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Pentax has added a new compact digital camera to its Optio line-up dubbed the Optio E60. This handy point-and-shoot model boasts of a 10.1-megapixel camera CCD and a very affordable price of $140.

For that amount you’ll get a digital camera with 3x optical zoom lens with wide angle view equivalent to 32mm to 96mm in 35mm format. This makes the E60 well suited for taking group shots, landscapes and architectural subjects. The Optio E60 also features various shooting modes which would surely give photo enthusiasts some nice photo taking experiences. These modes include auto picture, face recognition, high sensitivity digital shake reduction and a green mode that can be used for setting exposure, sensitivity and other parameters with a single touch of a button.

Other noteworthy features of this digital camera include its AA battery requirements, World Time and Date Imprint functions and an image recovery function for retrieving photos that are accidentally erased.

To be released sometime in October, the Optio E60 will sport a stylish black design.

Read [Business Wire]

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Pentax has just released the Optio V20, which is serving as an upgrade to the current V10. The new V20 comes with a few additional features, but keeps much of the same specs such as screen size. One of the main upgrades includes zoom going from 3x to 5x and Digital SR mode to ISO 3200 and ISO 6400. Additionally, the LCD screen size remains the same at 3-inches. Some additional, new, and neat features are its smile recognition software as well as blink detection. Unfortunately, this is only set to be released in Japan for now. Expect this digital camera sometime next month costing around $288 US. Keep reading for another picture of the V20, which shows off its backside.

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Another strong Pentax camera is ready to join their Optio S line up.  The S series is a slim-line digital camera full of state of the art features.  The S7 is raising up to 7 megapixels, and will introduce their “Face Recognition AF & AE”.  This function isn’t what it sounds like, but it still adds a lot to the camera.  Pentax says it “simplifies portrait-taking by automatically detecting the position of the subject’s face and adjusting the focus and exposure based on the detected position.“

The Optio S7 has a 3X optical zoom, a 2.5 inch LCD monitor and 23 MB of internal memory.  The camera also has a MPEG-4 DivX Movie Mode and will accept both SD memory cards and SDHC cards, up to 4GB.  The camera will go on the open market in September 2006, with a price under $300.

Read [Press Release]

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The Pentax Optio W20 follows in the path of the W10.  Both digital cameras are waterproof to a depth of five feet for up to 30 minutes.  The W10 offered a 6 megapixel resolution, while the W20 ups that to 7 megapixels.  Pentax also added to the W20, a new “Blur Reduction High ISO mode that selects ISO up to 1600”.  Other features for the W20 are the same as the W10, which include a 2.5 inch-115,000 pixel LCD monitor, QuickTime motion JPEG (640 x 480) at 30fps with anti-shake technology, and .6 second start-up and 0.05 second shutter lag.  This shutter lag will make multiple picture taking virtually uninterrupted.

According to Pentax’s announcement earlier this week, the Optio W20 will ship in September 2006 and sell for under $300.  Our only advice is not to take it into the deep end of the pool…we don’t want you to drown.

Via [Livingroom.org]

Read [Pentax]

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