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"Picky Details" for the Pentax Optio 330RS digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)

Timing
I measure both cycle times and shutter delay times, using a proprietary Imaging Resource test system. Here are the numbers I collected for the Pentax Optio 330RS

 

Pentax Optio 330RS Timings
Operation
Time (secs)
Notes
Power On -> First shot
5.3
Average to slightly slower than average for a camera with a zoom lens.
Shutdown
4.2
Average to slightly slower than average for a camera with a zoom lens..
Play to Record, first shot
0.68
Time until first shot is captured. Very fast.
Record to play
0.78
Time to display a large/fine file after capture. Pretty fast.
Shutter lag, full autofocus
0.76/1.31
First time is for wide angle zoom setting, second is for telephoto. Wide angle time somewhat faster than average, tele time is a good bit slower than average. Consistent in my lab testing, but highly variable shutter lag in "real world" situations.
Shutter lag, manual focus
0.13
Time to capture in manual focus mode. Quite a bit faster than average.
Shutter lag, prefocus
0.024
Time to capture, after half-pressing shutter button. Astonishingly fast. (!)
Cycle Time, max/min resolution
1.57/(2.0-2.9)
1.36
First number is for large/fine files, numbers in parentheses are large/fine for second and subsequent shots. (I found a range of times.) Lower number is for small/basic images, with relatively constant delays between shots there. Quite fast between first and second shot in large/fine mode, about average between subsequent ones. Fast between all shots at small/basic resolution.
Cycle Time, continuous mode, max/min resolution
3.4/1.2
Not really a "Continuous" mode as in most cameras - The 330RS waits to save each shot to the memory card before snapping the next one. (That is, no use of buffer memory.) Quite slow for large/fine files, faster for small/basic ones.)

 

The Optio 330RS is a bit of a mixed bag, speed wise. It's shutter lag in my lab tests ranged from better than average at wide angle zoom settings to slower than average at telephoto ones. In "real world" settings though, the shutter sometimes took much longer to release (1.5+ seconds?), although I wasn't able to determine what contributed to the sporadic long delays. In manual focus mode, it's much faster than average though, and in prefocus mode it's absolutely blazing. Shot to shot cycle times are quite fast for the first two shots in large/fine mode, average for subsequent ones. Quite fast for small/basic files. "Continuous mode" on the 330RS is quite slow, as the camera pauses to record each shot to the memory card before snapping the next one.

Power
The Optio 330RS uses a tiny custom LiIon cell for its power source, but manages to get surprisingly good run times from it. As always, I *strongly* recommend buying a spare battery though. - Digipower now makes a third-party battery, their BP-NP60, so it should be relatively easy to find an extra battery in the stores.) The table below shows the Optio 330RS' power consumption in various modes, and approximate run times for each, based the 1030 mAh rated life of its 3.7v LiIon battery pack:

 

Operating Mode
Power
(@4.5 volts on the external power terminal)
Est. Minutes
(w/provided LiIon battery pack)
Capture Mode, w/LCD
429 mA
119
Capture Mode, no LCD
330 mA
155
Half-pressed shutter w/LCD
432 mA
118
Half-pressed w/o LCD
333 mA
153
Memory Write (transient)
460 mA
n/a
Flash Recharge (transient)
1012 mA
n/a
Image Playback
275 mA
186

 

Overall, very good for an ultra compact camera. Unfortunately, the 330RS lost the extraordinary battery life the 330 had, when operating with the LCD off. Still, very good battery life for a tiny camera.

 

Storage Capacity
The Optio 330RS stores its images either on its 11 MB of internal memory, or on Type I CompactFlash cards. Because it has no internal memory, I strongly recommend buying at least a 32MB card, preferably a 64 MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings. The chart below shows how many images can be stored in the rather skimpy internal memory at each size/quality setting.

 

Image Capacity vs
Resolution/Quality
11 MB Internal Memory
Fine
Normal
Economy
Full Resolution 2048x1536 Images
(Avg size)		 6
1.8 MB		 9
1.2 MB
14
753 KB
Approx.
Compression 		5:1 8:1
13:1
High Resolution 1024x768 Images
(Avg size)
9
1.1 MB
15
703 KB
21
502 KB
Approx.
Compression
5:1
8:1
12:1
Medium Resolution 1024x768 Images
(Avg size)
21
502 KB
36
301 KB
47
231 KB
Approx.
Compression
5:1
8:1
10:1
Low Resolution 640x480
Images
(Avg size)
43
251 KB
68
161 KB
91
120 KB
Approx.
Compression
4:1
6:1
8:1

 

Download Speed
The Optio 330RS has a USB connection for downloading pictures to a PC. I clocked it at 717 KB/second, the fastest time I've yet measured for a USB-connected camera. VERY fast, you won't be needing a card reader with this puppy! Another plus is that the 330RS' USB connection is a "storage class" one, meaning that you don't need special driver software if you're running Mac OS 8.6 or later, or Windows XP.

 

 

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