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PENTAX Introduces 10.0
Megapixel
Compact Digital — The Optio A20
Mississauga, ON – August 21, 2006
PENTAX is pleased to announce the introduction
of the new PENTAX Optio A20, a compact digital
camera featuring 10.0 effective megapixels
and fine, high-quality imaging.
The Optio A20 is the latest model in our
flagship Optio A series. In addition to
offering 10.0 effective megapixels, this
stylish, compact and lightweight model has
many extra features, including three types
of anti-shake function, including SR (Shake
Reduction) to help deliver sharper images.
MAIN FEATURES
1. High-Quality Image
(1) 10.0 effective megapixels image quality
Despite its compact dimensions, the Optio
A20 produces extremely clear, high-quality
images, thanks to the high resolution afforded
by its 10.0 effective megapixels. This superb
level of resolution makes it possible to
produce prints with crisp detail. The Optio
A20 has a large
1/1.8-inch CCD with a wide light-sensitive
area, offering superior tone reproduction,
fine textures, and greater noise reduction.
(2) High-performance smc PENTAX zoom lens
The Optio A20 is equipped with a smc PENTAX
zoom lens, which is renowned for its clarity
and high-contrast image performance. Its
lens configuration, with seven elements
in five groups, including three aspherical
elements, effectively corrects for spherical
aberration. The lenses are coated using
a PENTAX-developed technique, which greatly
reduces ghosting and flare.
(3) New ASIC*1
A new ASIC supplies the Optio A20 with
dramatically more image-processing power.
Thanks to the ASIC’s high-speed processing
capability, the Optio A20 attains a higher
level of tone reproduction and colour correction
based on enormous amounts of actual photo
data.
*1: Application Specific Integrated Circuit
2. Three Types of Anti-Shake Functions
(1) SR (Shake Reduction)
The SR (Shake Reduction) mechanism, developed
by PENTAX, features two gyro sensors that
detect the amount of shake, and an image
sensor (CCD) that moves both horizontally
and vertically to reduce the camera shake.
The SR mechanism effectively prevents shake
at the instant that the shutter is pressed
to take a photograph.
(2) Blur Reduction mode*2
In this mode, the camera automatically
adjusts the sensitivity to as high as ISO
1600 according to the brightness of the
subject. The higher sensitivities permit
faster shutter speeds that reduce not only
camera shake but also the blurring caused
by moving subjects.
*2 The image recording size is fixed to
5 M (2592 x 1944 pixels) when Blur Reduction
mode is selected.
(3) Movie Anti-Shake Function*3
Camera shake while taking a movie can also
be corrected automatically by software,
thanks to an electronic, movie anti-shake
function.
*3 Using the movie anti-shake function
results in a narrower field of view than
during normal recording.
3. Face Recognition AF & AE for
beautiful one-step portraits
The Optio A20 includes the new Face Recognition
AF & AE*4 function, which allows you
to take bright, beautiful photos of people
with perfectly focused faces that are free
of shadows caused by exposing for the background
or for the colours of clothing. This useful
function automatically detects the position
of the subject’s anywhere in the photo
frame and then adjusts the focus and optimizes
the exposure for the detected position.
*4 This camera’s Face Recognition
AF & AE function uses the Face Tracker
face-recognition technology from FotoNation.
4. Auto-tracking AF continuously focuses
on a moving subject
The Optio A20’s auto-tracking AF feature
continuously focuses on subjects, such as
children or pets, which move around unpredictably
while you are trying to take the picture.
Since the focus frame automatically follows
the movement of the subject inside the photo
frame, you can be sure to capture those
instantaneous photo opportunities.
5. High-quality movies with an anti-shake
function
The Optio A20 smoothly captures movies
at 30 fps (frames per second) at sizes up
to 640 x 480 pixels with image quality rivaling
camcorders. Since it employs the DivX®
(MPEG-4 compliant) movie format,*5 the Optio
A20 can record longer, high-quality movies.
*5 The Optio A20 is DivX® certified.
Movie playback is not supported on Macintosh
operating systems.
6. Auto Picture mode automatically determines
the best settings for the shooting conditions
The Auto Picture mode lets the camera automatically
determine the shooting conditions for Landscape,
Portrait, Night Scene, and Program modes
and then chooses the optimum settings for
each subject. This PENTAX-original function
makes photography a lot easier for users
because it eliminates the need to make a
number of individual settings.
7. A wide range of exposure setting
modes
In Programmed Exposure mode, the Optio
A20 automatically determines the shutter
speed and aperture. The camera also includes
“Shutter-Priority AE” mode and
“Manual Exposure” mode, which
can be set freely depending on the effect
the user is aiming to achieve.
8. Compact and lightweight body
Despite incorporating a large CCD and the
SR system, PENTAX engineers managed to create
a slimmer and lighter body by using our
unique Sliding Lens System*6 together with
high-density mounting technology.
*6 PENTAX’s proprietary lens system:
The central lens group slides upward from
the optical axis and the front and back
lens groups slip under them. Housing the
lens in two steps in the lens cylinder reduces
overall lens thickness, thereby minimizing
body depth.
9. Supports the SDHC memory card for
greater storage of high-quality images and
longer movies
The Optio A20 supports two removable storage
media: the conventional SD memory cards
and the new SDHC memory cards.*7
*7 SD High Capacity; these memory cards
have capacities in excess of 2 GB.
10. Red-eye correction available after
shooting
The Optio A20 comes with FotoNation’s
red-eye correction function, which can correct
red-eye problems, a side effect of flash
photography, after the photo is taken. With
the ability to manually select the area
to correct, this function allows for more
precise correction of red-eye photos.
11. Other Features
1) Calendar Display function allows image
retrieval based on the capture date
2) Easy image search and arrangement on
a PC using a Date Folder function
3) Green Mode enables the use of fixed,
automatic settings when taking a photograph
4) Digital zooming provides up to 4X magnification
5) Approximately 22MB of built-in memory
6) Pan-focus function for effortless snapshots
7) ACDSee for PENTAX image viewer/image
management software
8) USB 2.0 (hi-speed) compatible
9) Supports PictBridge, DPOF functions,
Exif Print, and PRINT Image Matching III
PENTAX Canada Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary
of PENTAX Corporation of Japan and maintains
offices in Mississauga. PENTAX markets cameras,
lenses, binoculars, surveying equipment,
closed circuit television lenses and medical
equipment.
PENTAX on the web at www.pentax.ca
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