Pentax Optio T10 Compact camera

Posted by T3 Online on Mon 29 Oct 2007

Touchscreen snapper points to the future.

This slender shooter includes a massive three-inch touchscreen LCD, which lets you run through menus like lager through a digestive system, scroll round large or zoomed images with ease and even draw or write on your snaps.

Menus are made even simpler by large, idiot-proof icons. Once you're used to the system, you'll soon be changing features and scrolling through pictures as though to the manner born.

The "My Drawing" tools are especially enjoyable. You can draw on your pictures with the stylus, and add clipart effects such as pints of beer, lips and sunglasses. Can you tell what it is yet?

Adding to the trophy-gadget feel is the high-quality, two-tone aluminium body. This oozes class. With only two buttons on the back, it totally avoids the confusing clutter of many rivals.
This is no dumb beauty - the good looks are matched by top photographic results. There's tons of detail - on macro shots particularly - and colours look very natural. It does a good job of taking video too, although you can't use the zoom.

All the tools you need to take great shots are provided. There are eight scene modes and you can tweak the white balance, sensitivity and metering. A varied selection of effects are on hand to jazz up your pictures, alongside colour, blur and brightening filters.

On the debit side, this can be a bit ponderous. It takes an agonising three seconds to power up, and shutter and focus speeds can't match, say, Sony's T9.

Still, when you've got a capable camera with a durable body, gorgeous looks, innovative features and a blisteringly good touchscreen, a lack of speed doesn't matter too much.