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Optio M20 Poor Image Quality

Posted 07/01/2007 - 13:54 Link
I've recently purchased an Optio M20 and I'm very disapointed with the image quality, nearly all my shots appear slightly out of focus. I've spent quite a while testing the camera in different lighting conditions with different settings, I've found that if I change the 'sharpness' setting from 'normal' to 'highest' then image quality improves slightly, but not as much as I'd hope.

I've taken lots of shots today with the M20 and repeated the same shot with my wife's Samsung A400 (4 MP), and in nearly every instance the Samsung's shots are sharper, with better definition and more detail. Shots of trees show a light purple edges to trees branches with the Pentax, not with the Samsung.

I know the little Pentax M20 is only £120, but I'd really expected it to outperform a 2 year old 4MP Samsung. I'd be very grateful if anyone could offer advice, or perhaps I could email a couple of my shots to some person for a 'qaulity check'. The bottom line is that I love the design, large LCD and features of the M20, but am bitterly disapointed with the image quality.

Thanks in advance for any assistance anyone can offer.
Ammonyte
Posted 07/01/2007 - 13:58 Link
There could be a fault with the autofocus mechanism. When I bought my Optio WPi in Dec 2005 it produced some horrible images. I took it to the repair centre in Langley (I only live a couple of miles away) and they sorted it out under guarantee (even though it was one of pixmania's dodgy imports)
Tim the Ammonyte
--------------
K10D & sundry toys
http://www.ammonyte.com/photos.html
LiamD
Posted 07/01/2007 - 19:46 Link
Hi Accreditor,

I'll post a couple of shots for you. Check your private messages, for details,

Cheers

Liam
Liam


"Make your hands respond to what your mind demands." Jesse James

Best wide-angle lens? Two steps backward. Look for the 'ah-ha'. Ernst Haas
LiamD
Posted 12/01/2007 - 10:55 Link
Liam


"Make your hands respond to what your mind demands." Jesse James

Best wide-angle lens? Two steps backward. Look for the 'ah-ha'. Ernst Haas
Ammonyte
Posted 13/01/2007 - 12:06 Link
Liam,

When I click the link for the full-sized images I get:-

body { background: #ffffff url('404bg.png') no-repeat fixed top left; }
Tim the Ammonyte
--------------
K10D & sundry toys
http://www.ammonyte.com/photos.html
LiamD
Posted 13/01/2007 - 13:44 Link
Hi Tim,

that's 'cos I'm rubbish..

They work now.. I uploaded them to the server with uppercase file extensions for some reason.

Cheers

Liam
Liam


"Make your hands respond to what your mind demands." Jesse James

Best wide-angle lens? Two steps backward. Look for the 'ah-ha'. Ernst Haas
JimN
Posted 17/01/2007 - 16:16 Link
I'm in similar position, got an M20 just before Christmas and quality appears to be well below my yonks old 3.2MP Canon. There's an example image from mine here.
Ammonyte
Posted 17/01/2007 - 17:42 Link
Jim,

Your picture seems a bit small at 1.6 MB, I get pics of up to 3 MB from my opitio wpi (6 MP), and the ISO is set at 125. I keep my optio set to ISO80 and manually change it. These compact cameras have a habit of dropping the resoloution and quality if the light is a bit poor. Double check that all the settings are on max quality.

This is the only example of a pic from my optio wpi that I could find in a hurry http://www.ammonyte.plus.com/images/IMGP0965.JPG

It's the DS with all the macro bits on!
Tim the Ammonyte
--------------
K10D & sundry toys
http://www.ammonyte.com/photos.html
JimN
Posted 17/01/2007 - 19:10 Link
Many thanks Ammonyte, that's a very interesting point; it's definitely the lower size images that have the worst image quality. This one is 2.7Mb and proportionally better. The biggest I can find is 3.35 Mb and the picture is much much better.

The settings were definitely at max size & max quality when the original picture was taken, the light quality was not brilliant as it was under some trees.

I'll have a play with the ISO and see if that helps.
Ammonyte
Posted 17/01/2007 - 20:00 Link
It's probably because I normally use an SLR that I have my Optio set up this way:-

In the Rec menu I set the ISO to it's lowest value (80) and I have programmed the Green Button to step through WB, Focussing Area, Sensitivity and EV Compensation.

I ignore all the "picture modes" and keep it set to Program.

Here's a link to a picture taken this afternoon at 15:14 as the light was fading:-

http://www.ammonyte.plus.com/images/IMGP0974.JPG (Not a great shot, I was just recording the level of the water in the Moat)
Tim the Ammonyte
--------------
K10D & sundry toys
http://www.ammonyte.com/photos.html
Posted 18/01/2007 - 23:35 Link
Thanks to all those who have replied. It seems that quite a few owners are unhappy with the picture quality of the M20:

http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1028&message=21242236
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-reviews/B000HDDKT8/ref=cm_cr_dp_2_1/00...

for an in depth review:

http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/content/Pentax-Optio-M20-Digital-Camera-Review....

I simply can't understand why close ups with my M20 are excellent whilst anything over 6' way is slightly blurry. If there is reasonable weather this weekend, I'm going to mount it on a tripod and work through all the settings. I'm not expecting to achieve better shots after reading the above review.
JimN
Posted 19/01/2007 - 06:52 Link
First phase of my experiments to try and get a decent photo out of the M20 (which obviously shouldn't be necessary for a camera of this sort, let's hope Pentax pick up on this).

Low to medium light conditions (indoors)
Default program mode:
http://www.nurcombe.net/photos/103_1801/IMGP0120.JPG
ISO: 200 (Auto)
FNumber: 4.6

Best results achieved:
http://www.nurcombe.net/photos/103_1801/IMGP0123.JPG
ISO: 200 (Manual)
FNumber: 3.1
George Lazarette
Posted 19/01/2007 - 09:44 Link

That's not an in-depth review. It's a couple of sentences making unsupported assertions.

I know nothing about this camera, but I would suggest you test it thoroughly yourself, and understand how it works, before you write it off. There are so many nitwits on the Internet that it is very dangerous to form judgements based on statements by people who probably know less than you do.

G
Keywords: Charming, polite, and generally agreeable.
George Lazarette
Posted 19/01/2007 - 09:50 Link
If you take pictures in poor light, you get poor pictures. Unless you are using good, off-camera, diffused flash, any indoor picture is likely to be problematic.

Take the camera outside in late afternoon, and point it away from the sun. Then see what it can do.

Very often, perceived defects in p&s cameras are the consequence of ignorance on the part of the owner.

Very few p&s cameras will ever be able to take a good picture indoors because most of them can't be hooked up to a decent flash system.

This is a £100.00 camera. Don't ask it to do the impossible.

G
Keywords: Charming, polite, and generally agreeable.
George Lazarette
Posted 19/01/2007 - 10:06 Link
JimN wrote:
I'm in similar position, got an M20 just before Christmas and quality appears to be well below my yonks old 3.2MP Canon. There's an example image from mine here.

You've taken this picture at 1/30 sec., wide-open, in dreary winter light. It's hard to tell, but what light there is seems to be coming from in front, and to the left.

The picture seems to be a bit over-exposed, probably because the centre is the large, dark, mass of the archer's sweater.

So, slow shutter speed means loss of sharpness.
Wide aperture means loss of sharpness.
Winter light means lack of contrast.
Shooting into light causes loss of contrast and some fringing.
Over-exposure causes blown out highlights and general lack of quality.

You have done just about everything you could to make this picture come out badly.

But of course, it's the camera's fault, not the photographer's.

I don't know why people buy the cheapest camera they can find, and expect, with no effort on their part, to produce pictures like Cartier-Bresson (look him up).

The computer in the human brain is much more powerful than the one in a cheap point and shoot camera (in most cases!). So harness the power of the big computer, and see what it can do.

Sorry to be rude, but people who blame their equipment annoy me. It's the workman that counts, not the tool.

George
Keywords: Charming, polite, and generally agreeable.

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