Pentax Goes For The Bargain Market With The Optio RZ10, RS1000

Pentax just announced two new budget P&S cameras, both of which are quite reasonably priced and ready to go into your purse or pocket for taking snaps of the kids. The RS1000, is customizable based on the color or design you chose, with a removable face plate and free Skinit gift card. Of the two, the RZ10 is a more serious camera, with a choice between four different colors: black, white, lime, and violet, as well as 10x optical zoom.

The RS1000 is a 14 megapixel, 4x optical zoom, ultra-compact camera with 720p video. Roughly the size of a credit card, the RS1000 is quite obviously aimed at the casual snapshot shooter. MRSP is $149.95

If you want one, I say go for it, but keep in mind that the picture quality may not be the best.

The Optio RZ10 however, is aimed at a slightly more discerning audience. The RZ10 has a 14 megapixel sensor was well, and it has a much more reasonable 10x optical zoom, 720p video, shake reduction, and support for the Eye-Fi wireless memory card. The RZ10 also has some built in art features (like toy camera and sepia), allowing you to make changes to the image before you upload it to you computer. MSRP on the RZ10 is $219.95, and you’ll be able to pick one up this fall.