Pentax Optio 750Z review posted
By
Dave Etchells
(Tuesday, January 11, 2005 - 12:17 EST)
With a 7.0-megapixel CCD, 5x optical zoom lens, exposure control ranging from fully automatic to fully manual, and a wide selection of creative modes and features, the Pentax Optio 750Z offers a lot of the functionality of higher-end digicams in a compact, easy to use package.
The camera's varying levels of exposure control suit it for any level of user, and novices will enjoy being able to slowly expand their control as they gain more experience. New Optio features such as the Digital Exposure Metering mode and customizable LCD display refresh the line, while expanded options like an 11-point AF area and swiveling LCD monitor make the camera even more flexible.
I liked the mix of features and functions a lot, and found the "retro" styling with the pseudo-leather accents very appealing. I was less enthusiastic about its color handling and shooting speed though. While its color rendering is technically more accurate than many digicams, that translates into somewhat understated colors, and the saturation adjustment had too few steps to let me really tweak the color to get it looking the way I wanted. For my taste (you might feel differently, be sure to check out the 750's images in our Comparometer(tm)), I ended up with color that was either a little too saturated, or a little too dull. More steps in the color saturation adjustment, covering the same range would have let me get it just right.
Also, while its shutter lag was solidly in the middle of the average range for consumer digital cameras, its shot to shot cycle time was rather sluggish by current standards. That said, the camera does have a lot going for it: If you like slightly less saturated color than is the norm in the current digital camera marketplace, and don't need to capture rapid-fire action, the Pentax 750z packs a lot of photographic capability into a compact, attractive package. Read our review of the Pentax 750Z for all the details!
|
