Hasta La Ideas

Unveiled earlier this month at CES, Pentax‘s latest digital cameras—the Optio H90 (above) and I-10 (below)—offer budding photographers a high-tech device at an affordable price.

Both of the wide-angle cameras load up on features, including Eye-Fi connectivity capabilities (for wireless uploading), 5x optical zoom lenses, 2.7-inch LCD screens, high-res 12.1 megapixel sensors, and face, smile and blink detection.

Stylish and user-friendly, we played around with both and found they yielded excellent photos under a variety of settings. The pair also provide an HD video function, capturing images at 30 frames per second.

The SLR-inspired Optio I-10 takes it a step further with a picture-in-picture function, supplying photographers an easy and useful reference when attempting to shoot subjects from the same angle. Also unique to the I-10, a host of digital filters allow users to apply visual effects without the aid of a computer. In addition to standard filters such as sepia and monochrome, “toy camera” and “starburst” add fun illusions.

Available for purchase next month, the Optio I-10 is $300 and the H90 is $180. Check out the Pentax website for a list of local retailers worldwide.