picture from as many as three images
(7) Excellent high ISO performance up to 6400 ISO
(8) Manual White Balance available to handle tricky mixed lighting situations.
(9) MediaImpression 2.0 for PENTAX for image viewing, editing and filing applications (compatible with the latest operating systems, including Windows 7 and Mac OS X 10.6)
(10) Eye-Fi connected: optimized for use with Eye-Fi wireless memory cards

PENTAX Canada Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of HOYA CORPORATION PENTAX Imaging Systems Division of Japan and maintains offices in Mississauga. PENTAX Canada Inc. markets digital SLR and compact cameras, lenses, sport optics, closed circuit television lenses and medical equipment.

PENTAX on the web at www.pentax.ca