Customer Reviews

Pentax Optio S4i 4MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

So the deal is, I shoot photography in a professional capacity. I recently moved to all digital in my SLRs, which has resulted in some pretty satisfying results. I get awesome picture quality, superb tools for post processing, and no longer really have to hassle with developing film. But one thing was missing... convenience and portability.

My pro kit bag weighs in at about 17 pounds fully loaded. My camera and lens of choice weighs in at over four pounds just on its own, and it's hardly what I'd call pocketable. So I started searching for an ultra small, ultraslim camera to do the trick.

My search took me to a variety of "influencer" sites including dpreview and others. I read like a madman. I looked at picture quality. I read comments by current users. And I weighed positives against negatives. My choice was narrowed down to the Pentax Optio s4 and I was about to buy, when I found out the new s4i was coming out. It made my choice a lot easier. I'll outline more below.

I placed a preorder on Amazon, and took delivery of one of the first shipping models. I guess that's extreme early adopter for you - the camera wasn't even supposed to be available till April 1, but I had mine in my hands by April 2. I've used it for five days now, and while that's a short time to evaluate something, it's long enough for me to give it a thumbs up. Here's what I like:

Extreme Small Size: This is one of the smallest digicams on the market, but it's ruggedly built with lots of aluminum and metal surfaces.

Large (relative) LCD: a big step up from the s4 is the 1.8" LCD on the s4i. May not seem large, but considering the small size of this camera, it's massive.

Streaming Video: very important feature for me. My previous digicam (before I went dSLR) was an Olympus C-5050, and I loved the fact I could fill a memory card with one long video. This one lets me do it too.

Image quality's okay: at ISO 50 and 100, images are good, colour tone is decent. At 200 it's losing me, and at 400, it's terrible, but at least it goes to 400 ISO. The lens quality's okay too - nothing's changed from the s4 model, and the sample images you can find online show it's a decent snapshot capture device.

"Stupid" Modes: Normally I'm not a fan of what I call "stupid" modes - you know, put the camera into a mode where the camera makes decisions for you (ie Museum mode, Night shot mode, Portrait mode), but I like the versatility in some of the modes on this camera. My faves so far: 3D mode, food mode (works well!), text mode and digital filter mode (I like taking a picture of myself as someone skinny!).

"Lifestyle" Features: on top of being a digicam, this camera has additional lifestyle perks. It has a capable audio recorder mode (which I plan to use while conducting interviews for articles I write). It has a world clock function (though accessing it is a bit of a pain, unless you map it to the quick button). It has not one, not two, but three alarms, which can be set for once or daily (hey nice feature - a $350 travel alarm clock!).

There are some negatives:

Shot to shot performance: in a word, it blows. This thing can take a first shot quick (lag time is very short). But in "high speed" frame mode, you're lucky if you can get one shot every two seconds or more. Maybe if you have it set to manual focus or something.

CCD is tiny = Grain, Chromatic distortions: because the CCD inside is so small, you end up with pictures with grain in continuous colour areas, and you see a lot of purple fringing in photos with high contrast.

It may be too small: I've got big mitts. This thing feels like it's so small, it may fall out of my hands at times. The textured alum on the front helps though.

Overall.
I wasn't expecting a camera that could rival a Nikon D70 or a Canon Eos Digital Rebel in image quality, and you shouldn't either. But if you want a good quality camera for taking snapshots, movies, recording audio (sounds good too), and something you can wear around your neck or make disappear in your pocket, this is the model to beat. I'm very happy with the purchase.

Here are reasons why the Pentax S4i should be considered:

1) SMALL AND LIGHT- Smallest not only by linear dimensions (also is the smallest by cubic inch 'bulk' as well ) and weights only 4.2 oz WITH battery and memory card. All with a large 1.8" screen.

2) AVAILABILITY - It is so easy to carry around that I don't leave it behind in the hotel room (how many times have you left your camera in the hotel room while out dining because it isn't acceptable to carry a full sized camera to dinner or other events...and lost the opportunity to capture pictures?)

3) SHUTTER LAG and SHOT-TO-SHOT SPEED - Unlike other digital cameras...captures the picture as intended. Hardly any shutter lag (0.1 sec). Also important to me is that the time between shots is minimal with the internal buffer.

4) LITHIUM RECHARGABLE BATTERY - Some prefer standard "AA". I do not as the "AA" will allow less than 50 shots compared to the 200 shots I can get on a single charge. Why is that important? I hate to carry multiple spare batteries...and "AAs" are heavier (just as an example...holding four "AAs" alone feels as heavy as the Pentax S4i fully loaded with battery).

5) SECURED DIGITAL MEMORY CARDS - The cards are cheaper in price than Xd or Memory Sticks. My recommendation ... Panasonic brand high speed SD cards...which are known to be quicker than other brands (Panasonic data transfer write speeds of 10mbps ...which is quicker than the high end SanDisk Ultra II speed of 9mbps). [Another thought... 4-megapixel is plenty to obtain beautiful 11x14 prints. Choosing a higher megapixel camera is not necessary as most prints will be made below poster size and all the higher megapixel does is fill up your memory card faster].

6) TELEPHONE SUPPORT - Call Pentax customer support at 800-877-0155 and you will see. Not only for customer support...but technical knowledge and product selection.

Suggested accessories:
** Spare battery
** Fitted authentic Pentax leather case with storage pockets for accessories. Model PTX-L40. Bought mine at Walmart.com for $19.34. Also sold at Ritzcamera.com and Amazon.
** Memory cards (I view it as a positive that Pentax is not including a memory card other than the included 10 mb internal memory. This compares to many manufacturers that are providing a 16mb memory card...which will fit 16 shots at 4mp and are basically unusable). (Suggestion....Pansonic brand secured digital cards are known to be quicker and higher performance than other brands. Buy several 256mb cards.)
** And yes...an Altoid tin for storage (Fits in the tin and it does close tight for storage. Just have to shape the box by 1/16" with your thumb on the initial use to make room for the wrist strap eyelet. No big deal).

My best suggestion is to study this camera in person. You will not be disappointed.

I highly suggest the Pentax S4i for any traveler...as well as any parent...who wishes to have a very well engineered camera available...which will last for years to come.

Fantastic camera. This camera is probably the smallest one in the market today (I consider it smaller than the new slim Sony T1, which is only thinner (just a bit) but much wider). Pentax loaded this small machine with more functionalities that you can even imagine: B&W, sepia, green photos without the need to use a photo editor. Shoot in museums, snow, portrait, landscapes, sun, night, etc, by just selecting the appropriate occasion on the display and the camera will automatically adjust the exposure and speed. Good battery, won't die on you in the middle of the day.

The only cons until now is that it may be too small! Watch out not to leave it on a restaurant table!

Suggestion: Buy the pentax case PTX-L40. You'll pay a little premium on this case but it fits the camera well so that you do not buy a small camera and put it on a huge case (buy a huge camera then!).

If you are looking for portability, without lacking functionalities (optical zoom, 4 megapixels, good battery life) this is the way to go. Buy with confidence, Pentax has been specializing in the camera market for decades!

Hope this helps,

JC

Everyone has different Camera needs.....

We started with a Nikon 995 (that we have had since it came out).
** My wife wanted a purseable camera. She wanted a Large screen and for it to be easy to use for good photos.

I wanted it to take good pictures, have a real Macro mode (around 2 inches), remote (a $30 option) + video out (for family portraits), Manual focus, good low light focusing, and to be a fast shooter, Tripod Mount and a good battety life.

This Pentax Optio S4i does all this and more and it is incrediably easy to operate. Not just the basics, even the more advanced features. I considered its almost twin the Casio Exilim EX-Z40 (same lens)but worse menus, (Casio has No remote option or video out), but it has a 2 inch sreen instead of 1.8 (both screens are same Resolution though) the casio does have an almost double life battery that so far is not available separtely for eihter camera (the two take the same batteries). Basically the Batteries last about 300 shots, the old around 150 (710ms vs. 1230mA [the battery model #s are D-LI8 and NP-40] Addiitonal and OEM and third party ones are $18 to $40).

If it matters pentax is actually also smaller then casio about 2/3 the size.

Also considered Sony T1, and all Minolta's Dimage X/t/i/g and of course Canon's Elph series. For me they were all lacking a feature or two or three+ (Be it Macro, Tripod mounts, remotes or more).

You can go to reads reviews on dcviews.com (a meta site for news and other review and news sites). As I write this the Casio is reviewed the Pentax has not been.

What could they have added still: 1) (a tiff/raw image mode) 2) An AF Lamp always helps even though this camera focuses 10 times better in low light then my Nikon.

I bought the Optio S4i because it's well reviewed and I like the idea of a camera so small I can take it anywhere without thinking about it. I began to have some second thoughts after I started using it, though.

Pros:
* Ultra-small and lightweight. Goes anywhere!
* Easy to use
* Fairly intuitive menus
* Fast, very little shutter lag
* Pretty good picture quality, overall
* Sturdily built
* LCD screen is big and bright

Cons:
* It's almost TOO small -- a little hard to get your hands on.
* Some barrel distortion is noticeable
* Flimsy little rubber cover over PC/AV port
* In very low-light conditions, both viewfinder and LCD become unusable

After a week of playing with the Optio, I decided to buy a Kodak DX7440 for comparison, and spent a week trying them side by side. The Kodak is considerably better ergonomically because it's bigger and fits in my hand better, has a more powerful flash, shows less barrel distortion, offers many more scene selections and manual override controls, and its menus are (amazingly) even easier to use than the Optio. The Kodak cameras are often praised in reviews for their picture quality. But I actually found the Optio's pictures better than the Kodak's in most cases. The Kodak produced rather garish, unnatural-looking colors, whereas the Optio seemed to render colors more naturally and realistically. And although I like the feel of the Kodak in my hand, in the end I decided that its relative bulk would make it a lot less likely that I would actually carry it around and use it.

Bottom line: I'm returning the Kodak and keeping the Optio S4i.

For a go-anywhere, easy-to-use, point-and-shoot camera, it's great!

I have to start off saying how much I love this camera. I've had a few digital sub-compacts over the last few years, with the last being the Casio Exilim series. This camera totally beats all of the Exilim's hands down! I am VERY impressed with how good the camera's pictures are! This is probably the most noticeable thing right off the bat. On my old Exilim, the pictures were kind of dark and fuzzy around the corners, but not so with the Optio S4i! This camera is wonderfully easy to use and packed full of features. Even though I read the manual from cover to cover, the menu's are so simple and intuitive, I could have used it without any manual reading. To my surprise, this camera even records sound in Movie mode, something most of the Exilim's don't. The movie mode even appears "smoother" than the Exilim's, despite the fact that they both take pictures at 15 frames/second. Overall here is what I liked and didn't like:

Pro's:

-Outstanding pictures and quality (most important)
-Extremely easy to use
-Packed full of nearly every feature you can think of
-Movie mode comes with sound
-Ability to look at pictures on T.V. (can't with Exilims)
-Very large LCD screen on back of camera
-Small size makes easy carrying and encourages more pictures
-Macro mode is just unbelievable - 3" - WOW!

Con's
-LCD screen is "washed out" in bright sunlight, but then again, I haven't found a camera LCD that didn't do this, just some are better than others.

-Battery life could be a bit better! About comparable to the Exilim series.
-If one takes pictures to battery depletion (which I always do), you must recharge the battery first in order to download the files to your computer. The battery charger which comes with it only charges the battery, you cannot download the files while the camera is attached to the charger. This is a cheap shot from Pentax in making the customer shell out another $50 for the optional AC adapter to avoid this quirk.
- If you use a "normal" non-high performance SD card, (which I use), there is considerable lag in continuous picture taking since the file has to be read to the card prior to taking the next picture. Shell out more money for a high performance card, and this will be greatly minimized. In all fairness, though, the average user probably will not be using this camera for fast-paced "action" shots, so this is only a minor inconvenience!

Overall, though the Pro's far outweigh the Con's, and I have to say that this is the best camera I have ever bought! I highly recommend it! I'll probably keep it until they get 6MP cameras this size. Given the current trend, (seems about 1MP per year), it should be in about 2 years! RECOMMEND HIGHLY!

Without question the Pentex Optio S4i is the best ultra-compact currently available. After much research, I have not found another ultra-compact that even comes close in performance, features and small size to the S4i.

Currently, its closest competitors are the Konica Minolta Xg and the Sony DSC-T1. The Xg is much larger and lacks many features which are available on the S4i. The only feature better on the Xg is its 320 X 240 @ 30 fps movie mode (320 X 240 @ 15 fps on the S4i). The Sony is also much larger and has a much higher price tag. Again the movie mode is better with the Sony-640 X 480 @ 30 fps.

Pros:
-Smallest ultra-compact available in its class
-Excellent quality 4.0MP photos
-Packed with features
-Nice Panoramic mode which provides you with a "ghost" image of
the previous shot to help you align the next shot.
-Very interesting 3D mode
-Excellent Super-Macro
-Many more modes to chose from
-Strong aluminum alloy body has a solid high qualty feel in your hands
-Large LCD screen
-Plugs into your TV for a slide show
-Charges battery in the cradle while battery is in the camera
-320 X 240 @ 15 fps movie mode with sound.

Cons:
-Lack of control over shutter speed and aperture (only a concern for those who want complete manual control for depth of field effects and certain light conditions)

Consider the Pentex Optio S40 if you want an ulta-compact that uses AA alkaline batteries. Its a little bit bigger than the S4i, yet has the convenience of common batteries.

I am very happy with my purchase of the S4i.

A great take with you type of camera. I own bigger more robust digital camera's, but not every occasion is it appropriate to sling out a big intrusive camera for. This little guy is perfect for the spur of the moment, gotta have that picture, camera! I found it really easy to install on all of my computers, from my W2K unit to my XP unit. Software drivers loaded easily. I like all the little tweaks you can get the camera to do for you. Take a picture in B&W or Purple tones!! The 3D feature is cool. I also loved that as soon as I opened the box I was able to turn it on an use it. Had 3 bars of battery life in it, started up fine and was able to fool around with it immediatly. Picture resolution is what I expect. This camera will never be a SLR, so my expectations are resonable for what I intend to use it for. FUN!!!
The only things I can think of to say are Con's - no memory card or camera case.

All I have to say is I have never taken so many pictures. This camera is smaller than my mobile phone and is always with me. The fact that it is also a great camera with a number of cool features is almost a bonus. Minus a star for the lack of autofocus assist light but you have to give up something to get everything else crammed into this tiny package.

Prior to purchase I tested out the Canon SD110 and SD410 along with the Minolta Xi. This was by far the best of those models in speed and menu systems.

This is a great digital camera. As a professional digital camera workshop lecturers, my husband and I have a lot of experience with a wide assortment of digital cameras. We also own the Casio Z4U digital camera which is the competition to this digital camera. So we are not without a lot of knowledge and great deal of experience.

The Pentax S4i is a major change from the Pentax S4. The LCD has been enlarged, a docking station is now a part of the package, and the ISO is now adjustable up to 400 ISO instead of the 200 ISO that is available on the Pentax S4.

All in all the Pentax S4i is a much improved digital camera when compared to the Pentax S4. While the Casio Z4U measureably looses digital image resolution and quality when digital photos are taken in less than "normal" lighting conditions, where higher ISO settings are required, the Pentax S4i is able to handle increased ISO settings with many fewer problems.

In the final analysis, the S4i is a better digital camera in our opinion than Casio's Z4U. However, please keep in mind that the Casio Z4U, while it cannot shoot video clips, does have a "Best Shot" capability which allows pre-set settings which are very convient, especially for beginner or novice digital camera users.

The choice is up to the purchaser, however, we feel that the Pentax S4i is a better digital camera than the Casio Z4U.