Features include a face recognition AF AE function and Digital SR (Shake Reduction), which increases capture sensitivity in situations where shots may be blurred due to camera shake.

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August 7, 2007: Local Pentax distributor, C.R. Kennedy & Company has released details of two new Optio digicams that will go on sale shortly.

The Optio M40 comes with an ultra-slim, metallic body, 8-megapixel imager and 3x optical zoom lens as well as a 2.5-inch monitor with a resolution of approximately 150,000 pixels. Features include a face recognition AF & AE function and Digital SR (Shake Reduction), which increases capture sensitivity in situations where shots may be blurred due to camera shake. Movie SR (shake reduction) is also provided. A powerful flash covers up to approximately 15.5m with Digital SR, while a “Soft Flash” function prevents overexposure of subjects’ skin at close distances by controlling the amount of light emitted. FotoNation’s red-eye compensation function is also provided for flash shots.

For novice users, an Auto Picture mode lets the camera automatically determines the shooting conditions for Landscape, Portrait, Night Scene and Normal mode and choose the optimum settings for each subject. Sixteen selectable scene mode settings are provided, including new ‘Natural Skin Tone’, ‘Flower’, ‘Sport’, ‘Pet’ and ‘Food’ modes. The Optio M40 can focus to within 10 cm in normal AF mode and comes with 21.9 MB of internal memory – plus an SD card slot.

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The new Optio E40 offers the same face recognition AF & AE function and Digital SR (Shake Reduction) as the M40 but is aimed at entry-level users. It is powered by widely available AA batteries and users can take approximately 240 photos when running the camera on alkaline batteries. A Green mode is provided for fully automated picture-taking, allowing a single button press to automatically set the exposure, sensitivity, white balance and other parameters according to the shooting conditions.

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Sensor resolution is similar to the M40, as is the 3x optical zoom range. VGA movie capture at 30 or 15 fps is also supported and date imprinting is available. Voice recording is also provided, along with playback functions like resizing, trimming, image rotation, digital filters, up to 8x playback zoom and a histogram display. The E40 comes with 10 MB of internal memory and an SD card slot.

For more information on both new models, visit www.crkennedy.com.au.