Pentax Optio Z10 Review

Here you can see Auto mode. This is a fully automatic exposure mode that also allows you to select the image size and quality, AF setting and ISO.

When the shutter is half-pressed and the autofocus locks, the active AF point bracket will shrink and turn green, and when you are in auto mode, the smiley face will appear in the corner. Shutter speed and aperture values are also displayed.

Press the 4-way controller down "MODE" to change the exposure mode. Choices are: Auto, Program AE, Night Scene, Movie, Voice, Landscape, Flower, Natural Skin Tone/Portrait, Snow, Kids, Digital SR, Sport, Pet, Food, and Frame Composite. A brief explanation of each modes intended use is displayed when you hover over it for a few seconds (shown above.)

Record Menu options:

Recorded Pixels - 8M, 5M, 4M, 3M, 2M, 1024, 640
Quality Level - Best (***), Better (**) or Good (*)
White Balance - Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent or Manual
AF Setting - Choose focusing area, focus limiter
AE Metering - Multi segment, Center-weighted or Spot
Sensitivity - Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200
EV Compensation - ±2.0 in 1/3EV steps
Movie - Adjust movie mode settings (shown below)
Digital Wide - Shooting extra-wide angle shots
Digital Zoom - On/Off
Instant Review - 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 secs. and Off
Memory - Saves shooting function settings when camera is turned off
Green Button - Define function of the GREEN button (Green Mode or Fn Setting)
Sharpness - Hard, Normal or Soft
Saturation - Hard, Normal or Soft
Contrast - Hard, Normal or Soft
Date Imprint - Adds the date to your photographs

Movie mode lets you record motion video in 640x480 or 320x240 resolution at 3 quality levels, audio is also recorded. The length of movies is limited only by available memory. The full 7x optical zoom is operational during recording and may be turned on or off in the movie menu. This model features a digital anti-shake system to reduce the occurrence of camera shake in your movies. Movies are saved in .AVI (Motion JPEG) file format.

Movie options found under the Rec. Menu.

Record Pixels - 640x480 or 320x240
Quality Level - Best (***), Better (**) or Good (*)
Frame Rate - 30fps, 15fps
Color Mode - Full, Black & White, Sepia
Movie SR - On or Off
AF w/ Recording - On or Off
Optical Zoom - On or Off

Setup options:

Format - Format the SD card
Sound - Adjust camera sounds
Date Adjust - Set Date/Time
Alarm - Set alarm once or daily
World Time - Set World Time
Language - Set user Language
Folder Name - Chose Standard or Date
USB Connection - PictBridge, PC
Video Out - NTSC or PAL
Brightness Level - Adjust LCD back light
Power Saving - Off, 5sec, 15sec, 30sec, 1min, 2min
Auto Power Off - Off, 3min. or 5min.
Guide Display - Enable the brief popup labels when switching modes
Reset - Reset the camera to Default