1. 4.0 MegaPixel CCD
2. Ultra lightweight aluminum alloy body weighs only 3.5 oz
3. Movie mode records 60 seconds of footage as an AVI file with sound
4. LCD monitor bright enough for use in direct sunlight
5. 11MB internal memory

Customer Review :

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this camera

I've had this little gem for a year now and use it daily. The size of the camera and the quality of the pictures makes it the best investment I've ever made in a camera. I have tried other larger, more technical digitals in the past few months, thinking I would like to upgrade my little Optio, but always come back to my faithful little friend. It goes everywhere I go, weddings, outdoor shots, even my son's rollerblade competitions and I've never been disappointed. It's so easy to use, I've had no problem with the battery life as long as I keep my eye on the LCD and it shows me when it's getting low on energy. It doesn't take that long to recharge...just a matter of my knowing when.
The only thing I wish it had was more optical zoom.


Rating :

Great camera - but serious picture delays

As an owner of an older model, I had been very pleased with the camera, particularly its small size (and perfect fit in a mint tin). However, with the S4 I was very disappointed with the shot to shot time. Especially for flash pictures, the picture button must be held down for a full 4 to 5 seconds to take a picture. Reviewing pictures is also slow - there is a 3 to 4 second pause between each picture when reviewing them on the camera. After using it for a year and being very pleased with all other features of the camera, this drawback alone has gotten annoying enough to want to get a different brand. According to the Optio, the delay is a result of slower processing speed within the camera. So if I was buying again, I would go with a different model of Optio with a better processing time, or check out a different brand.

Rating :

Small form factor, decent pictures

I bought this camera because I was looking to replace my small, point-and-shoot film camera.

The Optio has been a great replacement, giving decent image quality in a very small form factor.

The interface is solid and relatively easy to use. My only complaint is that the power button and the shutter release seem to be switched around -- the power button is often pressed by people that have never used the camera when they mean to take a picture.

Overall, I am very happy with this camera.

Rating :

2 years experience now

So I figure I might as well give my thoughts on it. I don't have much to compare it too, but I really appreciate this camera, and I continue to feel, looking back, that this was a great buy.

Firstly, I used to play with the white balance, and could never get it right, but my wife discovered the easy mode on the camera, and ever since, I've had only great color. I have no complaints at all about color, resolution, etc. I find the quality much better than film cameras, and that's all I needed.

At first, the battery life was great, but after about a year and a half, it started to go. By now, I get like 60 pictures on a battery.

The one thing that annoys me is the occasional lag between when I press the button and when the camera snaps the picture. I think this is normal of digital cameras, but I can't help being annoyed by it. Fortunately, it's not too bad, and doesn't happen all the time.

Of course, size is great. I got a leather case for it, and stick it in my pocket.

The camera seems to work like new. I had no problems with it at all, which is of course nice.

All in all, very happy with it.

Bruce

Rating :

The Smallest Line of Real Digital Cameras

I had the very first Optio S, and I could not find many things about it to improve upon, except for the battery door hinge, less barrel distortion, and more megapixels. Well, the next generation Optio's have 4, 5, and 6 megapixels, so take your pick. The biggest selling point for me has always been the size. These cameras fill niches that a bigger camera frequently cannot. It is ideally suited for street photography, travel, candids, and snapshots.

The Optio S line is tiny and inconspicuous. Your subjects won't often realize that you have a camera in hand. The Optio S4 fits inside an Altoids tin just like the first model, and it should always be that way. I would like for them to make an even smaller camera. An average-sized hand can conceal it quite nicely. I love the picture quality, even though there is barrel distortion and vignetting, but the kind of photography that I pursue often benefits from it. If I want to do architecturals and mural-sized landscapes, my medium-format camera or 4x5 view camera is what I use. Like I said, the Optio S fills a certain photographic niche, just as a large-format technical camera would for architectural photography. And like all cameras, this one won't make you a better photographer; that takes STUDY and PRACTICE.

If there was any other camera that came before the Optio S; that comes closest to it in terms of character, rendering style and other intangibles, I would say it was the Pentax K-1000. If you know anything about the K-1000's cult-like following, you would know what I mean. It's like the K-1000 was reborn as the Optio S. The Optio S is the digital K-1000.


Rating :

More reviews...

1. 1/2.5-inch primary color 6.0-megapixel CCD for outstanding image quality
2. Large, 2.5-inch LCD color monitor for easy viewing
3. Features auto-focus, autoexposure, and auto flash capabilities
4. 3x optical zoom and 2.6x digital zoom for combined 8x zoom
5. High-quality aluminum alloy body for sleek design

Customer Review :

Great transition from 35MM SLR to Digital Photography

I had been trying for years to introduce my wife (a published photographer) to digital photography and this camera really inpressed her from the first time that she used it. The size, ease of operation, and clarity of image were more than she had expected and she is very enthusiastic about continuing her hobby. The price was very fair and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a great digital camera.

Rating :

Good, solid little camera

I learned a valuable lesson recently. When I first bought this camera I loaded it with some 2500 mAh batteries. I was extremely disappointed that I could only get about 30 pictures before the battery died. When I started to research battery chargers, I came to realize that not all chargers are created equal. Many older and even cheaper new chargers are not capable of fully charging high capacity batteries. This is because they use a timed charge which shuts off without regard for how much the battery is actually charged. So if you are still using a 3 or 5 year old charger and it isn't a "smart" charger, then you might only be getting a 50% or less charge. In my case, with an old Energizer charger, I reckon I was only getting a 30% charge.
The other thing you should realize is that Alkaline batteries are not a good choice for digital cameras. You'll be very disappointed with their life if you try to use them in this and most other cameras.

Pros:
High quality photos with Pentax SMC lens and big 6MP images.
Uses SD card. Check out Kingston's 512 MB card on Amazon for a good deal.
Uses AA batteries.
Great battery life (but you MUST get yourself some high capacity Ni-MH batteries and a charger capable of charging those same high capacity Ni-MHs). With 2500 mAh batteries, it will get more than 250 pictures.
Very solid construction.
High quality metal case.
Big 2.5" LCD screen.
Good black and white image quality.

Cons:
No viewfinder (which only becomes an issue in low light conditions).
Indoor pictures can be difficult to get right.
With Alkaline batteries, it will only get about 40 pictures.
Slow recycle times between pictures when using flash.

Overall I am very pleased with this camera; it represents very good value for money- shop around!

Rating :

Mediocre

On paper, this camera should be ideal, however, it fails to live up to its marketing hype: picture quality for outdoor scenic shots is good, but indoor and softer light situations show its limitations. Photo quality is mediocre. The camera also uses batteries rapidly. I would suggest looking at the Canon A510, Sony Cybershot DSC-series, or Kodak Easyshare C-series instead.

Rating :

Pentax S60- Big price little perks

$199+ The Pentax S60 DOES take very nice pictures HOWEVER it may not be worth the price because of its poor features: only 11 MB of memory, low AA battery-life, and the movie playback mode is hard to hear (not loud enough). Also the latch that keeps the battery in place does not seem sturdy. The upside to this camera is its picture quality (6 MP) and large screen.

Rating :

Decent Camera, but not the Greatest

I've had the Pentax Optio S60 since Christmas of 2006. Right at the beginning, the things that bothered me about this camera were: 1) it came with no memory card and the built-in memory only allowed me to take about 5 pictures, and 2) AA batteries last for maybe 40 pictures (if you're lucky). I found right away that lithium where the only batteries that worked well for me. I did like the picture quality at first.

Now that I've had it for a year and a half, here are the pros and cons as I see them with this camera:

Pros:
Seems to be sturdy. Has held up for a year and a half with toddlers always trying to get ahold of it. It's had its share of drops and it still works.
It's pretty easy to use.
It has a nice large screen (but no viewfinder)

Cons:
Does not take fast pictures (especially with a flash). I don't hardly have any good pictures of my kids, b/c they only smile for a second and then they are done. The camera just doesn't shoot fast enough to capture their smiles.
The quality seems to have diminished (unless it's my imagination). I recently ordered about 50 pictures from Kodak.com and the quality of most of the pictures is sub-par at best. They almost seem foggy and the color looks off. I know that it's not just the prints, b/c some that we ordered were taken from a different camera and they turned out much better.

Overall, after a year and a half, I'm done with this camera. I just ordered a Canon Powershot, so I'm hoping that I have better success with that one. It definitely isn't worth the price that it's listed at now (as of 8/08). If it weren't for the fact that this camera has held up so well and did seem to have decent quality pictures at the beginning, I would give it 2 stars.

Rating :

1. 6-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for up to 2,816-by-2,112-pixel photos
2. 3x optical zoom, 4x digital zoom; waterproof operation for up to 5 feet underwater for 30 minutes
3. 2-inch LCD screen and MJPEG movie recording
4. Stores photos on 10.5 MB internal memory and SD and MMC memory cards
5. Transfers photos via USB; compatible with Windows and Mac operating systems; rechargeable lithium-ion battery

Editorial Review :

MD) CL) AA) PEN OPTIO WP-I WTRPROOF

Customer Review :

Great all-around waterproof camera for the family!!

We purchased the W10 in 2006. So far I have taken over 10,000 photos on it. It has been to Hawaii 4 times and the Bahamas once. I have had it snorkeling in the water up to an hour several times a day. Sometimes I rinse and sometimes I don't. I have also used it here in Oregon to take pix in the rain to get those sports shots of my kids. It has been dropped, banged, scratched and otherwise benignly abused. So far, no leaks and still going!

Comments:
1) Photo quality: as long as I stay within the optical zoom range, photo quality is terrific. I am not looking for a camera that will take super-high quality shots (like a 10 mega pix), but one that will give me good resolution and color. No small point and shoot is going to be able to give the highest quality...SLR cameras are better for that (still trying to talk my husband into one of those.)I have gotten great shots of fish, kids, scenery and such. I still have not utilized all the menu options!!

2) Underwater shooting: be sure to set the program to underwater photos (or video) and turn off the flash. Particles in the water will reflect back and the water will look cloudy. Best shots of fish are to float for a moment and try to pre-focus on the area, then snap the shot.

3) Action: as with all point and shoot camera, action shots are not the greatest; however, if you program the camera to take multiple shots on the "sports" setting, you have a better chance of catching a good one. Cameras with shutter speed options are best for sports shots.

4) Viewfinder: It took me awhile to adjust to not having a viewfinder and using the LCD screen. I still have trouble when I have my sunglasses on (or is it the bifocals?) I initially purchased a little attachment that sticks on around the LCD and pops open. It cut the glare and protected the screen. Unfortunately it did not survive multiple dips in the water. I have now adjusted to the screen and only occasionally miss something.

5) Battery life: I have found that, for the most part, the battery life is terrific. I do have to remember to recharge it if I take alot of pix or video. Just noticed that it seems to be running down a tad bit faster. I prefer having the rechargable rather than having to use regular AA or AAA because of the environmental impact. Plus, AA, AAA don't hold a charge as long and you have to replace them often (having had a previous camera that only took AA batteries.)

6) Overall operation: Either my kids are secretly devils (which I doubt) or I just can't really figure out how to prevent red-eye. Even using the red-eye reduction doesn't help. Shutter can be slow to respond, especially if the battery juice is running down. I try to snap the shot before the action happens (anticipate the shot.) The kids (ages 7 & 10) can use the camera with ease and I don't worry about them dropping it in the water (like our son did when he was 2...the camera was NOT waterproof, but did work again after 6 months of sitting around in a drawer.)

As mentioned above, we have been 100% satisfied with this camera. It fits our needs as an active family who wanted a no-fuss, waterproof, "tough" camera!

Rating :

I love my camera

I bought this just before we went snorkeling with the whale sharks off Holbox island this summer and loved it. I wish I'd have tried more of the features before we got there so I'd have known more about the underwater videos, etc. It's very cool, lots of features! The only complaint is that the screen is impossible to see underwater and very difficult to see in bright sun. I tried to find a camera case that floats so it wouldn't sink to the bottom of the ocean but failed. I did buy a skin for it and then cut that to fit it exactly. That really helped because this is a slippery little camera!

Rating :

Excellent camera

I got this for my teenage son. It's a sturdy little camera that takes great pics on land or underwater. The best thing is he can take it to the beach and not worry about ruining it.

Rating :

Since Dec 2005

I have had the WPi since December 2005, and it hasn't quit yet. It has been through anything you could imagine, and much that you can't. I have used this camera underwater with fantastic results, I have used it on numerous outings, I have used it on numerous Airborne jumps during my time at Fort Bragg and everywhere in between. No matter what the situation, you can just rinse it off and keep on going. I have never known anyone to have a camera this long and have it still be in great working condition.

While on a dismounted patrol in Iraq, I was blown through the air by an IED. The camera still works great. I cracked the outer screen when I fell on it, but it all still works and takes great pictures. I am sure that I will be using it for years to come.

If you need a good solid, reliable and small camera. Find this one, somewhere... You won't be sorry!

Rating :

4 years and still working well

Purchased this little camera over 4 years ago from Amazon. I've taken tons of pictures with it, both indoors and outdoors in all sorts of climates and conditions. It has performed well enough for me! I'd recommend the Optio waterproof line to anyone looking for a durable all purpose point and shoot digital camera.

Rating :

More reviews...

1. Pentax Optio H90 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Optical Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD - Ceramic White (Includes manufacturer's supplied accessories)
2. 8 Gigabyte SDHC Secure Digital Memory Card - Universal Memory Card Wallet
3. Naneu Pro Digital Camera Carrying Case with Pockets & Strap
4. Lens Care & Cleaning Kit - Package of LCD Screen Protectors
5. Flexible Legged Mini Table Tripod - BONUS!! 25 FREE Quality Prints (Promo code# on invoice)

Editorial Review :

The Optio H90 digital camera features a clean, contemporary design that is as in style in a museum of modern art as at a concert or sporting event. Developed with the concept of "functional beauty" in mind, the fashionable and affordable Optio H90 offers a full assortment of features to capture a variety of subjects and scenes. This first model in the new Optio H line features a wide angle 5x optical zoom lens (28mm-140mm equivalent), a 12.1-megapixel high resolution CCD sensor, and widescreen HD video capture at 720p and 30 FPS. Improved Pixel Track Shake Reduction technology captures blur-free images and the Face Detection, Smile Capture, and Blink Detection functions help users create better portraits.
++PLUS++ 8GB Accessory Kit: 8 Gigabyte SDHC Secure Digital Memory Card - Universal Memory Card Wallet - Digital Camera Carrying Case with Pockets & Strap - Lens Care & Cleaning Kit - Package of LCD Screen Protectors - Flexible Legged Mini Table Tripod - BONUS!! 25 FREE Quality Prints (Promo code# on invoice).

Customer Review :

No review yet

1. Pentax Optio W90 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 5x Wide Angle Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD - Black (Includes manufacturer's supplied accessories)
2. 8 Gigabyte SDHC Secure Digital Memory Card - Universal Memory Card Wallet
3. Well Padded Digital Camera Carrying Case with Pockets & Strap
4. Lens Care & Cleaning Kit - Package of LCD Screen Protectors
5. Flexible Legged Mini Table Tripod - BONUS!! FREE 25 Quality Prints (promo code# on invoice)

Editorial Review :

Adventure photography doesn't get any better than this. The rugged Optio W90 offers photographic performance, innovative features and style that surpass other outdoor compact digital cameras now available on the market. * Waterproof to 20 feet for reliable underwater photography * Shockproof to 4 feet withstanding the rigors of extreme use * Coldproof to sub-freezing temperatures for use in wintery, snowy activities * 12.1 megapixel sensor and wide angle 5x optical zoom (28-140mm equivalent) * Digital Microscope mode with LED lens lighting perfectly captures the smallest and closest macro subjects as near as 1cm from the camera * Eye-Fi wireless SD memory card connectivity for built-in Wi-Fi capability to transfer photos and videos from the camera to a computer or an online sharing site such as Picasaweb, Flickr, Facebook and YouTube. (Eye-fi cards sold separately.) * Large 2.7-inch LCD with 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio that is easy to view in strong light or underwater * Capture movies in widescreen 720p HD video at 30 frames per second An HDMI port plays back beautiful high-resolution imges and video on HDTVs * Advanced Pixel Track Shake Reduction captures blur-free images in any lighting Fast Face Detection, Smile Capture, Blink Detection, and processing modes specifically designed for portraiture, and new Pet Recognition captures up to 3 pre-programmed pet faces in memory * Infrared remote control compatibility with new waterproof Remote Control WP, as well as other Pentax infrared remotes * Autofocus assist lamp helps to quickly and accurately focus, even in challenging lighting.
++PLUS++ 8GB Accessory Kit: 8 Gigabyte SDHC Secure Digital Memory Card - Universal Memory Card Wallet - Digital Camera Carrying Case with Pockets & Strap - Lens Care & Cleaning Kit - Package of LCD Screen Protectors - Flexible Legged Mini Table Tripod - BONUS!! FREE 25 Quality Prints (promo code# on invoice).

Customer Review :

No review yet