Wootalyzer's Pricing Post! - The price of today's woot item is saved here for future reference
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PENTAX 16MP Optio 18X Optical Zoom
$139.99 + $5 Shipping
Condition: New

*DISCLAIMER* Wootalyzer! is in no way affiliated with Woot!, and this post may not always be here!

"White" looks like light silver in the photo.

And "Orange" looks more like red to me.

And here's a review from about a month ago:

http://www.gadgetspeak.com/gadget/article.rhtm/750/658965/Pentax_Optio_RZ18.html

Here is the user manual


HSN Demo and they wanted 200 for it at time of airing.

Black, orange, white or silver?

The orange looks red, and the silver looks pink to me...

Really good price for optical zoom (which doesnt reduce image quality), and yes, it is brand spanking new.

Love Pentax cameras and this one has some really detailed reviews ... hard to find a flaw except that it's a bit bulkier than expected.

http://www.photographyblog.com/reviews/pentax_optio_rz18_review/

I already have a camera, but I don't have an "orange" camera. Hard to lose, and highly unlikely to be stolen.

Wow... apparently people have problems picking out the color of camera.

Undecided person #1

Undecided person #2

Undecided person #3

Undecided person #4

Undecided person #5

Undecided person #6

Engadget Info

hmmmm Amazon seller has it for Brand New in the box + a case and a 4 G card! and even throw in a new tripod! though dulcie review is not good

the Amazon review here

seems interesting...

had a pentax for years. flawless cameras save that they are ugly!!! this looks a great buy considering they're new.

http://reviews.cnet.co.uk/compact-digital-cameras/pentax-optio-rz18-review-50005983/

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/digitalcameras/the-new-pentax-optio-rz18-serves-up-a-big-zoom-18x-in-a-small-package/5274

a couple more reviews ...
seems like mostly they like it!

everything is good. except for the lens

This is better than the 3 cameras I have. One of them is a Pentax from about 8 years ago. Too bad I cannot justify buying another.

LOL @ "quicly". (in the "Discussion on today's woot" box on the home page)

I really hate when my "k" button doesn't work. I've had issues with buttons not working properly on my laptops....


Thunderthighs: My keyboard hates me lately. Sigh. Fixed. Thanks.

Whiner's List:

Rlj1010 and lalaclassic have a color-shift problem with their eyes. Probably due to inconsistent cone photoreceptors in the retinal ganglions
lichme also likes spanking
lola4028 wants some orange in her life
broderya says it's hard to find a flaw and then quickly points one out
hoodsbreath is saved by ugly
annrcks (aneroxic?) doesn't like the lens. Probably makes her look too fat
schlafly is addicted to cameras but complains 'cause can't afford another. Hmmm. Self-inflicted wound?
Itsmorph komplains kause the k key kan't klick
mac daddy1 kan't stand komplainers and has an extra k key on his kkkkkkeyboard
--------------------------------
total = 10
limit = 10
you have reached your complaint limit of the day

Da Egg has this in black only for $230. No reviews.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16830184165

lichme wrote:Really good price for optical zoom (which doesnt reduce image quality), and yes, it is brand spanking new.

Could you explain why optical zoom doesn't reduce image quality? I'm just learning about all this and would like to understand more. Thanks!

palady wrote:Could you explain why optical zoom doesn't reduce image quality? I'm just learning about all this and would like to understand more. Thanks!

This should clear it up for you.
http://www.photoxels.com/digital-photography-tutorials/optical-digital-zoom/

Anyone know if the usb cable for this camera is standard? I hate custom USB cables.

cstrachn wrote:Anyone know if the usb cable for this camera is standard? I hate custom USB cables.

Looks to be micro usb from the package contents photo. Most computers come with SD card readers built in now though... That's what I always use, easier than keeping up with a cable.

hoodsbreath wrote:had a pentax for years. flawless cameras save that they are ugly!!! this looks a great buy considering they're new.

Ugly? This is a clean, timeless design.

Sid Vicious? Huh?

Somebody slap the copywriter. If you're going for irritating drivel, at least get the attributions right. The punker, if he said anything, was doing an approximate quote of Sturgeon's Law, for science fiction writer Ted Sturgeon.

And Sturgeon knew how to write.

The lens is great but this camera does not have a viewfinder. Get one of the FMZ series for a better overall camera

Well, this Woot came along at a great time, since I just lost my Canon in the River on Saturday. I've never owned a Pentax, and bought this more for the specs than the look. Went with Orange/Red, so hopefully I'll see it a little easier when I drop it off my Kayak this time

palady wrote:Could you explain why optical zoom doesn't reduce image quality? I'm just learning about all this and would like to understand more. Thanks!

I am the author of the book, "How To Use The Digital Camera You Just Bought." Optical zoom enlarges the image before it hits the sensor the same way binoculars enlarge the image before it hits your eyes. "Digital zoom" is a marketing sham that simply takes the image already on the sensor and crops away the edges to make it appear bigger. When you crop away image, you crop away resolution. Cut of 50% of a 16 MP image and what's left is as if you shot it with an 8 MP camera. Only consider optical zoom when comparing zoom ranges. Hope this helps.

Ugly? This is a clean, timeless design.

Nah, it's just ugly.

No mode dial, and no dedicated video record button. That means you'll have to go into the menu to change shooting modes. Seems like a poor design to me.

As I mentioned earlier, I am the author of the book, "How To Use The Digital Camera You Just Bought." After dealing with 100's of new camera owners in classes, on the radio, and 1 on 1 tutoring, can I offer some advice?

First, try to decide what kind of pictures you hope to take BEFORE buying the camera and then see if the camera can actually take them.

Case in point: You want super indoor sports shots of your kids. All the ones taken with your present camera are "blurry." You buy a nice SLR kit and they are still "blurry."

That's because, while the camera body is more responsive, the lower-end kit lens that came with the SLR isn't that much better indoors than the lens you had on your little camera.

It's maximum aperture at the tele lens side is still f/5.6 and that is not big enough to let in enough light to use a fast shutter speed. (This may get better in a couple of years as ISOs increase.)

Until ISOs get a lot higher, you will need to spend a LOT more for the lens to do what you want to do. This is just one example.

If all these terms here make no sense to you, take a photo class, research online, or (ahem) buy a book for beginners.

The only quality I really care about in a digital camera anymore is that it takes a fast picture. I'm so sick of holding the button down for 2-3 seconds while the image I wanted to take a picture of has now completely changed. Will this camera help me?

can the antishake be left on all the time or do you have to set it each time? that is what i need to know! thanks

LobbVT wrote:The only quality I really care about in a digital camera anymore is that it takes a fast picture. I'm so sick of holding the button down for 2-3 seconds while the image I wanted to take a picture of has now completely changed. Will this camera help me?

Not really. The are getting better, but DSLRs are much quicker. Have you tried pressing the shutter button half way to lock in focus and exposure and then press the rest of the way at the "decisive moment?"

timtlm wrote:No mode dial, and no dedicated video record button. That means you'll have to go into the menu to change shooting modes. Seems like a poor design to me.

It's turning out that at lot of people never use AV, TV, M or P. They want a box camera. Nothing wrong with that, if that is the way you wish to go.

radi0j0hn wrote:Not really. The are getting better, but DSLRs are much quicker. Have you tried pressing the shutter button half way to lock in focus and exposure and then press the rest of the way at the "decisive moment?"

Yes, on some occasions I can do the half way press to focus, and the snap it, but more often than not, I just want to take a picture immediately. No prep time available. I can't bring myself to buy another one of these. I guess DSLR is the only way to go for me.

LobbVT wrote:Yes, on some occasions I can do the half way press to focus, and the snap it, but more often than not, I just want to take a picture immediately. No prep time available. I can't bring myself to buy another one of these. I guess DSLR is the only way to go for me.

Or wait a few years. In my book, I mention that we are only about 12 years into digital photography and that when "photography" was only 12 years old we were still coating glass plates with poisonous chemicals to make "film."

Rapid changes are coming.

Will this camera allow me to take picture stills from 720P video I take? For example, if I record clips of video of a sporting event, can I go back through the video (on my camera) and take a still of an action shot from the video? My Samsung HV30W offers this important feature. It's time for an upgrade as long as I get this feature as well.

Replacement batteries are $8 (up to $50) but these seem to be cheap AND have higher mAh than the battery that comes with the camera.

who thinks there isn't a view finder? is a digital camera the LCD Screen IS the view finder, geez people, if your going to spend $140 on something you have no clue to use, just have it shipped to me instead I'll make sure its used to its fullest, could always use an extra camera