Pentax Optio A20 review

Pentax's flagship compact is slow and steady

Our Score 4

Last reviewed: 2006-12-19December 19th 2006

Compact cameras Review

Price at launch	£280.00
MPN	Optio A20
Manufacturer's Description	The flagship of the Optio digital camera line, the high-end PENTAX Optio A20 offers the pinnacle of PENTAX compact digital photography in an ultra-compact aluminum alloy body. With a 10.0 megapixel CCD, a 3X optical zoom lens, built in Shake Reduction and Tracking AF, the Optio A20 offers a versatile manual-shooting mode. Add to this, a 232,000 pixel 2.5 inch LCD and Movie mode MPEG-4 DivX (640 x 480) capture at 30fps and guaranteed video playback on all DivX certified devices. The convenient charging cradle recharges a Lithium-ion battery in the camera.
Accessories	Hand strap, USB cable, A/V cable
Colour	Silver
Dimensions	89 x 55 x 23
Weight (g)	125
Battery Type	Lithium-Ion Rechargable
Camera Type	Compact
Display Size	2.5
Display Technology	TFT LCD
Effective Pixels	10
Exposure Modes	Candlelight, Cuisine, Flower, Food, Frame Position, Landscape, Night Scene, Portrait, Snow, Sport, Surf, Text
Exposure bracketing	2
Flash	Yes
Flash Features	Auto, On/Off, OTHER, Red Eye Red.
Flash Modes	Auto, Fill-in, Off, Red-Eye Reduction
Focusing Modes	Manual
ISO Settings	100, 200, 400, 64
Image Formats	JPEG, Pictbridge
Image Sensor Resolution	232
Image Sensor Type	1/1.8inch CCD
Max Aperture	2.8
Max Focal Length	23.7
Max Movie Recording Resolution	640 x 480
Max. Captured Image Resolution	3648 x 2736
Memory Types	Internal, SD, SDHC
Metering Modes	Centre weighted, Multi zone, Spot
Microphone Type	Built-In Mono
Min Aperture	5.4
Min Focal Length	7.9
Movie Mode	Yes
Optical Zoom	3
Shooting Modes	FrameMovie
Software Provided	Drivers & Utilities, ACD Systems ACDsee
Video Capture Framerate	30
Weatherproofing	Yes
White Balance	Auto, Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent, Manual, Presets, Tungsten
LCD Display?	Yes