New Pentax Optio Cameras Promise Bang for the Buck

— -- In announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Pentax is adding two point-and-shoot models--priced at $200 or less--to its Optio camera line, units that pack in a nice range of features for their cost.

The Pentax Optio P70 (pictured above), a very thin, 12-megapixel wide-angle model with a 4X optical zoom, includes a 28mm film equivalent on the wide-angle end. Priced at $200 and available in February, the P70 offers a nice balance of both style (the superslim metal frame will be offered in red, white, and silver) and specs, including the aforementioned 28mm wide-angle lens, 720p wide-screen HD video at 15 frames per second, Pentax's Pixel Track Shake mode for eliminating noise in low-light shots, and face recognition for up to 32 mugs per shot. A smile-triggered shutter, a high 6400 ISO equivalent, and blink detection round out the smorgasbord of specs.

The Pentax Optio E70 (pictured above), the company's other CES point-and-shoot announcement, is a bit more bare-bones but will cost just $140. This 10-megapixel model offers a 3X optical zoom (35mm to 105mm equivalent), and runs on AA batteries; it also offers Pixel Track Shake photo correction, face recognition for up to 32 faces, a smile-triggered shutter mode, and blink detection. Coming in February, the Optio E70 will be available in blue, gold, and red.

For more major announcements from this year's show, see our complete CES coverage.