Pentax Optio W10 Performance


Timing and Performance

Good to slightly slow speed for a consumer camera.

Startup/Shutdown
Power on
to first shot
2.9 seconds
Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy
Shutdown
0.9 seconds
How long it takes to retract lens
Buffer clearing time
8 seconds
Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Mode switching
Play to Record,
first shot
1.3 seconds
Time until first shot is captured
Record to play
4.0 seconds
Time to display a large/fine file immediately after capture
Display
recorded image
0.3 second
Time to display a large/fine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time):
Full Autofocus Wide
0.95 second
Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele
0.99 second
Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Prefocused
0.12 second
Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Manual focus
0.51 second
For most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus, but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused"
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode
Large Fine JPEG
2.51 seconds
6 frames total;
8 seconds to clear
Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first
Single Shot mode
640x480 JPEG
2.71 seconds
Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots
Early shutter
penalty?
No
Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer
Continuous mode
Large Fine JPEG
0.94 second (1.06 frames per second);
6 frames total;
6 seconds to clear
Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first
Continuous mode
640x480 JPEG
0.91 second (1.10 frames per second)
Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots
Continuous High Speed mode
2048x1536 JPEG
0.29 second (3.42 frames per second);
5 frames total;
5 seconds to clear
Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first
Flash recycling
5 seconds
Flash at maximum output
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0
843 KBytes/sec
Typical Values:
Less than 600=USB 1.1;
600-770=USB 2.0 Low;
771-4000=USB 2.0 High

The Pentax Optio W10's performance ranges from fair to slightly slow, beginning with its slow start-up time of 2.9 seconds. Shutter lag at wide angle and telephoto is fair, but "prefocus" times (half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure) are better, with a shutter delay of 0.12 second. Shot-to-shot cycle times are sluggish, at about 2.51 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, and the camera captures frames continuously at this rate. Continuous-mode speed is also on the slower side, at a bit over one frame/second, though the camera captures frames continuously at that rate. However, a High Speed mode captures 3.42 frames per second for a total of five frames, though only at the 2,048 x 1,536-pixel resolution. The flash has an average recycle time at 5 seconds after a full-power shot. Connected to a computer, download speeds are fast enough to negate a separate card reader, but not as fast as other digital cameras out on the market. Bottom line, the Optio W10 is responsive enough for most family photo opportunities, but its standard continuous shooting mode is a bit slow for sports or wiggly kids, and standard shot-to-shot cycle times are a bit slow as well.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Fair battery life with the custom rechargeable battery.

Operating Mode Number of Shots
LiIon Rechargeable Battery 240

The Pentax Optio W10 uses a custom rechargeable LiIon battery for power. Though battery life is pretty good, I strongly recommend picking up a spare battery and keeping it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Optio W10 accepts SD/MMC memory cards, though no card is included; 10.5MB RAM is built into the camera.

Image Capacity with
10.5MB Internal Memory
Fine Normal Basic
2,816 x 2,112 Images 3 7 10
File Size 3.1 MB 1.5 MB 1.0 MB
2,560 x 1,920 Images 4 8 11
File Size 2.6 MB 1.3 MB 929 KB
2,304 x 1,728 Images 5 10 15
File Size 2.1 MB 1.0 MB 717 KB
2,048 x 1,536 Images 6 13 19
File Size 1.6 MB 831 KB 570 KB
1,600 x 1,200 Images 10 17 25
File Size 1.0 MB 619 KB 424 KB
1,280 x 960 Images 13 23 32
File Size 831 KB 473 KB 342 KB
1,024 x 768 Images 21 35 45
File Size 521 KB 310 KB 244 KB
640 x 480 Images 42 61 84
File Size 261 KB 179 KB 130 KB

We strongly recommend buying at least a 256MB card, preferably a 512MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.

 

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