The Optio RZ18 is the latest addition to the popular PENTAX Optio RZ series, which features a high-magnification zoom lens in a compact body.  It provides photographers with simple, effortless shooting of a wide variety of subjects and occasions, from travel and landscape to action and spectator sports. While retaining many of the convenient features of its predecessors — including the dependable dual shake reduction for effective reduction of camera shake, and the advanced Auto Picturevery wide-angle smc PENTAX 18X optical zoom lens to greatly extend the zoom range. The number of effective pixels has also been increased to 16 megapixels to deliver higher-resolution images, while the built-in LCD monitor has been upgraded to a larger 3.0-inch version with  460,000 dots to assure a sharper, clearer subject image. Thanks to the perfect harmony of existing and new features, the Optio RZ18 offers both higher performance and simpler operation than ever before.

The Optio RZ18 also offers a choice of body color — black, pearl white or metallic orange.

Major features :

18X optical zoom lens with 25mm wide-angle coverage to handle a variety of subjects and scenes

Within its slim, lightweight body, the Optio RZ18 incorporates a high-performance, extra-powerful 18X optical zoom lens covering focal lengths from 25mm wide angle to 450mm super-telephoto (in the 35mm format). Thanks to this extra-wide zoom range, the Optio RZ18 can capture beautiful, lively pictures in a wide range of subjects and scenes — from spectacular landscapes to fast-action sports events. It also offers other advanced features, including: high-quality macro shooting down to just four centimeters from the subject; the digital wide function for an ultra-wide-angle image (equivalent to an image taken with an approximately 19mm lens in the 35mm format) from two separate images; and the Digital Panorama mode to effortlessly create a single panoramic picture from as many as three images.

Exceptional image quality assured by latest super-resolution technology

Thanks to the combination of approximately 16 effective megapixels, a high-performance smc PENTAX zoom lens and the advanced image processing system — a system that uses the latest super-resolution technology to optimize image quality through meticulous section-by-section treatment of the captured image — the Optio RZ18 delivers well-defined, high-quality images with extra-fine resolution. Even when images are enlarged to large sizes, the user is assured of sharp, high-resolution prints with edge-to-edge sharpness.

Dual shake reduction for sharp, blur-free images.

By combining a CCD-shift-type SR (Shake Reduction) mechanism with a Pixel Track SR, the Optio RZ18’s dual shake reduction effectively reduces annoying camera shake to a minimum. Thanks to this dependable system, the photographer is assured of sharp, blur-free images even under shake-prone shooting conditions, such as when using a telephoto lens, or when shooting a sunset or indoor scene with incident light only.

Automatic selection of the most appropriate shooting mode

The Optio RZ18 features the PENTAX-original Auto Picture mode, which automatically selects the most appropriate shooting mode for a given subject or scene by accurately assessing various photographic conditions on and around the subject. Since this user-friendly mode instantly and unfailingly selects one of 16 shooting modes (including Blue Sky, Sunset and Pet) and optimizes various camera settings (including sensitivity and shutter speed), the photographer is always assured of the best results with minimal effort.

Extra-large 3.0-inch LCD monitor

The Optio RZ18 features a high-resolution 3.0-inch color LCD monitor. Because this extra-large monitor provides a clear view of images and menus, the photographer can quickly and efficiently check captured images and menu settings. The Optio RZ18 also offers a setting to magnify the letters displayed, by which users can further enhance the legibility of the menus and the operability of the camera.

High-quality HDTV-proportion movie recording

The Optio RZ18 captures beautiful, high-definition-TV-quality movie clips (1280 x 720 pixels).* It also comes equipped with the sophisticated Movie SR (Shake Reduction) mode,** which automatically compensates camera shake during movie shooting with the help of exclusive software. With the Optio RZ18, everyone can enjoy high-quality movie shooting with minimal effort.

Automatic face detection for beautiful, lively snapshots

The Optio RZ18 features the sophisticated Face Detection AF & AE function. This sophisticated feature instantly and accurately detects as many as 32 faces within the image field, then catches them in sharp focus and optimum exposure in a mere 0.03 seconds — even when some of the faces are tilted or turned away from the camera. To assist the photographer in capturing beautiful, lively snapshots, the Optio RZ18 also comes equipped with other user-friendly features, including: the Small Face filter that makes the subject’s face appear smaller than actual in recorded images; the Smile Capture mode that automatically releases the shutter the moment the camera detects the subject’s smile; and the Blink Detection function that warns the photographer when the subject’s eyes close at the time of shutter release.

Other features

• Upgraded Pet mode for automatic detection of dog and cat faces. This unique mode not only detects the faces of dogs and cats with great accuracy, but it also gives priority to three pre-registered pet faces over unregistered ones, so that users can effortlessly capture the best expressions of their beloved pets.
• Wireless remote-control shooting using an optional PENTAX remote controllers
• Burst shooting of up to 40 images, at a maximum speed of 9 images per second
• Digital filters, including Miniature and Toy Camera, to add creative visual effects
• Choice of three image sizes (4:3, 16:9 and 1:1) to accommodate different applications
• D-Range setting to prevent whitewashed (overexposed) and blacked-out (underexposed) areas in an image
• Image viewing, editing and filing software included: MediaImpression 3.1 for PENTAX (Windows version compatible with Windows 7) and MediaImpression 2.1 for PENTAX (Macintosh version compatible with Mac OS X 10.7)
• Eye-Fi connected: optimized for use with Eye-Fi wireless memory cards