The Digital Camera Reviews

The 10.1 megapixel, 3x zoom 1050 SW is designed to handle just about anything active shooters can throw at it (or throw it into), with a body that sealed against the elements and designed to absorb impacts. The camera’s 2.7 inch HyperCrystal II LCD display is also ruggedized, and provides five steps of brightness adjustment for shooting in a range of lighting conditions. Low-light illumination courtesy of a front-mounted LED expands the underwater shooting versatility of the 1050, which, as noted, can safely be submerged at depths of up to 10 feet without a separate waterproof housing.

More conventional features include face detection technology that can recognize up to 16 faces at a time, as well as a Smile Shot feature that tracks a subject’s faces, detects a smile, and fires the shutter accordingly. Aforementioned Shadow Adjustment Technology provides some leeway for shooting where lighting conditions are harsh or less than ideal, and Perfect Shot Preview and Perfect Fix in-camera editing provide tools for correcting image exposure either before or after the capture.

Processing is provided by Olympus’s current-generation TruePic III imaging engine. Unfortunately, though, image stabilization technology is a little more behind the times, with the 1050 receiving only an ISO-boosting digital image stabilization system.

Pentax touts the P70 as the lightest Optio in the line, weighing in at 4.4 ounces in shooting configuration (battery and memory card onboard). The camera measures out at 3.8 x 2.1 x .8 inches - the first two figures are nothing unusual in the compact ranks, but that .8 makes the P70 a bit slimmer than a lot of competitors, and that translates into better pocketability (or at least a reduced unsightly bulge).

The camera features a 4x Pentax zoom lens covering a 35mm film equivalent focal range of 27.5 to 110mm.Besides the 12 megapixel sensor, there’s a 2.7 inch LCD with 230,000 dot composition, a nominal 64 to 1600 ISO sensitivity range (with 3200 and 6400 ISO available at a reduced resolution of 5 megapixels), new Pixel Track Shake Reduction technology, Advanced Face Recognition that tracks up to 32 faces in 0.03 seconds, and both Smile Capture that automatically releases the shutter when subjects smile, and Blink Detection to alert you if your subject’s eyes are closed. The camera accepts SD or SDHC memory media, and there is about 33.7MB of built-in memory.

Pentax includes USB and AV cables, a Li-Ion battery and charger with AC plug cord, wrist strap and CD-ROM software with each camera.

This camera is the best one to get if you’re new to digital photography, because it is very affordable, and extremely easy to use. It offers traditional Kodak features that we’ve come to expect, and to love. Plus, they have improved those features with this camera.

• 7 Mega pixels
• 3x optical zoom / 5-x digital zoom
• Auto focus, auto, and manual exposure
• Movie mode with sound
• Ultra compact size
• High ISO resolution, for incredibly realistic color

With a price starting out at only $99, this is a terrific camera for the novice, or for a more experienced photographer who wants a camera just to carry in their pocket.