Quick Review

Pentax Optio 330 Digital Camera

 

	Camera QuickLook
	User Level	Novice to experienced amateur
	Product Uses	Family / Travel / Special Events
	Digicam Design	Point and Shoot / Full Manual Control
	Picture Quality	Good, 3.34-megapixel CCD
	Print Sizes	Good prints to 8x10
	Availability	Now
	Suggested Retail Price	$699
	Review Date	01/16/2002

Camera Overview
The Optio 330 is about the same size as a deck of playing cards, making it one of the most portable digicams I've seen (similar in size to the Canon ELPH series). At 3.6 x 2.3 x 1.4 inches (92 x 59 x 31 millimeters) and 7.2 ounces (205 grams) without the battery or CompactFlash memory card, the Optio 330 can hitch a ride in just about any shirt pocket. The compact design includes a built-in lens cover which opens like a shutter when the lens telescopes out. The Optio 330's 3x zoom lens offers both manual and automatic focus control, which, combined with the variety of manual exposure options, packs an unusual amount of creative power into a tiny camera. The 3.34-megapixel CCD produces high resolution, print quality images, but also offers options for lower resolution images suited for email. With a good lens and a larger CCD than offered on most digicams this size, the Optio 330 is perfectly suited active adults and teens who don't want to compromise image quality for portability.

The Optio 330 has a 3x, 7.6-22.8mm lens, the equivalent of a 37-111mm lens on a 35mm camera. The lens can focus over a range of 1.31 feet (0.4 meters) to infinity in normal shooting mode, with a Macro option covering from 5.5 inches to 1.6 feet (0.14 to 0.5 meters). Not only does the Optio 330 offer manual and automatic focus control, it also allows you to change the area of the image that the camera determines focus from, useful when shooting off-center subjects. In addition to the optical zoom, the Optio 330 offers up to 2x digital zoom, (though I always remind readers that digital zoom decreases the overall image quality, since it simply enlarges the center pixels of the CCD image). You can choose between the real-image optical viewfinder or the 1.6-inch, color TFT LCD monitor to compose images, although I found the LCD monitor had the most accurate framing. (As is commonly the case.)

Exposure can be manually or automatically controlled on the Optio 330, a nice feature for novices wanting to learn more about photography: The convenience of fully automatic exposure when you want it, or full manual control when you want to experiment. An On/Off button on top of the camera turns the camera on or off, and a Mode dial allows you to select between Automatic, Twilight, Manual, and Movie exposure modes. Most exposure options are controlled through the LCD's on-screen menu system, which offers very straightforward navigation. That said, you can control focus mode (auto, macro, landscape, or manual), the self-timer, Continuous Shooting mode, exposure compensation, and the flash mode externally. In Manual exposure mode, the user can control aperture (selecting from two available apertures, which range from f/2.6 to f/4.8, and from f/5.0 to f/9.2, depending on the lens' zoom position) and shutter speed (from 1/2,000 to 15 seconds), in addition to the White Balance, Exposure Compensation, Metering Mode, ISO, Color Mode, Sharpness, Saturation, Contrast, and Flash settings (also available in Automatic mode). The Optio 330's built-in flash is effective from 5.52 inches to 12 feet (0.14 to 3.7 meters) with the lens at full wide angle, with a more limited range at the telephoto setting.

In addition to these basic exposure options (offering surprising flexibility for a subcompact camera), the Optio 330 has a few other tricks up its sleeve. In Movie exposure mode, the camera captures moving images (without sound) for a maximum of 30 seconds per movie. A Self-Timer mode provides a 10-second delay between pressing the shutter button and the camera actually taking the picture, allowing you to get into your own shots. A remote control is available as an accessory, meaning you can take your time arranging the shot before tripping the shutter with the remote. For shooting fast action subjects, the Optio 330's Continuous Shooting mode captures a rapid series of images for as long as you hold down the Shutter button, much like a motor drive on a traditional 35mm camera. The space available on the memory card determines the maximum number of images the camera will capture in the series, and details like resolution size and shutter speed determine the shooting interval. The Multiple Exposure mode allows you to expose one image on top of a previously-captured image, mimicking the effect of a double exposure in film photography. Finally, the Night Scene mode adjusts the camera for taking pictures in darker settings, by slowing down the shutter speed to allow more ambient light into the image (a tripod is recommended when shooting in this mode to keep the camera steady and prevent any blurring).

The Optio 330 stores images on CompactFlash Type I memory cards, and a 16MB Lexar card was included in the box with our eval unit. The camera uses a D-LI2 rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack for power, and both a battery and external charger are included with the camera. Since the Optio 330 does not accommodate AA batteries (or any other form of commonly available battery), I highly recommend buying an extra battery pack and keeping it freshly charged. The optional AC adapter could also be useful for preserving battery power when reviewing and downloading images.

Basic Features

• 3.34-megapixel CCD.
• Real-image optical viewfinder.
• 1.6-inch color TFT LCD monitor.
• Glass, 3x, 7.6-22.8mm lens, equivalent to a 37-111mm lens on a 35mm camera.
• 2x digital zoom.
• Automatic or full-manual exposure control.
• Shutter speeds from 1/2,000 to 15 seconds.
• Aperture range from f/2.6 to f/9.2, depending on lens zoom position.
• Built-in flash.
• CompactFlash (Type I) card storage, though card not included.
• Power supplied by one D-LI2 rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack or optional AC adapter.
• ACDSee software and USB drivers included for both Windows and Mac platforms.

Special Features

• Movie mode.
• Continuous Shooting mode.
• Multiple Exposure mode.
• Night Scene photography mode.
• 10-second Self-Timer for delayed shutter release.
• Remote-Control mode for use with optional remote-control.
• Adjustable color mode for black-and-white and sepia effects.
• Macro (close-up) lens setting.
• White balance (color) adjustment with six modes, including a manual adjustment.
• Image Contrast, Sharpness, and Saturation adjustments.
• Multi-Segment, Center-Weighted, and Spot metering modes.
• Sensitivity setting with two ISO equivalents and an Auto setting.
• Adjustable autofocus area.
• DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) compatibility.
• USB cable for connection to a computer (driver software included).

Recommendation
The Optio 330 offers decent picture quality in a very compact, well-engineered package. In full automatic mode, it'll be a good match for point & shoot photographers wanting a camera that travels easily in a shirt pocket or purse. With a full-manual mode though, it should also serve well as a "second camera" for enthusiasts too. Overall, an excellent entry into the ultra-compact digicam market.

Design
No bigger than a deck of playing cards, the Optio 330 is one of the most portable digicams I've seen. Its sleek, smooth styling is free from any significant protrusions except for the lens, which telescopes outward when powered on. When powered off, the Optio 330's small dimensions of 3.6 x 2.3 x 1.4 inches (92 x 59 x 31 millimeters) mean you can stash it in a shirt pocket or even a small evening bag. The Optio 330 is light weight as well, at just 7.2 ounces (205 grams) without the battery or CompactFlash card.

The front of the camera holds the lens, flash, optical viewfinder window, flash sensor, self-timer lamp, and the sensor window for the optional remote control. A shutter-like, retractable lens cover protects the lens whenever the camera is powered off, sliding quickly out of the way when the camera is turned on. The lens then telescopes out from the camera body by about 1.5 inches. The front of the camera is flat without any finger grips, making the grip a little tenuous: I'd recommend keeping the wrist strap securely around your wrist when holding the camera.

On the right side of the camera (as viewed from the back) is the CompactFlash memory card slot. A hinged door protects the compartment, and opens via a latch on the back panel. The center of the door hinge serves as the eyelet for attaching the wrist strap.

On the opposite side of the camera are the PC/Video and DC In jacks, covered by a flexible plastic flap that slides out of the way to reveal the connectors.

The Optio 330's top panel is fairly smooth, and features the Mode dial, Shutter button, and Power button.

A handful of external controls dot the camera's back panel, along with the optical viewfinder eyepiece and 1.6-inch color LCD monitor. Two LEDs next to the optical viewfinder report the camera's status, such as when focus is set, when the flash is charged, etc. At the top of the optical viewfinder eyepiece is a diopter adjustment control, which adjusts to accommodate eyeglass wearers. (It seems to have a pretty wide range, more or less accommodating my 20/180 vision. - It also offers a fairly high eyepoint, such that I could use it reasonably well with my eyeglasses on.) To the left of the viewfinder eyepiece are three multi-function buttons, which access different settings in Playback and Record modes. In the top left corner is the optical zoom control, which also controls playback zoom. A Four Way Arrow pad dominates the center of the back panel, with an "OK" button in the middle for confirming menu selections. The two remaining controls are the Menu and Display buttons.

On the bottom panel of the Optio 330 are the tripod mount and battery compartment. The plastic, threaded tripod mount is just off-center from the lens because of the camera's small size, but provides a fairly stable mount. I prefer metal tripod sockets, but the small size and low weight of the 330 mean the plastic socket should hold up fine. The battery compartment features a locking, hinged door, too close to the tripod mount to allow quick battery changes while working with a tripod. (I doubt that this will be of much concern to most users though, as the Optio 330 is clearly designed for on-the-go shooting.)

External Controls

• Playback: Allows the user to review and manage captured images on the CompactFlash card.
• Automatic Record: Places the camera in Record mode, with the user able to adjust all exposure features except for shutter speed and aperture.
• Night Scene: Basic exposure remains under the camera's control, though now with a bias toward longer exposures for darker shooting conditions.
• Manual Record: Provides the user with full control over the exposure, including shutter speed and lens aperture settings.
• Movie: Records silent, moving images, for a maximum of 30 seconds per movie.
• Multiple Exposure: Produces a double exposure effect, combining a new shot with one previously saved on the memory card. (I confess I don't really understand the need for this feature.)

In Manual exposure mode, the up and down keys adjust the aperture setting, while the left and right keys change the shutter speed. In any other Record mode, the left and right keys adjust the exposure compensation, from -2 to + 2 exposure equivalents (EV) in one-third-step increments. In Playback mode, the left and right keys scroll through captured images on the memory card.

OK Button: Nestled in the center of the Four Way Arrow pad, this button confirms menu selections in any mode. In Playback mode, pressing this button during image review displays a nine-image thumbnail index display.

Camera Modes and Menus

• Record Mode Settings
  • Resolution: Sets the image resolution size to 2,048 x 1,536; 1,024 x 768; or 640 x 480 pixels.
  • Quality level: Sets the JPEG compression level to Good, Better, or Best (three stars being Best and one star being Good).
  • White Balance: Adjusts the overall color balance of the scene. Options include Auto, Daylight, Shade, Incandescent, Fluorescent, and Manual. (Manual white balance uses a white object to set the camera's color balance. - This is an unusual feature to find in a primarily "point & shoot" camera.)
  • Focusing Area: Designates the area of the frame that the camera determines focus from, either Wide, Spot, or Free. (Free lets you choose a specific portion of the image to focus on, another unusual option for a point & shoot camera.)
  • Digital Zoom: Turns the 2x digital zoom on and off. - When enabled, the digital zoom kicks in after you've zoomed the optical lens all the way to its telephoto position.
  • AE Metering: Chooses how the camera determines exposure, choices are Spot, Center-Weighted, and Multi-Segment.
  • ISO Speed: Adjusts the camera's light sensitivity, options are Auto, ISO 100, or ISO 200.
  • Color: Determines the color shooting mode, options are Full, Black-and-White, and Sepia.
  • Instant Review: Turns the Instant Review function off, or sets the review time on the LCD screen to 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 seconds.
  • Sharpness: Adjusts the overall image sharpness to Normal, Hard, or Soft.
  • Saturation: Controls the level of color saturation. Options are Normal, High, or Low.
  • Contrast: Adjusts overall image contrast to Normal, High, or Low.
    
• Memory: (Sets which settings are remembered when the camera is shut off. Any setting not selected returns to the default setting.) Features include Flash, White Balance, Focusing Area, Digital Zoom, AE Metering, ISO Speed, MF, Display, and File Numbering.
  
  
• Setup
  • Format Card: Formats the CompactFlash card, erasing all files (even protected ones).
  • Date Style: Cycles through available date formats.
  • Date Adjust: Sets the camera's internal date and time.
  • World Time: Allows you to set the time in another city, so that you can display the time in London, for example, on the LCD monitor. A full list of cities is in the manual.
  • Beep: Turns the camera's beep sound on or off.
  • Language: Changes the menu language to English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, or Japanese.
  • Video Out: Sets the Video Out signal to NTSC or PAL.
  • Sleep Timeout: Turns the Sleep function off, or sets the camera to go to sleep after 30 seconds, or one or two minutes.
  • Auto Power Off: Turns this feature off, or sets the camera to shut off after three or five minutes of inactivity.
  • Reset: Resets all camera settings to their defaults.

• Playback Settings
  • Slideshow: Activates an automatic slideshow of images on the card. You can set the image interval time.
  • Alarm: Allows you to set up to three alarms. When the alarm goes off, the camera beeps and you can set a certain image to be displayed.
• Setup : Offers the same Setup menu options as in Record mode.
  

Outdoor	Indoor	Indoor Flash
House	Musicians	Macro
Davebox	Resolution	Viewfinder Accuracy

• Color: Overall, the Optio 330 produced good color throughout my testing. The Manual white balance setting most often produced the best color balance, as I often noticed a slightly warm cast with the Auto setting (particularly with the Indoor Portrait shot). Skin tones looked about right, and even the difficult blue flowers in the Outdoor Portrait test came out pretty good (this is a tough blue for many digicams to get right).
• Exposure: The Optio 330 did a good job with exposure, though I noticed a tendency for some images to go dark. Still, it showed good tonal distribution on the Q60 target of the Davebox, and fairly good shadow detail. The camera does have a limited dynamic range when shooting in bright sunlight, losing a fair amount of detail in both strong highlights and darker shadows.
• Sharpness: Image sharpness was a little low for a three megapixel camera, as I noticed some softness in the smaller details. Purely horizontal/vertical details such as the house trim looked reasonably crisp, but the fine detail in foliage and Marti's hair were a bit soft.
• Closeups: The Optio 330 performed somewhat below average here, capturing a minimum area of 5.39 x 4.04 inches (136.89 x 102.67 millimeters). Good detail and resolution, but with a hint of corner softness from the wide-angle lens setting.
• Night Shots: The Optio 330 performed surprisingly well (!) in this category, capturing bright, clear images at light levels as low as 1/16 foot-candle (0.67 lux) when shooting at ISO 200, and as low as 1/8 foot-candle (1.34 lux) when shooting at ISO 100. Thus, the camera can capture usable images in lighting much darker than average city street lighting at night without the flash.

In the Box
Packaged with the Optio 330 are the following items:

• D-Ll2 rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack.
• 16 MB CompactFlash memory card
• Battery charger with AC plug cord.
• Video cable.
• USB cable.
• Wrist strap.
• Software CD.
• Operating manual and registration card.
  

Recommended Accessories

• Larger capacity CompactFlash memory card. (I'd recommend 32 MB as a bare minimum, 64MB would be preferable.)
• Additional D-LI2 lithium-ion battery pack.
• AC adapter.
• Small camera case.

Conclusion
Overall, I liked the Optio 330 quite a bit. It's a very appealing package, with an excellent, rugged "feel" in the hand. Easy to use in full automatic mode, it also provides a surprising range of "enthusiast" features, such as full-manual exposure control, and options for manual focus and white balance setting. Its low light capability means you'll be able to capture great shots after the sun goes down. Color was quite good under most shooting conditions, and the manual white balance option let it do a good job even under difficult incandescent lighting. My two biggest beefs with it were somewhat short battery life (the bane of the ultra-compact digicam) and less-than-stellar image sharpness. - You'll be able to make good-quality 8x10 prints, but they won't be as sharp as those produced by a full-sized 3 megapixel camera. Overall, a good choice for a bring-along compact digicam, with good color and a surprising range of capabilities.