Customer Reviews

Pentax Optio S5i 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a remarkable camera. I've tried bulky full-functioned cameras and miniature no-frills cameras. But the Optio S5i combines the best of both worlds. The designers have managed to squeeze a wide array of desirable features (such as optical zoom, multiple focus modes, video, and many useful program modes) into a tiny, palm-size package. It is in fact the smallest full-functioned camera I found in an exhaustive search.

I went into many electronics stores and hefted all the popular ultracompact cameras, including the Sony Cybershot DSC-T1. But none could match the Optio S5i for sheer compactness and lightness. (Although only the earlier S4i was in stores at the time, I knew its weight and dimensions were the same as the S5i's).

Inevitably, there have been compromises: Shooting at full resolution, you have to wait a few seconds between shots while the S5i records data. The life of a battery charge is below average (you'll need to keep an extra battery handy). Noise (speckles and dots) creeps into images taken at the most sensitive ISO settings (200 and 400), a common problem among cameras that capture light with ultra-tiny CCDs.

But with patience and practice, I've managed to take some very high-quality photos (technically, I mean--I don't claim to be Ansel Adams). Right now I'm looking at a full-bleed 8 1/2 x 11-inch color print of a whale-watching boat, taken on a sunny day with the zoom at 3X. The focus is razor-sharp, the color is well saturated, and the resolution is extremely high--I can make out individual leaves on trees half a mile away. (I can also vouch for the Canon i560 photo printer, which is no longer made but still available for around $70.)

What I like best about the S5i is the convenience. I love to take photos, but always hated carrying a piece of artillery around my neck--I could never participate fully in the events I was photographing. The S5i fits neatly into a shirt pocket. I carry mine around in a little leather pouch attached to my belt. It's no more trouble than wearing a very thin cell-phone pouch. When I need it, I just slide it out of the pouch, power it on, and am ready to shoot in three or four seconds. (By the way, even though I have big hands, I've had no difficulty operating the tiny controls.) The Optio S5i provides something I've never before experienced with a full-featured camera: freedom!

Use your head when buying one of these tiny cameras. 5 MP does not mean you are buying a super high res camera. There are 4 MP units with larger lenses that can outperform a camera like this to some degree. I got the Optio S5I as a SECOND camera to supplement the bulky 8 MP Nikon 8800 that I also use.
Let me start with the negatives:
I think the 1.8 display is so-so at best. You can't judge 100% when a reviewed pic is sharp or not. It shows some noise. Clearly they didn't go crazy over the screen quality.
No focus assist lamp for very low light work, but amazing (really!) auto focus system in even dim light.
Mediocre movie mode.
Button placement is less than intelligent. Some folks will wonder why pentax put the power button next to the shutter release. It's fine once you train your fingers.
Cradle does not sync via USB...duh! Why have a cradle at all?
Built in memory is just an excuse to ship the camera with no SD card. The built in 10 meg will let you take 3 pics, so buying at least a 256 is a must.
Here are the positives....
With a little practice the camera can take some wonderful shots. I have taken indoor portraits with no problems. The AF system works very well in low light. Sharpness is better than I expected for such a tiny lens. The camera's size means it can go anywhere, even a shirt pocket. In daylight the Optio excels and there are plenty (19) of scene modes to play with. It also has a built filtering system with 9 colors and even a effects for slimming a subject! The camera also has a Program mode with manual WB, Focus and metering options. It allows for an unusual amount of control for such a compact P&S. You'll even find a manual focus mode that works better than the one on my expensive Nikon. Pentax also sells a tiny remote control (20 bucks) for the camera and a underwater housing!
On softness issues: Yes, I can see some softness with the camera at wide, mostly in the corners. You have to shoot a field of wheat to see it at all. It goes away if you just zoom in a bit. 8X10 Prints look FANTASTIC. Looking at ALL of the other cameras, they all have somewhat soft edges and some look soft overall, such as the little Minolta. I see the same kind of softness from the Sony L1 and Casios and the Optio is a smaller camera! If you're looking for a primary unit for "serious" or "ciritcal" shooting, an ultra compact is not the best way to go.
While the cradle has no USB connectivity, it does allow you to charge two batteries at once. Nice.
Overall the Optio S5I is well done, but a better screen and ergonomics would have been welcome. Casio sells the Z50 and Z55 which are just a hair larger, but feature better ergonomics. Panasonic has a new camera of the same size (Lx-7) with image stabilization, but the screen quality and battery life appear to be poor compared to the Pentax and Casio. The only other camera I considered was the Sony L1, but it has only 4MP and is too thick for a shirt pocket. A few folks have commented that the Pentax has a more film-like look than other cameras and I agree. Looking at sample pics from Casio, Sony L1, T1, the Pentax looked best. The T1 pics were very sharp, but looked very un-film-like. It's a subjective call obviously. The tiny Panasonic was even better, but I don't want to carry 3 batteries around and the Optio S5I is more than 100.00 cheaper.
Camera is actually smaller in height and length than a credit card. It can be tough to hold, but you WANTED a tiny camera! This camera goes into a shirt pocket and only the Panasonic can match it for size. The Casio 100 is even thinner, but 3.2 MP is a deal breaker.
If you want the smallest 5MP unit around, I doubt you'll be disappointed in the Pentax, but I'd still hesitate to recommend it as a primary camera simply because a larger lens set will give you better shots for the same money. I'm sure the next versions of all of these cameras will further improve.
Good luck!

Capt RB

I recently purchased the Pentax Optio S5i and am very satisfied with the it. I was a previous owner of the Pentax Optio S 3.2MP camera and have always liked the size.

As I guy if I had a bulky camera, I would never carry it with me and would miss taking spur of the moment photos. Because of the size of the Optio S5i, I can keep it in my pocket and always am ready for a "Kodak" moment.

There are a few areas in which I am disappointed. Let me start by saying that I still would have purchased this camera had I known of these issues before.

(1) The on/off button it right next to the button to take a picture. This can be confusing for the first time user of the camera.

(2) When looking through the LCD display to take a photo, it looks very grainy or snowy. Once the picture is taken, the pictures are clear when viewing on the LCD.

(3) I think the USB cable should connect to the docking station. Right now, you have to insert the cable in the camera itself and when you have it in the docking station, it can be difficult to maneuver.

I have noticed other reviews of this camera point out that this camera doesn't have the best quality shots. This camera is not meant for a professional. If you are a critic or a camera enthusiast, you probably won't be purchasing a camera in this class.

If you are a casual user and are style conscious, this camera may be perfect for you.

I give this camera 4 out of 5 stars only because there is always room for improvement.

I bought this camera a couple months ago because I wanted a small digital camera that would be easy to carry with me. Since then, I've found the S5i to be a wonderful camera that takes clear colorful pictures and can easily fit in your pocket.

Here are some praises for the S5i:

1. This camera is TINY. It is smaller than my cellphone. This makes it extremely easy to bring with when going on a trip or just out for the day. I have it in my pocket at all times, ready to capture any moment. I brought it with on a recent trip and everybody thought it was great. At the end of the day we hooked it up to the TV in the hotel and watched a slide show of the day. Everyone loved it.

2. The battery life in incredible. I have had this thing for a couple months and I have only charged it like 4 times. Even with extended use of the flash and screen, the battery still keeps kicking. Very different from my cellphone!

3. The super macro focus setting creates beautiful photos. This was something I didn't realize the camera had until after I bought it. You can get right up to things and take these really colorful and crisp images. Flowers and plants look incredible.

4. The red-eye reduction is the best I've ever seen. With the red-eye flash mode, the camera flashes once and then about a second later flashes again and takes the picture. None of my pictures suffer from red-eye anymore. The flash is also very powerful.

5. It has many manual settings for more artistic pictures. I still haven't even gotten to check out all the little features this camera comes with. It has a lot of different "scene" presets and also allows you to do manual mode (with focus & exposure).

Overall, this camera met and exceeded all the expectations I had. I would definitely recommend the Pentax S5i to a family member or friend.

No, it's not the same quality as a larger camera, but it's NOT a larger camera. You buy this camera for ONE reason - acceptable quality in a tiny package. I'm not shooting a National Geographic layout with this thing, mostly shots at Disney and family get togethers.

My impression is it does this well. I won't reiterate what others have said, as most of it is on the mark; I will add that I have been surprised at the generally very good quality of our Christmas photos this past week. I compared them to last years film photos and they are at least as good, mostly better... except the Optio's flash is a little weak. But I was able to really clean them up fine in Photoshop Effects. I am also surprised as I've read a lot of "doom and gloom" on poor quality with digicams in genaral at ISO's above 100. This one looks about the same as the comparable film output, if not better. So for portability and a camera suitable for family get togethers in a tiny package, this is a good choice.

Two tips:
1) Buy a "high speed" (32x) Secure digital flash memory if shot-to-shot speed is important. Most SD cards only write about 4x.

2) Put the focus brackets on the head (or eyes) of the subject, hold the shutter halfway down to lock the focus, then "frame up" the subject(s); you'd be surprised at how sharp the focus and how good a photo you will get.

My first impulse was to compare the Optio S5i to my Olympus C-5060 Wide Zoom and then give it only four stars, instead of five. After all, they are both five megapixel cameras and the image quality from the Olympus is much better. Then I realized while such a comparison may not be comparing apples to oranges, it is comparing say a Red Delicious to a Granny Smith. You buy them for different reasons.

I bought the Pentax because I want a camera that I could stick in a shirt pocket every morning and forget about until I needed it. The Optio S5i has more than met that criterion. For that convenience, I am willing to accept images that may be slightly softer in the corners or be somewhat less saturated than the ones I get from my more serious camera.

The Optio S5I actually has some very robust features. Although, it is at heart a point-and-shoot it offers some control in the ability to make manual adjustments to white balance, change focus points, and other exposure control options. The noise levels are exceptionally low for a subcompact digital camera. This is a lot of camera in a very tiny package and can meet the needs of the novice as well as the advanced photographer who wants a camera to knock around with while traveling or kicking back.

This is my first digital camera, and I have only had it for a week. It is extremely small and takes good pictures. I do recommend it, but want to advise you of a few flaws which are getting to me.

First is that the on/off switch is next to the shutter and has a green light. This has already resulted in numerous accidental switch offs when a someone else is attempting to take a picture of me. It would have been so easy to put this button on the side, or anywhere else on the body. Really poor design conception.

Second is that the shutter has two 'levels' the first of which has almost no use whatsoever. By pressing halfway, the camera gives you a 'preview' of the photo, which is basically useless. Also, the screen locks up when you hit the shutter, despite the 1-2 second lag (depending on the lighting). Why even have this feature?

Third, the set-up menu hierarchy is entirely non-sensical. But as a gizmo lover, I have come to expect this shortcoming in most products.

Finally, The photo features are somewhat useful, but there is little to no distinction between the images created when using the various modes (flower, surf, sport). Personally, I would prefer an F-Stop and shutter speed indicator, but perhpas that's just me showing my age.

Anyway, it tries to be the best of all worlds, but inevitably makes a lot of compromises in the process. Still, I'd buy it again regardless.

UPDATE: One month later - So I took the camera on my honeymoon and have now read the manual cover to cover, so I have some revisions and new comments.

Please ignore my second comment about the shutter - the two step shutter is to focus the lens. Unfortunately, this camera lacks true 'auto-focus' which is extremely aggravating when you are asking someone to take your picture. Again poor design concept. Conversely, the camera is excellent at self-portraits (if you have long arms like me).

Second, the other reviews about needing a second battery (if you are going to use this camera all day) are entirely true. Get two. Also, get the carry bag, there are numerous crevaces which can get filled with schmutz.

Third, I am please to say that the camera takes excellent movies with good sound, even at low quality levels. Also, I never compared this to the 4i, but I can say that the 600 x 480 shots on this one are much clearer than others I have seen from friend's cameras at the same resolution.

Fifth, the software Pentax included is terrible.

I would still buy this again.

Bought this camera in October based on the positive reviews and wanting to move to digital. This has been a great camera - Put it in your pocket and take it anywhere, easy to use and better picture quality than the last couple of 35MM cameras I've owned. The charging station is also very handy and the battery will last for a long time. Dropped it a few times with no problems.
Took this camera to Disney in December for vacation - I ended up taking close to 250 pictures and keeping 140 (which cost @$35 to get prints made). I have a great shot of the fireworks over the castle which never would have shown with my 35MM. Nighttime still pictures in the park are great, however night parade pictures just didn't work. I would definitely buy this camera again, but here are the cons that I've experienced:

1)Very low light pictures are virtually impossible to take. Fine for indoor with lights or outdoor areas with some light.
2)There is a noticeable shutter lag, so motion pictures are also very tough to take. You have to anticipate where the action will be and focus there.
3)Video mode is poor - would only use for extreme video emergencies.
4)Optical zoom is great, digital is not.

I tried all, starting from Pentax optio s thru Pentax optio s5.
Optio s5 won all awards for clearity. color ,sharpness, ease of use.
and, fit in your pocket type , very light.you dont know its there. very handy and reliable ,
I would recommend it to my best friend.
Amazon sells it for 354.00 ,get the small soft leaher pouch , extra battery and at least 256 memory card , check card spec for best performance

At first I got a little worried about some reviews that I read on amazon pages, but I've decided to try the camera anyway. Well, all I can say so far is that this pentax is a very nice camera for what it is intended to (point and shoot easy-to-carry camera). It's small size makes it easy to slide it into your pants' pockets and forget about it. Remember all those moments you wished you had a camera? Well, I still experience those, but then I remember I have one in my pocket cause these are the only moments you'll remember you're carrying a camera. If I could offer you some advice, I would say, buy it. And be sure to get a good memory card too. I''m using a Lexar 1gb 32x speed, very good and quick. Cheers.