At one time big zooms meant big cameras, but that rule of thumb has become as relevant as flat earth theory. A case in point is the Optio Z10 introduced by Pentax this week. The eight megapixel digital camera packs a 7x optical zoom-the equivalent of a 38-266mm zoom in the 35mm world-in a very compact point-and-shoot package. What's more, through refraction magic, the zoom does its thing without ever protruding from the camera's body.


As every photographer knows, big lenses don't only magnify subjects, they magnify motion, too. The Z10 compensates for that by automatically boosting the ISO for a shot to enable the camera to offset shake with higher shutter speeds.

Here are some other features of the unit:

• Face recognition technology that can detect up to 15 faces simultaneously.
• A 2.5-inch LCD with a viewing angle of 170 degrees.
• 15 shooting modes.
• A sliding lens cover.
• 52 megabytes of internal memory, as well as support for SD and SDHC memory cards.

The camera is expected to ship next month and sell at $249.95.