Pentax Optio VS20: One Compact, Two Shutter-Release Buttons

The Optio VS20 is the first camera to come from Pentax since the firm was bought by Ricoh last year. It's a superzoom compact with a relatively low price tag that picks up where the RZ18 left off. However, to set it apart from the hoards of other superzoom compacts on the market right now, the VS20 has two shutter-release buttons—one for taking portrait shots and one for taking landscape shots.

The tech specs of Pentax's Optio VS20 are nothing out of the ordinary. It uses a 16-Megapixel CCD and has a 20x zoom, equivalent to 28-560 mm. While most manufacturers aim for wide-angles of around 25 mm in superzoom compacts these days, Pentax has instead chosen to prioritise long focal lengths. The 3-inch 460,000-dot LCD is pretty standard stuff and, with a CCD sensor, video is obviously limited to 720p.

With tech specs like this in a camera that's 38.5 mm thick, Pentax has had to come up with a new trick to help compete with all those low-cost superzoom compacts flooding onto the market. This new, unique feature comes in the form of an extra shutter-release button on the right-hand edge of the camera. This is a feature that's often seen in add-on SLR grips, and lets you take pictures with the camera held vertically without having to twist your wrist around to reach the main shutter-release. It's always a handy addition, especially for portrait photography.

Due to launch at the end of February for £199, the VS20 will no doubt be an attractive option for users looking for a superzoom compact that doesn't break the bank. Then again, with 10x to 12x zoom models now selling for £150 or less (from Olympus, in particular) anyone who's pinching the pennies may still think twice ...