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Press Release

March 17, 2011

PENTAX Optio RS1500
A compact, lightweight digital compact camera,
offering a host of user-friendly features
and a simplified body dress-up system

PENTAX Optio RS1500 Pearl WhitePENTAX Optio RS1500 Silver

HOYA CORPORATION PENTAX Imaging Systems Division is pleased to announce the launch of the PENTAX Optio RS1500 digital compact camera. Within its compact, lightweight body, it offers a host of user-friendly features and a variety of creative tools, including an upgraded, simplified version of the PENTAX-original Face Change system that allows the user to more easily and quickly change the appearance of the camera’s front panel than the previous version.

The latest model of the popular PENTAX Optio RS series, the Optio RS1500 offers outstanding performance and a host of creative tools in a compact, lightweight body. It also features an upgraded version of the unique Face Change system, which allows the user to change the camera’s appearance simply by attaching the user’s choice of various dress-up sheets to the front panel. It’s a system that allows a single camera to have different looks to suit the user’s preference or the occasion. But the camera also retains all the popular functions and features of its predecessor. This system is much easier than before to customize the camera’s front panel design: just put a dress-up sheet in place, or replace with a new one, without requiring a special tool. This new version also includes two different color rings, which not only stabilize the dress-up panel around the lens barrel, but also serve as an effective design element to create a more personalized, eye-catching appearance.

PENTAX Optio RS1500
♦ Pearl White [ ⇒ Product Image] ♦ Silver [ ⇒ Product Image]
Major Features
  1. Exceptional image quality

    Equipped with approximately 14 effective megapixels assuring exceptional image resolution, a state-of-the-art imaging engine with superior noise reduction and the high-performance smc PENTAX optical zoom lens, the Optio RS1500 delivers brilliant, high-quality images with well-defined details. Even when images are enlarged to poster sizes, it assures sharp, high-resolution prints with excellent edge-to-edge sharpness.
  2. New-generation Face Change System for easier, swifter replacement of dress-up sheets

    The Optio RS1500 features an upgraded, simplified version of the Face Change system, which allows the user to add a variety of dress-up sheets to the camera’s front panel more easily than before. The transparent acrylic panel now can be mounted or removed without using a special tool, since it is fixed to the camera body using just the newly designed grip and a removable lens ring. The number of standard dress-up sheets included has also been increased to 10. Combined with the choice of two lens ring colors, the user has even more options for distinctive, eye-catching appearances for the camera. The user can even create original, more personalized dress-up sheets by downloading exclusive software from the PENTAX home page.
  3. A selection of digital filters for creative expressions

    The Optio RS1500 comes with nine different digital filters, including Toy Camera, Retro and Sepia, to add a variety of visual effects to images without the need for a computer. Multiple filters can also be applied to a single image for even more unique, creative visual effects.
  4. Automatic face detection with user-friendly features

    The Optio RS1500 features the advanced Face Detection AF&AE function, which instantly and accurately detects human faces within the image field, then optimizes focus and exposure settings - all automatically. The Optio RS1500 also offers other convenient features designed for the easy capture of beautiful, lively snapshots, including: the Smile Capture mode, which automatically releases the shutter the moment the camera detects the subject's smile; the Small Face filter, which makes the subject's face appear slightly smaller in the captured image than in reality; and Natural Skin mode, which gives the subject smooth, healthy skin tone.
  5. Large, easy-to-view 3.0-inch LCD monitor

    Despite its compact dimensions, the Optio RS1500 comes equipped with a large 3.0-inch high-brightness color LCD monitor with approximately 230,000 dots. Since this monitor provides large, detailed images and menus, the user can check them with just a quick glance, and easily and instantly confirm the on-screen image or make the desired settings and adjustments.
  6. Optical 4X zoom lens with wide-angle coverage

    The Optio RS1500 incorporates a high-performance 4X optical zoom lens covering focal lengths from 4.9mm to 19.6mm (equivalent in the 35mm format to approximately 27.5mm wide angle to 110mm telephoto). Thanks to this wide zoom range, the Optio RS1500 can be used for a wide variety of subjects and scenes — from wide-angle shots such as spectacular landscapes, majestic architectural images and group shots within confined spaces, to telephoto images such as tightly cropped snapshots taken from a distance. When coupled with the Intelligent Zoom function, which allows for even tighter zooming in on the subject, the zoom range can be extended to approximately 26.8 times without compromising image quality.
  7. Auto Picture mode for hands-off selection of the most appropriate shooting mode

    The Optio RS1500 features the PENTAX-original Auto Picture mode, which automatically selects the most appropriate shooting mode for a given subject or scene by accurately assessing various photographic conditions affecting the subject. This user-friendly mode instantly and unfailingly selects one of the 15 shooting modes including Blue Sky and Sunset, and optimizes various camera settings such as sensitivity and shutter speed, to assure the best results, while minimizing the photographer’s effort.
  8. High-quality HD-proportioned movie recording

    The Optio RS1500 captures beautiful, high-definition-TV-quality movie clips (1280 x 720 pixels).* It also comes equipped with the sophisticated Movie SR (Shake Reduction) mode, which automatically compensates camera shake during movie shooting with the help of exclusive software, making it possible for everyone to enjoy high-quality movie shooting with minimal effort.

    * When the Optio RS1500's AV output terminal is used, movie clips are output as normal-image-size data. If the user wishes to play back movie clips at high-definition-TV proportions (1280 x 720 pixels), the data must be transferred to a personal computer for playback. When movie shooting, the angle of view becomes narrower than normal shooting.

  9. Other features

    1. Digital Blur Removal function to effectively compensate for camera shake during still-image shooting
    2. Burst shooting at a speed of 16 images (fixed at 640 x 480 pixels) in two seconds
    3. Auto-tracking AF mode to keep constant focus on a moving subject
    4. Digital Panorama mode to effortlessly create a single panoramic picture from as many as three images
    5. Green mode to automatically optimize exposure and sensitivity settings for a given subject or scene
    6. Frame Composite function (with three frames stored in the camera) to shoot or compose images with decorative photo frames
    7. Image viewing, editing and filing software package compatible with latest operating systems such as Windows 7 and Mac OS X10.6: MediaImpression 3.0 for PENTAX (Windows version) and MediaImpression 2.1 for PENTAX (Macintosh version)
Optio RS1500 Specifications
Lens   smc PENTAX zoom lens, 6 elements in 5 groups (3 aspherical elements)
Focal Length 4.9 - 19.6mm
35mm equivalent
focal length
approx. 27.5 - 110mm
Aperture F3.2 (W) - 5.9 (T)
Zoom Optical Zoom 4x
Digital Zoom approx. 6.7x 
Intelligent Zoom approx. 5.6x at 7M,  approx. 26.8x at 640 (including optical zoom)
Motion Blur Reduction Still Digital Blur Removal
High-sensitivity anti-shake mode (Digital SR)
Movie Movie shake reduction mode (Movie SR)
Focus Type 3-point AF, Spot AF, Auto tracking AF
Focus Range
(From lens face)
Standard:
0.4m - infinity (whole zoom area)
1.31 ft. - infinity (whole zoom area)
Macro:
0.15 - 0.5m (at wide setting), 0.25 - 0.5m (at the meddium magnification length)
0.49 - 1.64 ft. (at wide setting), 0.82 - 1.64 ft. (at the meddium magnification length)
Super macro:
0.08 - 0.25m (at focal length of 5.8mm)
0.26 - 0.82 ft. (at focal length of 5.8mm)
Infinity-landscape, Pan Focus: available
Face Detection   Face Detection AF&AE is available at all mode. 10 people at most. Smile Capture.
Number of Effective pixels   approx. 14 megapixels
Image Sensor   1/2.33" CCD
Number of
Recorded pixels
Still 14M, 10M (16:9), 7M, 2M (16:9),  640
Movie 1280, 640, 320 
Sensitivity
(Standard Output Sensitivity)
  Auto, Manual (ISO 100 - 6400)
White Balance   Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light, Manual setting
Display   3.0" LCD, approx. 230K dots
Exposure Control Metering System Multi-segment metering
Exposure Compensation ±2EV (1/3EV steps)
Scene modes   Auto Picture, Program, Natural Skin Tone, Night Scene Portrait, Night Scene,
Movie, Landscape, Blue Sky, Sunset, Flower, Sport, Digital SR, Kids, Pet,
Portrait, Food, Candlelight, Surf & Snow, Half-length Portrait, Frame Composite,
Text, Digital Panorama, Green
Playback modes   Slideshow, Image Rotation, Small Face Filter, Natural Skin Tone,
Digital Filter (B&W, Sepia, Toy Camera, Retro, Color, Starburst, Soft, Fish-eye,
Brightness Filter), Frame Composite, Movie Edit, Red-eye Compensation, Resize,
Cropping, Image Copy, Protect, DPOF, Startup Screen, Face close-up playback
Shutter Speed   1/2000 - 1/4 sec. 4sec. at most (Night Scene mode setting)
Built-in flash Modes Flash-on and Flash-off modes. "Red-eye" reduction function employs a pre-discharge.
Flash Range Wide:
approx. 0.15 - 4.8m (ISO Auto)
approx. 0.49 - 16 ft. (ISO Auto)
Tele:
approx. 0.4 - 2.6m (ISO Auto)
approx. 1.31 - 8.5 ft. (ISO Auto)
Drive Modes   One shot, Self-timer, Continuous Shooting, Burst Shooting,
16-frame shooting (VGA@16 shots)
Storage Media   Built-in Memory (approx. 21.6 MB), SD/SDHC Memory Card
Power Source   Rechargeable D-LI108 lithium-ion battery, Optional AC adapter kit is also available
Battery life Still*: approx. 210 shots (Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery)
Playback**: approx. 260 min. (Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery)
Interfaces   USB2.0 (Hi-Speed): PC/AV terminal
Video Output   NTSC/PAL
Dimensions   approx. 92 (W) x 56 (H) x 22.5 (D)mm (including lens depth)
approx. 3.6 (W) x 2.2 (H) x 0.9 (D) inches
Weight With battery & SD card approx. 127g (loaded and ready)
approx. 4.5 oz.
Body approx. 110g (without battery and SD memory card)
approx. 3.9 oz.

* Recording capacity shows approximate number of shots recorded during CIPA-compliant testing.
Actual performance may vary depending on operating conditions.
** According to the result of PENTAX in-house testing.

[ Storage capacity ]

  Still
  14M
(4288×3216)
10M [16:9]
(4224×2376)
7M
(3072×2304)
2M [16:9]
(1920×1080)
640
(640×480)
Built-in Memory * 9 11 15 42 187
64MB 19 24 31 84 361
128MB 43 54 67 181 778
256MB 99 124 155 415 1782
512MB 199 249 312 834 3577
1GB 386 483 604 1611 6908
2GB 786 983 1228 3278 10000
4GB 1542 1928 2411 6430 10000
8GB 3100 3876 4845 10000 10000
16GB 6325 7906 9883 10000 10000
32GB 10000 10000 10000 10000 10000

Movie
  1280 (1280x720) 640 (640×480) 320 (320×240)
  30fps 15fps 30fps 15fps 30fps 15fps
Built-in Memory * 00:00:07 00:00:14 00:00:21 00:00:42 00:00:33 00:01:07
64MB 00:00:15 00:00:30 00:00:41 00:01:22 00:01:06 00:02:12
128MB 00:00:32 00:01:05 00:01:30 00:03:00 00:02:24 00:04:48
256MB 00:01:15 00:02:30 00:03:27 00:06:54 00:05:31 00:11:03
512MB 00:02:31 00:05:02 00:06:56 00:13:53 00:11:06 00:22:13
1GB 00:04:52 00:09:45 00:13:25 00:26:50 00:21:28 00:42:56
2GB 00:09:55 00:19:51 00:27:18 00:54:36 00:43:41 01:27:22
4GB 00:19:28 00:38:57 00:53:34 01:47:09 01:25:43 02:51:26
8GB 0:39:09 1:18:18 1:47:40 3:35:20 2:52:16 5:44:33
16GB 1:19:52 2:39:44 3:39:38 7:19:16 5:51:24 11:42:49
32GB 2:35:09 5:10:19 7:06:41 14:13:22 11:22:42 22:45:24

* Approx. 21.6 MB
The maximum file size is 2GB for movie.

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