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Reviews (6)
02 February 2013
An unpretentious, not-so-basic camera which performs well, and good value.
6 of 6 found this helpful I wanted a basic camera with a few features that I could rely on in an emergency - twice now, I've been in a situation when my other cameras batteries have failed (and I always carry spares!) due to cold and when I just didn't remember to pack them. This one goes with me everywhere in a plastic bag, and it gets abused. I can get the AA batteries anywhere. Its features are, for such a cheap camera, amazing; there is an intelligent mode and plenty of programmes to play with. I've used (expensive) Lumix's before (with Leica lenses) and have always been impressed by their rock-solid build and reliability.
It's difficult to dislike this camera, because of its unpretentiousness - out of the box, it performed well, and went on performing in bad weather (freezing temps, driving rain) when I really needed a back-up. Ok, it's an all-plastic body (lens isn't, though) and the screen isn't huge - there's no viewfinder and alkaline batteries only give around 150 shots - a lot less if flash is used - BUT, for the price of ten pints, who's bothering about that? I would have liked a cheap case for protection, but a placcy bag does just as well. Picture quality is very good at 5 megapixels and with 14 megapixels you can't go wrong, if you want that kind of resolution. Shutter lag time is lengthy, so it's no quick-on the-draw - just don't expect miracles.
But it's no Canon Ixus, Nikon One or any other £150-£300 compact, and I don't think Panasonic ever intended for this camera to compete with them either. I would certainly get one of these for the kids (one each), just to let them snap away - a perfect present, in fact.
If you're a budding photographer, or just want an extra back-up in the car or rucksack, you won't go wrong with this camera - in fact, I'm already really rather fond of it!
Less is more, sometimes.
08 April 2016
Very impressive performance from an understated (and undervalued) maker.
What a pleasant surprise these binoculars are - they easily match Zeiss (Conquest 8x30) and Leica (Trinovid 8x32) binoculars for resolution at a fraction of the price. If you didn't know what you were looking through given the same lighting conditions, etc. you would rate them with the top 4 makers, no doubt about it. I've used all these worthy bins at one time or another, but this Pentax is a revelation.
They're longer than the rest (except Nikon), but lighter and easier to handle, being well-balanced. Also, you're safe in the knowledge that they are guaranteed waterproof and shockproof; a dedicated birdwatcher could take them anywhere in all weathers. My expensive and precious Ultravids will be getting a rest from now on, and I will be looking out for a 10x example of this model pretty soon.
Well done, Pentax!
03 May 2016
Awful; just awful.
1 of 1 found this helpful Don't buy this book - anyone who puts their post grad. degrees on the front cover is automatically suspect - and the content is just so much drivel. I tore it up and threw it away.