Pentax Optio 230
- In the field (2) -
Now you probably want to know how much will you loose in term of image information in comparison with the Optio 330. Here is the direct comparison between the two cameras: same subject, same day and time, self-timer exposure on same tripod for preventing camera shake. Since the Optio 230 features 1600 pixels on horizontal side of the photo, while the Optio 330 features 2048 pixels, the Optio 230 image has been enlarged 1.25X, in order to get the same picture scale. Quite obviously, the Optio 330 shows some more detail, while pixelation is not so different. From this point of view the Optio 330 is better, as expected, but the Optio 230 ranks very close to it. Also, this comparison shows some different toning in the two images, with the 230 showing some cold intonation and the 330 being a bit too much on the warm side. However, that’s not a rule. Under different circumstances the 230 will be warmer than the 330, showing that the auto white balance software is not the same in the two cameras.
The statue of Caesar Augustus will now show us the best surprise of the Optio 230. Do you remember the Optio 330 test, where I complained about the blue fringes in strongly backlit situation, especially at corners? Well, the Optio 230 is far better corrected about this chromatic aberration. That’s even more surprising, since the lens of the Optio 230 features just 6 elements, one of which is aspherical, instead of the 7-element construction (2 aspherical) of the Optio 330. I suppose the smaller CCD size of the Optio 230 leaves the designer more freedom for correcting aberrations. Or maybe there is a software reason for that, since raw images as seen by the CCD (which is an RGB pixel mosaic) are always processed before storing them in the camera.
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Text and images are Copyright © 2002 by Dario Bonazza
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