The Pentax Optio X70 features a wide-angle stabilized 24X optical zoom lens, a basic set of manual controls plus HD 720p movie-recording. The standout feature is obviously the zoom lens which lets photographers frame about anything but the high-definition movie-mode adds another dimension to what this camera can do.

 

As for performance, compromises are expected but the Pentax X70 keeps image quality decently usable up to ISO 400. Noise is average, exposure is rather good and so is focusing accuracy. Where the X70 lags the most is in terms of speed of operation, responsiveness is clearly and issue, as is focus speed which varies enormously. Shot-to-shot speeds and playback zoom are also quite slow. Zooming and startup are good though. Also, this digital camera suffers from pronounced and complex distortion near wide-angle.

 

Good ergonomics generally make this camera simple and efficient to use. Most controls are intuitive and easy to use. The only problematic one is the control-wheel which feels sticky and updates settings rather slowly. The LCD and EVF are usable under bright and low light but the low-resolution EVF makes judging focus hard.

 

The bottom line is that the Pentax Optio X70 provides a good compromise between performance and versatility. It is mostly suited for static subjects in good light due to noisy high-ISO, relatively slow performance and limited shutter-speed range. The recently reviewed Nikon P90 offers a different compromise with faster performance but lesser image quality and no HD movie-mode.

 

Read the full X70 review.