We're not saying pixel count matters anymore, or that anyone can tell the difference between an 8-megapixel shot and a 10-megapixel shot anyway, but if you want something unusual to brag about, the Pentax Optio S12 is certainly unique. The $280 camera has a 12-megapixel sensor not a whole lot else—that tiny little 5-oz. body measures 3.6" x 2.2" with a thickness of just under an inch. As you can expect, it's got just a 3x optical zoom lens and a rather nice 232,00-pixel 2.5" LCD, but sadly, in spite of its massive image sensor it only records VGA movies. I'm still trying to guess what it would be best for, besides cocktail party conversation, besides making massive poster-sized images of close-up subjects on the fly. Detailed specs and another picture after the jump. [Pentax]

CAMERA HARDWARE

MODEL: Optio S12
TYPE: Ultra-compact digital camera
PRODUCT CODE:
Silver: 17021, UPC: 027075139428
Black: 17041, UPC: 027075139473

SENSOR
Type: 1/1.7" interline transfer CCD w/ primary color filter
Effective pixels: 12.0 MP
Total pixels: 12.4 MP
Recorded resolutions
Still: 4000x3000 (12M), 3648x2736 (10M), 3072x2304 (7M), 2592x1944 (5M), 2048x1536 (3M), 1024x768 (1024), 640x480 (VGA)
Movie: 640x480 (VGA), 320x240 (QVGA)
Quality levels:  Best,  Better,  Good

LENS
Type/construction: smc Pentax zoom lens, 7 elements, 5 groups (2 dual sided aspherical elements, 1 single sided aspherical element)
Optical zoom: 3x
Focal length (equiv.): 7.9-23.7mm (37-111mm)
Digital zoom: 6x
Combined zoom: 18x
Intelligent zoom: Approx 3.3x at 10M, 3.9x at 7M, 4.6x at 5M, 5.7x at 3M, 11.4x at 1024, 17.9x at VGA
Aperture: f/2.8-5.4

LCD/VIEWFINDER
LCD screen: 2.5" TFT color LCD with LCD Bright Mode and anti-reflective coating
LCD coverage: TBA
LCD resolution: 232,000 dots
Wide angle viewable: YES
Optical viewfinder: n/a

FOCUS SYSTEM
Type: TTL contrast detection autofocus w/ AF assist lamp
Autofocus: 5 point autofocus, spot/tracking autofocus available
Manual focus: YES
Macro focus: YES, macro and super macro available
Focus lock: YES, by pressing the shutter release button half way
Focus range
Normal: 1.15' to infinity
Macro: 0.39-1.31' (wide)
Super Macro: 0.20-0.49' (wide)
Manual: TBA

FLASH
Type: Built-in series-control auto flash
Flash modes: Auto, flash on, flash off, redeye, soft
Effective range: Approx 22' (wide, auto ISO), 11' (tele, auto ISO)

STORAGE MEDIA
Internal memory: 21 MB
Removable memory: SD, SDHC

INTERFACES
Ports: USB 2.0 hi-speed, AV out, DC in
Video out: NTSC, PAL
Printer interfaces: PictBridge

POWER SUPPLY
Power source: Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery D-LI68
Recordable images: Approx 270
Playback time: Approx 270 min
Movie recording time: Approx 80 min
Audio recording time: Approx 220 min
AC adapter available: YES (optional)

PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions (W x H x D): 3.6 x 2.2 x 0.9"
Weight
Without battery or removable memory: 4.6 oz
Loaded and ready: 5.3 oz
Construction material(s): TBA
Operating temperature: 32-104°F

TIMING
Startup: Approx 2.1s
Release lag: Approx 0.006s

LANGUAGE SUPPORT
English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Russian, Thai, Korean, Traditional/Simplified Chinese, Japanese

IMAGE CAPTURE

IMAGE STABILIZATION
Still: Digital SR Mode (auto up to 3200 ISO)
Movie: Movie SR Mode

METERING SYSTEM
Type: TTL
Multi-segment: YES
Center weighted: YES
Spot: YES
Exposure compensation: +/- 2 EV (1/3 steps)

ISO SENSITIVITY
Auto: 64-3200 (3200 in Digital SR mode), auto range adjustable
Manual: 64-3200 (3200 in Digital SR mode)

WHITE BALANCE
Auto preset modes: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent
Manual mode(s): YES

SHUTTER
Type: TBA
Shutter speed: 1/2000 to 1/4 sec (4 sec available in Night Scene mode)

CAPTURE MODES
Mode selection: Auto Picture (xxxx, xxxx, xxxx, xxxx), Program, Shutter Priority, Manual, Night Scene, Movie, Voice Recording, Landscape, Flower, Natural Skin Tone, Portrait, Half Length Portrait (3M), Kids, Digital SR (5M), Sport, Surf & Snow, Pet, Text, Food, Frame Composite (3M), Dynamic Range Adjustment (auto and manual adjustments)
Green simplified mode available: YES
Face recognition available: YES, up to 15 faces in all modes, face selector available
P/A/S/M/B: P, S, M
Date stamp: YES (not available in Green Mode)
Digital filters (capture): n/a

DRIVE MODES
Mode selection: One shot, self timer (10s, 2s), continuous, remote control (3s, 0s), multi-exposure (5M)
Continuous FPS: Approx 1.47 FPS
Self-timer: YES (10s, 2s)
Remote control: YES, infrared (3s, 0s), remote optional

PLAYBACK MODES
Mode selection: One shot, index (9 thumbnails), magnification, movie playback, sound playback, histogram, select & delete, calendar
Mode pallet: Slideshow, resize, trimming, image & sound copy, image rotation, color filter, digital filter, brightness filter, movie edit, redeye edit, voice memo, protect, DPOF, startup image, frame composite (3M)
Magnification: Up to 8x, scrollable
Digital filters (playback): Color filters (13), digital filters (5), brightness
Movie edit: Save as still image, movie divide, movie extract

FILE FORMATS
Still: JPG (EXIF 2.2), DCF 2.0 (design rule for camera file system), DPOF, Print Image Matching III
Movie: AVI (DivX with MPG-4), 30 FPS w/ sound, Movie SR
Sound: WAV (PCM), monaural

FILE STORAGE MATRIX (BASED ON 1GB MEMORY)
STILL   
4000x3000 (12M) 201 291 404
3648x2736 (10M) 242 350 486
3072x2304 (7M) 342 495 685
2592x1944 (5M) 481 695 963
2048x1536 (3M) 728 1053 1458
1024x768 (1024) 1856 2682 3714
640x480 (VGA) 3405 4918 6811
MOVIE   
VGA (640x480) H:M:S 0:46:00 0:57:38 1:09:11
QVGA (320x240) H:M:S 2:57:56 3:41:03 4:14:52
SOUND H:M:S 17:11:28

COMPUTER SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS*
*For device connectivity. Bundled software requirements may vary.
Windows: TBA
Mac: TBA
KIT INCLUSIONS
Optio S12, USB Cable I-USB7, AV Cable I-AVC7(B), Rechargeable Li-Ion Battery D-LI68, Battery Charge Cradle D-BC68(C), AC Plug Cord, Strap O-ST20, Software TBA
OPTIONAL ACCESSORIES
AC Adapter Kit K-AC63U, Battery Charger Kit K-BC68U, PTX-210-LHM Leather Case, PTC-L45 Small Nylon Case, Remote Control E (w/ zoom), Remote Control F, Optio Extended Warranty (2 year)

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