Pentax X90

Posted on February 26, 2010 Updated on February 26, 2010

A bridge camera, the Pentax X90 has a 12.1-megapixel CCD, 26X optical zoom lens with wide-angle to super-telephoto coverage, longer battery  life and an electronic viewfinder with diopter adjustment.

That lens is the equivalent of 26-676 mm. and it is said to deliver macro to 1 cm. The Intelligent Zoom function extends the zoom coverage to approximately 162.5 X (that’s something on the order of 4225 mm equivalent) without compromising the optical performance of the zoom lens. This I have to see.

The X90 incorporates CCD-shift-type SR (Shake Reduction) system – by accurately detecting the amount of camera shake using a high-performance gyro sensor and shifting the CCD image sensor vertically and horizontally at high speed, the X90 offers a camera-shake compensation effect equivalent to approximately three shutter steps.

Thanks to a large-capacity lithium-ion battery, the X90’s battery life is approximately 50 percent longer than its predecessor model.

The X90 captures high-quality movie clips, equivalent in image quality to that of a high definition TV (1280 x 720 pixels). It also features the Movie SR (Shake Reduction) mode, which effectively minimizes the effects of camera shake during movie shooting through the use of exclusive software.

In addition to the advanced Programmed AE mode, which automatically selects the optimal combination of aperture and shutter speed for a given subject, the X90 also offers Aperture-Priority AE, Shutter-Priority AE and Metered Manual modes. Auto Picture mode automatically selects the most appropriate shooting mode for a given subject or scene by detecting the subject’s lighting and other conditions. This mode not only makes the mode choice for the user from Landscape, Portrait, Night Scene, Night Scene Portrait, Flower, Sport or Standard modes, but also features an auto macro mode, which automatically switches the camera’s focus range to macro in close-range applications.

The camera has an upgraded Face Detection AF & AE function, which automatically detects up to 32 faces in the image field. It also offers a new Small Face filter, which makes the subject’s face appear smaller in proportion to the body than it actually is, to produce attractive, well-balanced portraits. (That last bit is a direct quote. I dunno about that.) In addition, the X90 offers other functions designed to produce beautiful portraits with ease: the Smile Capture function, which automatically releases the shutter the instant it detects the subject’s smile and the Blinking Detection function, which warns when the subject’s eyes were closed at the time of shutter release.

Also part of the package: a selection of digital filters, including Toy Camera and Retro.