Customer Reviews

Pentax Optio SV 5MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I've had SLRs for years and know enough to want and use the manual aspects of such cameras for the unique pictures you can capture once in a while. I wanted the same capabilities in my first digital camera. But I also wanted convenience, compact size, and a reasonable telephoto lens. Quite simply, this camera has it all. Its fully automated, night-time, and sunset modes take the most stunning pictures with a simple push of the button (get a mini tripod for the night and sunset pics). The panorama and movie mode (with sound) makes my SLR obsolete. I bought an extra battery but with charging each night, I never needed it on vacation. I bought a 1gig memory card and after 9 days on vacation, 181 pictures at full resolution, and 2 minutes of movie, it still had room for over 600 more pictures (i.e., 1 gig was not neccessary). The only disappointment is that there is a delay while taking and after taking a picture. The 5x optical zoom adds more calculation time to the auto focus and there is another small delay while it writes each picture to memory (SLR users will find this delay frustrating but I got used to it quickly). I believe this is still the smallest 5x optical zoom on the market. It's a bit pricey, but if you can afford it, you get it all in one compact camera.

There is so much shutter lag in this camera that any kind of action shot is just pure luck. Specifications never publish this kind of measurement, but I'm sure the lag time is at least 1.3 seconds. I also have the Optio S and this thing is five times as bad. I'm writing this reveiw while on vacation in Cozumel and I put the Optio SV back in my bag and will finish my vacation using the Optio S.

The new Optio SV differentiates itself from other slim-profile digital cameras by offering a whopping 5x optical zoom! This is just amazing achievement on the part of Pentax, being able to outgun all competition in this important area. The SV is comparable in width and height to the popular Canon SD300 and SD400 models, but is about 1/3 thicker. It takes good-quality pictures. Not quite as great as the Canon models or even the Casio EX-Z55/Z57, but still very acceptable both for screen display and for print.

But the SV suffers from two problems that may limit its appeal. Let me first say that these are not "fatal" problems. For *your* needs, you may find the pros of this super-zoom camera more than offset the two problems, so by all means if this fits your needs, go for it. I really, really like the 5x zoom, period.

The two problems are:

1) Shutter lag. All digital cameras have shutter lag (the time between you press the shutter button and when the picture is actually taken), but this one is a bit longer than its competition. It also takes longer time than many competitors (Canon, Casio, Nikon, Sony) to write an exposed image to memory. This results in a shot-to-shot time that was normal two years ago but is considered on the long side this day and age.

2) Battery life. This is where I've got a serious beef, as the rechargeable battery packs enough power for only 80 or so pictures. The Canon SD300, in comparison, can do about 200 pictures per charge and the Casio EX-Z55/57 can do 350 or more. With the Pentax Optio SV, you have to either buy 2 spare batteries or pack the charger with you wherever you go.

If Pentax could improve battery life and shutter lag, this would be the ultracompact digicam of my choice.

I bought this camera to replace an original Optio-S (which has really been great), hoping to use the extra zoom to get better shots of a graduation ceremony.
As soon as I opened the box I was a bit disappointed by the relative heft. It is about twice the bulk of the earlier model and certainly no longer able to fit comfortably in a pants pocket much less in a mint tin. Anyway, I guess it's understandable as the extra zoom length has to create some size disadvantage.
However, the real zinger here is the shutter lag. It takes as long as 3 seconds to get a shot off after pressing the shutter release, and this with fresh batteries and a high speed (Ultra II) memory card. Not only does that render the camera unreliable, but its primary asset, namely the 5X zoom, becomes a liability as it accentuates any hand movement that might occur during the lag and therefore makes for a lot of blurry images.
I wound up leaving the SV at home and buying a new Canon SD400 which did great service and is now my favorite digital.

I purchased the camera for my girlfriend back in December 2004. I liked the idea that it had 5x zoom and assumed the shutter lag problems of the previous models would be resolved. The shutter lag remained a problem but worse was the battery life and the most disappointing is my experience with customer service. The camera would just die on us after just a few pictures and less than an hour after charging overnight this would cause the lens to stall in a half closed position allowing sand to enter the lens. We sent it for service who said there was sand in the lens but claimed they repaired the problem. When we received the camera back the problem persisted. I tried buying another battery but neither stayed charged and the lens continued to get stuck half closed. We sent it back to Pentax and this time they said sand was causing the problem again (it was never exposed to sand since its return from Pentax). Pentax wanted to charge a couple hundred $ to fix it and when we refused to pay for the repair they returned the camera in pieces. I once again called and complained and am yet to hear back from Pentax. I will never buy another Pentax camera again after being subjected to this customer service.

Great camera at a really great price. Can't figure why Pentax stopped making it. It's one of, if not the only, really small pocket cameras with a 5X zoom and 5 mega pixels is plenty for the average photos.

Bought it for my daughter - she's very happy!

This camera takes amazing pictures. It has a ton of functionality, which I have not figued out yet. It will take some time, but it will be worth it.

This little 5MP camera takes beautiful pictures, has advanced features and is reasonably priced.