Pentax S5I User review

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 plenty of 4 MP units with larger
lenses that can outperform a camera like this. I got the Optio S5I as a SECOND
camera to supplement the bulky 8 MP Nikon 8800 that I also use.

WHY DIDN'T I BUY...
Panasonic LX7? Expensive and terrible battery life. Noisy pics.
Casio Z50/55? Larger than the Optio S5I and no remote option or video out?
Sony L1? Not small enough for a **** pocket at all. Only 4MP.
Sony T1? Unreliable AF system.

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. Because of pin cushioning I tend to zoom
in a bit anyway. 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. If you're looking for a primary unit, 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 width 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. 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