Pentax W10 Performance

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Pentax Optio W10 Performance

Timing and Performance

Good to slightly slow speed for a consumer camera.

Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	2.9 seconds	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy
Shutdown	0.9 seconds	How long it takes to retract lens
Buffer clearing time	8 seconds	Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Mode switching
Play to Record, first shot	1.3 seconds	Time until first shot is captured
Record to play	4.0 seconds	Time to display a large/fine file immediately after capture
Display recorded image	0.3 second	Time to display a large/fine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time):
Full Autofocus Wide	0.95 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele	0.99 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Prefocused	0.12 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Manual focus	0.51 second	For most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus, but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused"
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large Fine JPEG	2.51 seconds 6 frames total; 8 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first
Single Shot mode 640x480 JPEG	2.71 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots
Early shutter penalty?	No	Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer
Continuous mode Large Fine JPEG	0.94 second (1.06 frames per second); 6 frames total; 6 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first
Continuous mode 640x480 JPEG	0.91 second (1.10 frames per second)	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots
Continuous High Speed mode 2048x1536 JPEG	0.29 second (3.42 frames per second); 5 frames total; 5 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first
Flash recycling	5 seconds	Flash at maximum output
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	843 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-770=USB 2.0 Low; 771-4000=USB 2.0 High

The Pentax Optio W10's performance ranges from fair to slightly slow, beginning with its slow start-up time of 2.9 seconds. Shutter lag at wide angle and telephoto is fair, but "prefocus" times (half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure) are better, with a shutter delay of 0.12 second. Shot-to-shot cycle times are sluggish, at about 2.51 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, and the camera captures frames continuously at this rate. Continuous-mode speed is also on the slower side, at a bit over one frame/second, though the camera captures frames continuously at that rate. However, a High Speed mode captures 3.42 frames per second for a total of five frames, though only at the 2,048 x 1,536-pixel resolution. The flash has an average recycle time at 5 seconds after a full-power shot. Connected to a computer, download speeds are fast enough to negate a separate card reader, but not as fast as other digital cameras out on the market. Bottom line, the Optio W10 is responsive enough for most family photo opportunities, but its standard continuous shooting mode is a bit slow for sports or wiggly kids, and standard shot-to-shot cycle times are a bit slow as well.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Fair battery life with the custom rechargeable battery.

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
LiIon Rechargeable Battery	240

The Pentax Optio W10 uses a custom rechargeable LiIon battery for power. Though battery life is pretty good, I strongly recommend picking up a spare battery and keeping it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Optio W10 accepts SD/MMC memory cards, though no card is included; 10.5MB RAM is built into the camera.

Image Capacity with 10.5MB Internal Memory		Fine	Normal	Basic
2,816 x 2,112	Images	3	7	10
2,816 x 2,112	File Size	3.1 MB	1.5 MB	1.0 MB
2,560 x 1,920	Images	4	8	11
2,560 x 1,920	File Size	2.6 MB	1.3 MB	929 KB
2,304 x 1,728	Images	5	10	15
2,304 x 1,728	File Size	2.1 MB	1.0 MB	717 KB
2,048 x 1,536	Images	6	13	19
2,048 x 1,536	File Size	1.6 MB	831 KB	570 KB
1,600 x 1,200	Images	10	17	25
1,600 x 1,200	File Size	1.0 MB	619 KB	424 KB
1,280 x 960	Images	13	23	32
1,280 x 960	File Size	831 KB	473 KB	342 KB
1,024 x 768	Images	21	35	45
1,024 x 768	File Size	521 KB	310 KB	244 KB
640 x 480	Images	42	61	84
640 x 480	File Size	261 KB	179 KB	130 KB