Pentax Optio I-10 Conclusions

CONCLUSIONS
The Optio I-10 is a fun camera to use. It's very attractive thanks to its small size and retro appearance. Despite its plastic construction, it is fairly solid. The camera is easy to hold and has a nice, widescreen LCD. There are a few ergonomic quirks, though. I did not care for the plastic, off-center tripod socket and the very fragile battery compartment cover. I would have preferred a zoom control lever that faced forward rather than backward.

However, there is a lot to like about the Optio I-10. The camera is quick and takes good looking photos and HD movies, with accurate white balance. Images are sharp in the center, though not as sharp in the corners of the frame, but there's little chromatic aberration and no vignetting. Like so many other point-and-shoots, it isn't immune to problems with overexposure in bright shooting situations. I really enjoyed playing with the neat filters, and the fact that they were in playback mode rather than recording mode was not a problem.

Overall, while the I-10 is not perfect, it's a good, small, snapshot camera and well worth purchasing, especially if you can pick it up for the street price.

Pros:

• Intriguing appearance
• Easy to hold
• Quick performer
• Good looking images and movies

Cons:

• Plastic, off-center tripod socket
• Fragile battery compartment cover
• Backward-facing zoom lever
• Overexposure

Individual Ratings: *

Image/Video Quality 
Features 
Design/Ease of Use 
Performance 
* Ratings averaged to produce final score