Rating: 
Summary: A great little camera!
Review: Overall, I'm really happy with this camera. I wanted something small and light with good picture quality. For a 3 megapixel camera, you can't beat this size. It also gets two big thumbs for Wow factor. It's a lot of fun to show this thing off.My only complaint is that powering on and off and focusing/snapping pictures is a little slower than I would like. One reason I carry this thing around with me is to catch candid shots of people and places, so the delay in turning on, focusing, and snapping the picture has cost me some cool shots. Otherwise, the Optio S rocks.
Rating: 
Summary: Great piece of work
Review: I've had this camera for nearly a month now, and I really enjoy it. I take it with me everywhere, and I just keep it in a cinnamon Altoids tin in my little teeny purse. It takes good clear pictures, it's perfect for what I want it for - to take everywhere and snap photos whenever I want. My only complaint is that due to its small size, the lens seems to create "bowed" pictures if I am an extreme end of the zoom scale. For example, if I am not zoomed at all and take a picture with a straight line across the image, the image will turn out curved. This is apparently a tradeoff you get with super small cameras. My solution is just to zoom a little bit for as many pictures as I can. Other than this, it's great. Oh yeah, some of my male friends have had trouble with the control button, but I have had no trouble due to small hands and fingers.
Rating:
Summary: Nice Camera, but unfortunately does not work with Linux!
Review: I traded a Minolta Dimage Xt for the Optio S yesterday.
Everything the other reviews say seems to be true.
I like the size, picture quality, etc, dislike the small 4-way-controller, flimsy battery-cover.
The software for the Macintosh is horrible,
fortunately with OS X you don't need it: iPhoto 4 or the Gimp works fine with it, and Quicktime plays the movies.
On WindozeXP the camera was not recognized and it took a few reboots to get the driver to work.
But for me the biggest NEGATIVE is that it is not recognized by the usb-storage module in Linux (kernel 2.4.20-18.9).
The Sandisk disk is recognized (in a Cruzer USB connector), and
so was the Dimage Xt, but the Optio is listed as an unknown device and can't be mounted.
So if Pentax does not come up with a firmware upgrade to make USB conform to modern standards, I will return it and get the Minolta Dimage Xt back.
Rating:
Summary: So small, so good
Review: Purchased Optio S before going on vacation. Never used a digital camera before. Skimmed through manual on the plane. Took the best pictures of my life! So many different modes for various types of shots. You can customize your settings based on the conditions. Zoom is decent for such a small camera. Great features that allow you to manipulate the image once it is captured. In night mode I was able to capture beautiful images that I could never get with a 35mm or APS, plus I've heard that Pentax digital cameras take great night shots (as long as you have a steady hand ro a tripod). The only issue I have is that the flash is a little bright. I bet I just don't have it ready to shoot in the correct mode. Camera alone is a great conversation piece, but then you show people the pictures that you take with it and the praise just doesn't stop. A bit pricy, but well worth it once you have it in the palm of your hand. I highly recommend this camera. Big ups to Pentax!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent, small but feature rich
Review: Excellent camera - the best camera is the one you have with you when you see a picture you want to take. There is no reason to not carry this camera with you all the time. Pluses: It's size and weight is amazing, but it also has many features. The SD cards work great, the battery life is not an issue, built in color digital filters, optical zoom, panorama mode is great. Misses: None - picture quality will always get better, but so far I have seen nothing to be concerned about - 5x7 sizes look fine to my eyes. Would like to have more of a wide angle lens, but I have seen nothing in the market better.
Rating:
Summary: NO REGRETS, IT'S GREAT
Review: An update on July 18th to my original review. I have had much more time now to use this camera & I like it even more. Everyone who sees this thing says they want it. The results are great. 4x6, 8x10 doesn't matter. In all honestly at this point in time I have no regrets. This one is a no brainer, you won't be disappointed. One of the few purchases I have made where there has been no second guessing whatsoever. I don't review many things but I felt compelled to on this one. In fact this is my update, I just want to update it since sometimes once you have something for a little while you might be singing a different tune. I am, I like it more. My earlier complaints aren't even issues anymore after using it for awhile. Read on for my original review. Enjoy. This camera takes great pictures. Even 8x10 is great. Everyone I showed couldn't believe a camera this size put out that kind of quality. I'm no pro but I appreciate a nice clear picture & this camera delivers. I'm printing on a Cannon i850 & they seem to be a perfect combination. My only complaints are the battey/memory card cover, it's cheesy. Also the joystick if you want to call it that is small & a little cumbersome but after a few days is tolerable. A lot of small cameras have the same issue, small sacrifice to make though. The battery life is excellent & recharges in about 1 1/2 hour. I didn't even get a backup. Get yourself a 256 MB SD card. The 11MB on board memory is basically worthless. I was thinking this camera might be too small but no way it feels great & not awkward at all. Every time you whip this camera out you can guarantee someone will take notice. My friend has new Sony & was jealous when he saw this one. Go for it if you want a camera that will always be with you. You might as well bring it along. I used to always leave my camera home because I couldn't be bothered, but not anymore.
Rating:
Summary: great LITTLE camera with lots of features
Review: I am not an expert by any means but I love this camera. I have put away my old BULKY digital for this LITTLE pentax that I keep in its new case (an Altoids tin! - yes it really is a good case!). I narrowed my choices down to the Optio S, the Casio Elixm E3 and the Canon ES400. I thought the Canon was a great camera that took great pictures but was a bit bulky and [costs] more. Just couldn't see spending that since I would not be printing out 8x10's that often (the 4 megapixel camera is better for these large pictures apparently, although the 3.2 should do just fine for the average person like me. I'm sure a photographer will notice the difference but I probably will not). The Casio was a good camera also but I didn't go with it because it uses a PENTAX lens and was a tiny bit bigger. So, why buy the Casio with a Pentax lens when I could buy the Pentax with the Pentax lens. What I don't like:
1. The biggest complaint I have is that you have to take the battery out to charge it. Plugging the adapter into the camera would have been a better choice.
2. The buttons for scroll through the menu are sooooo small...but a sacrafice I am willing to live with for the size of this camera.
3. The LCD screen could have been a bit bigger. The Casio has a great 2" LCD and it is a considerable difference. Again, willing to sacrafice for a good lens.
4. Movie mode is a pain to get to. You have to go through the menu to get there.
5. Software - it's horrible. Don't even install it. There are other products out on the market so go get one of those. Things I like:
1. Obviously the size.
2. Picture quality has been great.
3. Taking pictures at night or even in "total" darkness is very good. Compared to my old digital this is a great feature.
4. Lots of features that help even people like me take good pictures.
5. SD slot - This was another selling point over the Canon as I have a computer with a built in SD reader and the Canon took a CF card.
6. Battery life has been incredible. I took over 150 pictures before I needed to recharge the battery and had this little guy on for almost 4 hours straight!
7. WOW factor - being a gadgeteer I always love it when peopl say "Wow, what is that!" I have owned this camera for 3 weeks now and while I have listed some shortcomings they are by no means any reason NOT to buy this camera. I am just pointing out these things because you should have as much info as you can when making your purchasing decision.
Rating:
Summary: For On-The-Go Shutterbugs
Review: I sell and train people on how to use digital cameras and software. So I have had the luxury of using a variety of cameras. I myself own an Olympus z-3000 along with my new Pentax Optio S. The Bad:
Software. The included ACDSee software is fairly limited; even more so that the Canon's included software. Even more limiting is the fact you cannot use the built-in Windows XP drivers to automate the download and erasure process. Photo quality. I notice that the photos are a little "soft". When you look closely, you can see fuzzy edges around an object when compared to most quality digital cameras. Time to shoot. Since this is an on-the-go camera, it is frustrating to wait for the camera lens to extend. Many shots will be lost in this start up phase. With many cameras, you can leave the power off but still have the lens extended. This is not the case with the Pentax. If you try to leave the lens extended, it will automatically power off after a pre-set number of minutes, retracting the lens. Movie mode. Most cameras have an external button for movie mode. This is because when your taking photos and the opportunity for a movie presents itself, you don't usually have a lot of time. The movie mode on the Pentax is somewhat buried in the user interface. Battery charging. Unfortunately you must take the battery out of the case to recharge it. Too bad Pentax could not figure a way to just plug in the recharger directly to the camera. The Good:
Size, size, size. I'd rather take a medium quality photo than no photo because the camera was too bulky to take along. Weight. While the Elph is almost as small, Canon's tend to weigh much more. The Pentax is light enough to wear around your neck like punk jewelry! Intuitive interface. Most actions only take three to four button clicks. Manual mode. It's there when you need it. Photo quality. Yes, it's not great, but it is not poor either. Battery life. Better than expected! Over a 100 shots in mixed flash mode between charges. Overall: A GREAT camera. I know I found negatives, but hey, that is technology. Would I buy it again? In a dot com lifecycle.
Rating:
Summary: Size of a Drivers License, thick as 5-U.S. Quarters
Review: I'm an Exceutive Chef, wanting a small camera which would fit in my pocket like my cell phone. I have a 1.8 million dollar catering business and constantly am creating to my clients unique taste. I needed to capture some of the creative moments, which come so fast and furious at times....now I can. This camera has so many features, to include wide angle lens, pana lens, a super strong flash. I purchased a 256K memory card and at highest setting of quality I can get 198 pictures. The card was purchased at Circuit City for $... The camera is great! I am scared of one thing...its the battery holder. It looks as if it went to the lowest bidder...the rest of the camera is solid. I'll cross that bridge when I get there, but it instantly caught my attention as a potential issue.
Rating: 
Summary: Nice, small, fragile
Review: This is a nice camera. However, it is very fragile - mine broke in less than 2 weeks and Pentax will not cover the ... repair. Apparently my camera was subject to too much vibration/shock - I specifically did not follow the instructions to only transport it "on a cushion for protection (against vibrations, shocks or pressure) when the camera is subjected to the vibrations of a motorbike, car, or ship, etc." So, you might want to balance the advantages of the small size versus the fragility in considering portability. So far as I know, 'cushions' are not recommended for transport of other small portable digital cameras in automobiles.
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