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Pentax Optio H90 and E90: Brand new you're retro

If there's anything we like more than crowbarring song titles into our headlines, it's quirky new cameras such as the retro Pentax Optio H90, announced today with the super-cheap E90

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Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
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Richard Trenholm

If you're wondering where all this camera news is coming from, it's the run-up to photo trade show PMA. Pentax is first out of the blocks with the Pentax Optio H90, E90 and I-10.

The H90 sports a 5x optical zoom lens, with a wide angle of 28mm, equivalent to a 35mm camera. It comes in black, white or an unusual bright orange. Like the I-10 also announced today, the H90 has a determinedly retro look. Where the I-10 looks similar to the dSLR-inspired styling of the Olympus E-P1, the H90 recalls the louchely compact Olympus concept that preceded the E-P1.

Black

The H90 sports a 69mm (2.7-inch) screen on the back. It shoots 720p high-definition video, with the option of lower resolutions if you prefer. Other features include a panorama mode, novelty frames, and a recycle bin to recover erased images. Optical image stabilisation has been left out, for some reason.

White

Also announced is the Pentax Optio E90, an entry-level 10-megapixel point-and-shoot. It runs off AA batteries and includes a 3x zoom and 69mm (2.7-inch) screen. The rubber coating comes in black or red, pictured below.

E90

Both cameras arrive sometime in February, like a bunch of petrol-station flowers from an absent-minded lover. The H90 will set you back £130, which isn't bad for a 5x zoom and large screen, while the E90 costs a mere £80.