Local Pentax distributor. C.R. Kennedy & Company, has stocks of the new Pentax Optio M20 digicam, with the Optio A20 (which was announced at the same time) due shortly.

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September 14, 2006: Local Pentax distributor. C.R. Kennedy & Company, has stocks of the new Pentax Optio M20 digicam, with the Optio A20 (which was announced at the same time) due shortly.
Replacing the Optio M10, the Optio M20 (RRP $329) is designed for point-and-shoot photographers and offers 7-megapixel resolution, a 3x optical zoom lens and a new High ISO Blur Reduction mode. An Auto Picture mode allows the camera to determine the shooting conditions for Landscape, Portrait, Night Scene, and Program modes and select the best settings for each subject. A 2.5-inch LCD monitor is provided for shot composition and menu selection. The M20 uses AA batteries and claims to deliver up to 220 shots from alkaline batteries or 700 shots from lithium cells.

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The new Optio A20 (RRP $499) replaces the Optio A10 and boasts a 10-megapixel imager and an smc Pentax 3x optical zoom lens. A new ASIC image processor delivers high-speed image processing with improved tonal and colour reproduction. Both models include three anti-shake functions: a Shake Reduction (SR) mode, a Blur Reduction High ISO mode and a Movie Anti-Shake. All claim to improve camera performance in dim lighting. The SR mode uses two gyro sensors to detect movement and a CCD-shift mechanism to counteract the shaking. In the Blur Reduction mode, the camera boost ISO up to 1600 to permit faster shutter speeds to be used. The Movie Anti-Shake Function applies electronic image stabilisation to movie clips.
Both cameras include auto-tracking AF and built-in red-eye correction. They also come with new Face Recognition AF and AE functions plus the ability to record movie clips at 30 frames/second at resolutions up to 640 x 480 pixels. Both cameras can be used with both SD and the new SDHC memory cards. For more information visit www.crkennedy.com.au.