Pentax introduces upgrades the resolution on its compacts to make the T20 and E20, and releases a new lens

No big changes to the compact cameras

14 September 2006 11:52 GMT / By Amber Maitland

Not content with releasing a new top-spec DSLR, Pentax also has unveiled two new compacts and a nice-looking, special edition lens to go with the new K10D.

Both new compacts are a slight upgrade to previous models. The E20 is Pentax’s latest entry-level camera, while the T20 is an upgrade to the T10 compact with touchscreen design.

The E20 has one more megapixel than its previous incarnation, bringing the total resolution to 6MP. It also features a 3x optical zoom and runs on AA batteries.

The camera is designed for ease of use, and therefore incorporates only the easiest of functions. It has eight shooting modes, including Simple, and sports a 2.4-inch LCD on the rear. Other features including SD card storage, 13MB of internal memory, Video Out jack, ACDSee image viewing software, and PictBridge compatibility. It will retail for £120.

The T20, meanwhile, is Pentax’s super-slim touchscreen compact that features a 7Mp sensor, compared to the T10’s 6MP of resolution.

On the rear is a large 3-inch LCD that gives enough room for big fingers to touch the on-screen menu, and boasts 230,000 pixels of resolution for clear image viewing. The camera is just 19.5-mm thick, so that the device is ultra portable.

Features include a My Drawing mode that lets users edit the image directly using the bundled styles, 12 shooting modes, video recording at 30fps, 12MB of internal Memory, and a 3x optical zoom.

And finally, Pentax has also launched a 70mm f2.4 limited-edition pancake lens for its DLSRs.

It measures just 26mm long, weights 130g, and offers a focal length equivalent of 107mm in the 35mm format.