Customer Reviews

Pentax Optio S4 4MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

pentax had heads turning when they introduced the optio s because that camera could fit into an altoids tin. well, pentax has upped the ante. they've managed to a full megapixel of resolution without increasing the size of this amazing camera. the result is the optio s4.

pros:
- yes, it still fits in an altoid tin! the main selling point of this camera is its small size: 3.3 x 2.0 x 0.8 in, weighing in at 3.5oz.
- relatively high "wow" factor.
- average four megapixel resolution.

- good reliable metering.
- low image noise at low ISO settings.
- fast autofocus in well lit situations.
- very good macro performance for an ultra-compact.
- wide range of focus options including manual focus!
- histogram display in live view and play modes.
- allows decent manual control for what is billed as a point-and-shoot ultra-compact.
- no color cast from flash.
- fast startup time.
- solid build quality - stylish aluminum case.
- bright LCD monitor with anti-reflective coating.
- shooting priority during play mode.
- doubles as a voice recorder.

cons:
- some chromatic aberrations.
- some vignetting visible.
- moderate barrel distortion at full wide angle.
- average photo quality with soft edges.
- images noisier than competition.
- the right most button at the top of the camera is the power button. right beside it to the left is the shutter release button. for me, the more logical button placement would be to have the shutter release button on the far right.
- no AF assist light.
- some redeye occurrence.
- poor shot to shot times - very disappointing.
- metal body scratches easily.
- RAW and TIFF formats not supported.
- longest shutter setting is 4 seconds.
- only 11MB of built-in memory provided so add $$ to your budget to buy external memory.
- below average battery life and the battery is proprietary so add more bucks for a spare.

like its predecessor, the optio S, the S4 is an amazing camera, providing a wide feature set in an ultra-compact package. it is simply the smallest camera with its feature set available today (10/2003). it is very similar to the slightly bigger casio ex-z4. so why only four stars? opportunites for improvement would be: better shot to shot times, a longer shutter setting (max right now is 4 seconds), and an AF assist lamp.

i hope this helps you with your buying decision. peace.

I use film for most of my work, also I already had a 4 MP digital camera that was not getting a lot of use do to it's size. I wanted something for snapshots that I can carry with me non stop and take all those goofy Kodak moments. Controls are well placed and accessible. Since camera is so small, buttons may feel little cramped for users with big hands. Many cameras if powered on accidentally inside the case or pocket will try to open up and therefore break lens mechanism. Pentax on/off switch is very secured and if by any chance you still open it up by mistake and lens is blocked camera will not power on. I think this is an excellent feature since camera is so small and can
accidentally turn on when it's tossing and turning in your pocket.
Some people complained about slow write up time to the memory card. I haven't experienced that so I can't say anything bad. It took me a while to learn how to take picture properly. It is a small camera so you have to me more careful about camera shake (aka pay more attention to shutter speed). Also since controls are so small they are not as sensitive so in order to take a pic you really need to press the shutter down.

Pros:
-SIZE! SIZE! SIZE! It really doesn't get any better than that. Small body that fits into Altoid tin.
-Picture Quality. It's excellent for JPEG. File size is anywhere from 2.5 - 2.9 MB in the 4mp , least compression mode. It would be nice to have a TIFF there. But to answer everyone's question: yes I printed very nice super sharp 8by10 images out of this little wonder. 8by10 is all I want, if I need to go bigger I buy a better camera or use film.
-Flash. Very powerful and superb even in comparison to my other bigger cameras.
-LCD. Super sharp and detailed.
-Battery Life. I was super skeptic about battery life but after week or so of use I can say it hold its charge and last very long time.
-Ease of playback, deletion and control access. Very intuitive and well placed.
-Build in memory. It's nice to have a backup 11 Megs just in case.

Cons:
-Placement of LCD monitor. If you try to use viewfinder and monitor is on it will blind your eye for a bit due to proximity. It is not a big deal outdoors but in dark environments it causes a bit of problems.
-Viewfinder is small and cramped.
-Picture quality distortion along edges. They come out a bit blurry there. It is much better than original Optio S but still not perfect
-No 400 ISO. Really disappointing for low light photography. Also 200 ISO is very noisy.
-No focus assist light. Makes it hard to take picture in the dark.
-Zoom can have few more steps.

Now you have to remember that I(you) bought this camera mainly for it's size. If you want tiff mode, superb quality pics, big zooms I think you should go for a bigger and different camera. But if you want something that will be always with you for snapshots, candits and travel photos I think this is an excellent piece of equipment. I keep my in my pocket all the time, I use it for work, pleasure and hangout. I take it kayaking, hiking and climbing. It's a snap shot camera with surprisingly powerful features, nice image quality and average zoom. My set includes an extra battery (not used yet), petax leather case, 512 memory card and Ziploc bag. And true, it is so small I misplaced it twice.

This review is from the perspective of an amateur photographer and a first-time digital camera buyer. My primary goal was to have a) something very portable with b) intermediate features that I could grow into. So this is what I think:

Pros
* Excellent portability - extremely light and small
* Numerous settings allow you to take pictures under vast majority of conditions
* Very good macro function
* Great `WOW' factor!
* High resolution - 4MP
* Good optical zoom - 3x
* Records short videos - upto 60 seconds
* Decent-sized LCD screen

Cons
* Average picture quality (you have to print the photos to see the real quality)
* No SD card included (only 11MB of internal memory; budget for SD card)
* One proprietary battery not enough; budget for spare
* Battery cover somewhat flimsy - handle with care
* No case; you could get one from Fry's/BestBuy for less than $10

Optio S4 serves my purpose very well. I hated lugging around my previous 35mm camera. Now I pretty much have the S4 with everywhere I go during the four weekends that I have had it. Overall evaluation is thumbs up!

Pro:
-It's SMALL: Smaller in both length and width than most flip phones (like Motorola or Samsung) and has the same silver finish
-Ease of use: I'm not really a techie, but I was able to figure out how to use it by reading the manual over a couple of times. Trust me, if I can do it, anyone can.
-It came with an updated USB driver for the camera that installed in less than 30 seconds on my WinXP PC. I chose not to install the included photo editing software, but that's up to individual users.
-When connected to my USB port, the pictures (w/o the editing software) showed up in folders under "Removable Disk" icon that pops up next to my CD-Rom drives whenever I plug in the camera
and I just view them with the WINXP picture fax viewer
-I've taken about 50 pics already and there were no "RED EYE" problems for me in any of them, unlike a lot of other reviews I've seen on the internet
-The frame rate for the video was almost the same as watching home movies from my camcorder, although the sound was very very low (just need to bring the camera in closer to the person talking)
-has built in speaker! I watched and listened to the small video clips, each one about 60 secs.
-The flash is very, very good!!! Pictures in low-light (not withstanding the LCD problem) at about 12 feet, come out crisp and clear for me
-All the other buttons and controls (except the four-way dial) are extremely easy to use and all the major regular features like flash settings and manual focus are literally at the push of a button, not through the menu screen
-I've been using only my right hand for all menu options and also taking pictures (warning to left-handed people, this is a right-handed camera)
-OVERALL: This camera has features which will please even up to an Intermediate level photographer.

Con:
-The metal body scratches easily. I've had it for about four hours, and there's already a small scratch, but any small scratches are not a problem if you are not less than half an inch from the body of camera.
-There are discrepencies in the manual, specifically with the various photo "modes" available. Several of them are not even listed or explained at all.
-There are only four fixed resolutions you can take pictures in
-The four-way dial is way too small for most hands
-The LCD screen is almost totally black in very low light conditions
-NO (Secure Digital) FLASH MEDIA STORAGE CARD INCLUDED (prepare to shell out anywhere between $25 to $200 additional for storage -- about 40 pics with a 128 mb card at the higest resolution)
-The AC adapter for the camera itself is "optional" (either buy another battery or keep your battery charger handy)
-the battery life also is not very good, and it seems it needs more charging time than its use time
-NEED A CASE if planning on TRAVELING with the camera.

CONCLUSION:
If you're looking for the digital camera that has everything, go for a 5 megapixel one (e.g. Canon S50) which is larger in size but has everything a semi-professional photographer would want. But if you're a gadget freak, this will impress the @#$% out of your buddies. But, not just aesthically, this camera was extremely easy to use and doesn't involve any sort of a lengthy learning curve, even for complete newbies to digital cameras, like me. Even with the con's, I still love this camera!

The Pentax Optio S4 is a superb camera; the fact that it's an ultra-compact camera as well makes it even more amazing. I researched and tried out many different compact digital cameras before settling on the Optio S4. I travel quite a bit and was looking for a camera that I could slip in my pocket without sacrificing too much in the way of quality images. What I found in the Optio S4 is an extremely compact camera that sacrifices nothing with respect to image quality.

The resolution, edge-to-edge sharpness and color rendition rivals or exceeds that of larger cameras, much less other compacts. It's exposure metering is precise and handles backlit and mixed lighting scenes with ease.

In terms of size, the Optio S4's closest competitor is the Casio EX-Z4. The Casio is a bit slimmer, but it's taller and wider and the Optio S4 outperforms it in resolution and edge sharpness. The Casio uses a folded lens system, which is innovative but detracts from its optical performance. Also, the Casio (at least the US version) does not offer a movie mode, something the Optio S4 does very well. The Optio S4 is so small it will fit inside an Altoids breath mint tin!

Battery run time on the Optio S4 is quite acceptable and there are a number of built-in power saving features you can elect to activate. As with most of the compacts, internal memory is small, so plan on buying a SD data card along with the camera. A 64mb or larger card would be a wise purchase.

Overall, the Pentax Optio S4 is a superb 4 mega pixel camera in a compact package.

Lets be straight, I didn't know much about camera specifics. All I knew was that I wanted a sleek, compact, great quality digital camera--and I got exactly what I asked for.

In fact you will find yourself taking ten times the amount of pictures you have ever taken with a 35mm with this nifty camera nearby; it is just irresistable to ignore during those fun times with your friends when you want to capture a few snapshots or a quick minute, good-quality movie.

Sure I researched some 5-megapixel+ digital cameras, but the truth was I needed a camera that could remain at my side at all times--something that would not feel irratating in my pocket. (For all you girls out there, it fits nicely in a jean jacket or pant pocket. Now you can capture all your party moments without lugging around a brick!)

Overall, the quality of the images is great. I was very impressed by the many manual options. Don't get me wrong, if you want more advanced manual controls go for the optio 550 or canon s50, but for others like me, the psuedo-photographer, or really the average person who wants innovative size and quality in one package at an affordable price, buy it, dont hesistate!

Extraordiary camera... combination of very samll size, large image size, and outstanding pictures. It's the kind of camera you will carry with you every day. Battery life is 70-80 pictures and recharging time is quick. Very easy for the beginner to use but also has all the features an advanced user could want. Color quality equals the best I've seen from ANY digital camera. Highest recommendation... you will not be disappointed.

I had owned a Canon S400 for 6 months and was very happy with it. My only complaint? It was not quite small enough to automatically carry it with me everyday, the way I carry my wallet, pager, cellphone etc. It was just sightly too thick and caused a visible,rectangular bulge in whatever pocket it was in.

I read the dimensions, checked the reviews and ordered an S4.
When I first opend the box, I could'nt believe the dimunitive size of this camera! Its one thing to read the size numbers, but actually see is unbelievable(I can picture James Bond using this camera). My Canon S400 looks and feels like a brick by comparison. It's so small, I get nervous handling it without using the handstrap. It's really that small!!
I'm an amateur photographer (and technology geek), and have owned 5 previous digital cameras(3 Canon, Fuji, Nikon).

First the obvious: the Canon S400 takes better pictures. Canon makes the best lenses and has the best technology. The pictures from the S4 are good, the canon pictures are better.

With all small(tiny?) cameras and devices, there are always compromises- the S4's tiny size and 4oz weight ensure its always with me, to take great pictures whenever opportunity presents. THE BEST CAMERA IS USELESS IF YOU DONT HAVE IT WITH YOU !!

Just one information about something I read, please readers be carefull and always double check the reviews. The Casio EX-Z4 which this pentax is often compared to, use THE SAME optic of the Pentax (digital processing is different though).
Minolta Xt is a 3mp very compact camera with totally different lens concept (telescopic instead of sliding).

This camera is quite amazing: increadbly small in size, but with good features and quite good image quality.
Some distortion and less sharp image in the corners, though, so doesnt really compare to an Ixus IV for example.
But beware! The 4mp version doesnt bring much improvement over the cheaper 3mp former model.
Same for the Casio. I would stick to 3mp versions for a better price/quality ratio - (well if you get a deal, 'cause on amazon they sell almost same price now...)

OK, so you can't have it all. Well, I almost have it all with my new Optio S4. The size is the selling point, bar none. I took it with me everywhere today (first day with it) and snapped tons of photos. It's great to be able to take it with you anywhere for anytime photos. I upgraded from my old stalwart, my Sony DSC-S70. Even though my Sony was only 3.3 megapixels, the picture quality was much sharper than my new Optio. Obviously, given the small size of the Optio, there had to be room for sacrifice, but the photos just don't seem like they are 4mp quality. Size was the obvious primary concern for Pentax...and what a slam dunk the design is!

Don't get me wrong, I couldn't be happier with my purchase, but products always have room for improvement. I can honestly say this engineering marvel has very little room for improvement. The battery life, myriad of settings, simple manual, and compact charger earn a solid 4 stars in my book.

Bottom line: Buy this camera. You will take more photos than you ever imagined (read: get a 256MB card and extra battery for true shooting freedom). One more thing. Shop around. Got mine online (not Amazon) brand new... Also got my 256 San Disk card .... Deals like this are impossible to pass up!

Get it. You'll thank me later!