Pentax Optio RZ18 Pro Reviews

The camera does have some useful and effective features, such as the Dual Shake Reduction system and Dynamic Range setting, and the range of creative art filters and scene mode do produce strong effects. But for all the little things it does well, the Pentax Optio RZ18 lags behind in the fundamentals compared to some of the other cameras in its class, such as the Samsung WB700 - another 18x superzoom that even offers manual control. Ultimately, whether you should buy the Pentax Optio RZ18 comes down to one question: is fine detail important to you? Are you OK with images that appear smudged and smeared under closer scrutiny? For many people this isn't a problem. For many, a Facebook photo album is enough. And if this is the case, the Pentax Optio RZ18 offers all you need at the best price currently on the market. But if your ambitions lie beyond an online photo gallery, you might want to consider some of the Pentax Optio RZ18's rivals, such as the aforementioned Samsung WB700.

A big, sharp 18x zoom lens at an incredible price, but only consider it if you're not interested in video or low-light photography

The Pentax Optio RZ18 is an appealing travel-zoom camera with a truly versatile 18x zoom lens, but it's unfortunately let down by average image quality, no-frills build quality and slow processing times. The RZ18 takes a similar approach to previous Pentax compacts that we've reviewed, being an inexpensive point and shoot camera that won't turn heads either with its looks or specification, but which is crucially a cheaper alternative to more full-featured and better-looking rivals. As a pocket camera with a long zoom, lots of megapixels, a big screen and acceptable stills and movies, the RZ18 certainly fits the bill. More demanding users will want to look elsewhere, though, as the Pentax RZ18 suffers under closer scrutiny. Still image quality is something of a let-down, particularly when shooting in anything less than perfect lighting conditions. The relatively slow ISO speed of 200 suffers from visible noise, smearing of fine detail and loss of colour saturation, with all three problems getting progressively worse as you work your way up the range to the true top speed of ISO 1600. Video isn't much better, limited to 720p with big file sizes and rather inexplicably no use of the optical zoom, which is after all the main reason for buying this camera.

The competition for mid-zoom cameras is hotting up, with most of the major manufacturers offering their own version. For its price, the RZ18 packs a versatile zoom lens and produces decent pictures. Video quality is good but there is no optical zoom available during video recording. The major problem is noise levels at ISO 800 upwards.

Overall, Pentax has come up with a good-sized point and shoot with superb super-zoom capabilities is a versatile all-rounder. The build quality, video recording and features are basic, but its core performance in both low light and with detail in general makes the RZ18 a great choice for undemanding users.