Pentax Optio RS1500 customisable compact camera

Pentax has opted to put the fun into its Optio RS1500 by giving it a customisable front panel.

Using supplied faceplates it's possible to change the look of the camera to suit your new outfit or mood. Should you tire of the supplied faceplates, the included blank cards can be used for your own designs.

Behind the changeable front is a boxy compact camera with a silver-coloured body, and in fact the unadorned version has a certain retro charm, though it was too plasticky for our liking.

At the back is a 3in screen for composing and viewing pictures and menus, which we found easy to navigate.

There is a 4x optical zoom and in addition to the 14-megapixel still images, the RS1500 shoots high-definition video at the 720p resolution.

For still images, shooting modes range from automatic, in which the camera detects the best settings based on the conditions, to a manual mode where most settings can be changed.

In addition to shooting modes for portraits, sport and more a panorama mode can create a wide image by stitching three shots together.

It both detects and tracks faces, though the results were mixed – it didn't always find faces. Smile detection, which shoots when the subject gives a nice cheesy grin, also worked.

The flash was adequate and it was nice to see a tripod socket on the underside. Overall picture quality was good though there was some noise noticeable in lower light conditions.

The camera has basic built-in editing tools, and results were quick and effective though obviously no match for dedicated editing software.

The included memory is enough for a handful of photos so an SD memory card is a must. The rechargeable battery was good for a day's shooting.

Both battery and memory card share a small compartment on the bottom of the RS 1500 and there is a micro-USB socket to one side for attaching to a PC for image transfer – the lead for this is included.

For its £70 street price, the Optio RS 1500 is a quirky compact camera that takes good photos, though its build quality just holds it back.