When set at maximum aperture and widest angle of view the photographer can use fast shutter speeds in dimly lit locations and take advantage of a beautiful bokeh (out-of-focus) effect in the background.

ENGADGET: Pentax launches brass-bodied MX-1 point-and-shoot: 12MP with 4X zoom (update: now with hands-on photos)

In addition to daily use as a "pan-focus" lens featuring a wide angle, fixed f8 aperture and shallow depth of field, it is compatible with manual focusing using a lever and capable of close-up shooting as close as 30 cm.

ENGADGET: Olympus E-PL5 and E-PM2: Micro Four Thirds cameras with OM-D-like focusing, performance boosts (hands-on)

Its newly designed, large-aperture, 4x optical zoom lens (with the maximum aperture of F2.0 at wide-angle end), high-sensitivity, back-illuminated 16 megapixel CMOS image sensor, and sensor-shift Shake Reduction system ensure sharp, high-quality, low-noise images.

ENGADGET: Pentax expands ruggedized series with Optio WG-3, Target-exclusive WG-10

The PENTAX MX-1 features a 4X optical zoom lens offering a large maximum aperture of F1.8 to F2.5 and 28mm wide-angle coverage (in the 35mm format).

ENGADGET: Pentax launches brass-bodied MX-1 point-and-shoot: 12MP with 4X zoom (update: now with hands-on photos)

This phone also breaks new ground in optics with 1080p video recording, f2.0 aperture and a dedicated HTC ImageChip on the main 8-megapixel camera and an ultrawide-angle lens on the front camera that lets you fit up to four people in the frame for a premium Skype experience.

ENGADGET: Microsoft brings guest user account to Windows Phone 8 via Kid's Corner