Rating: 
Summary: Great Camera, Lousy Interface
Review: Camera has a good mechanical interface that is very well designed and easy to use. Picture quality looks to be very good. Size is wonderful.The software interface on the other hand. Manual does not mention it does not work with Windows 98. There are a lot of people still out there using Windows 98, the manual does mention it does not work with 95. I had to contact Pentax Tech Support to find out this gem. So I am awaiting my order of an XP Upgrade. I was not impressed by the Pentax Tech. Support on their web site. Very weak FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). Ability to search any type of knowledge base was also very weak. Sony at least had the information on their site, when I had problems with my Sony camera, even if finding it was very frustrating.
Rating: 
Summary: great for a compact camera!
Review: hi all, i've been eyeing this camera since the announcement from pentax in feb and quite pleased when i got it from my local retailer. all in all, i like the fact it's using 2 AA batteries only and that it's really slim and compact without bulging parts. pictures are good enough for an average consumer who isn't looking for "national geographic" standard pictures or anything like that. functions and features are good as well as the ergonomics. some might find the lcd blacking out while the flash is charging annoying, but it's actually good to me in the sense that at least i know i can't take pictures since the flash isn't ready! (lcd display returns when flash is charged, ie it's ready for another shoot!) battery power isn't all THAT bad... unless u really shoot alot and left it on most of the time. the camera heats up slightly after about 5 mins of it being switched on. i recommend getting a 256mb SD card since the video capture can take long video clips. those with problems with video capture: have to hold the shutter button halfway down until it registers before fully depressing it to start capture. to stop just a full depress will do. i had some problems downloading the pictures initially. apparently i need to have the camera switched on BEFORE i plug the usb connection and not switch on the camera AFTER i plug as stated in the manual. great camera for it's price as i think you can't really get any better camera that's cheaper! AA batts are great since i really like the flexibility of buying off the shelf if batt runs out when i'm out.
Rating: 
Summary: Flimsy Camera, Useless Warranty
Review: I also bought my Optio because of the out-dated reputation of Pentax. And, like numerous others, was met with lies and cover-ups for a flimsy camera. I had my camera for four months. I was taking a picture of my sleeping husband and baby and when I went to turn it off, the lens did not retract. The camera was very lightly used, always in its case when not being used, and never out of my sight. Having the extended warranty (although it was still under the original warranty), I sent it back to Pentax. They told me it would cost $180 because "Excessive force" was used on it. Totally untrue, as I'm sure all the other reviewers with problems had. Pentax customer service is horrible. They told me they'd call back and didn't, would not let me talk to a technician, and tried to tell me that maybe I didn't know I dropped it. "You know, like when you see a bruise on your knee and you don't know where you got it from." They need some serious help. I also emailed and snail mailed a letter to Pentax stating my disappointment. Never heard back from them. Not even a courtesy email. I, like many others, will never buy a Pentax again. And if you decide to buy, don't bother with the warranty because they are great at lies and excuses.
Rating:
Summary: Great great if you have realistic expectations
Review: I bought the Optio S and quickly returned it as I was really disappointed by the photo quality. But I loved the features so I thought I'd give Pentax one more shot (pardon the pun). The Optio S40 really fits the bill for what I wanted; a compact digital camera that I can carry with me when my Minolta A1 is to cumbersome that would produce reasonably nice prints. The S40 can be a little picky at full telephoto but otherwise it seems to perform very well and quick too. I'm sure once I learn about this model's capabilities I will be even more pleased with my purchase. At $100 bucks less than Canon's S410, it's a real bargain. By the way, if you are comparing this model to the Minolta Xg, don't bother. The Xg was an even bigger disappointment that the Optio S. Happy Shooting!
Rating:
Summary: Very poor image quality
Review: I bought this camera last week and was so disappointed by the poor picture quality. It NEVER produces a good and clear picture. I have owned a Canon 4MP camera, the picture quality is so much better than this Pentax camera. Also, the LCD screen is of low-resolution and very noisy in low-light level. Go buy a Canon camera!
Rating:
Summary: nice little camera
Review: I chose this camera over the S4/S4i due to the fact that it uses AA batteries. (I have rechargable batteries up the wazoo, thought that made the best sense...) Well, I've only had the camera for several days, and my initial impression is that battery life is poor. I did have lowered expectations about the power supply, and this camera failed to even meet those. I suppose I'll just have to live w/ the fact that I'll be changing batteries often. Otherwise, I really like the camera. It's built like a tank, really easy to navigate the menu systems, takes decent pictures, is only VERY slightly larger than the S4, and is priced 100 bucks below the competing Canon 4megapixed compact model. (although, due to numerous complaints about pentax quality control, I did pick up an extended warranty which kind of negated the price savings)
Rating:
Summary: Pentax S40 review
Review: I just purchased this camera and have been using it for a few days extensively. Positives:
1) Ergonomics - look and feel is very nice.
2) Picture quality - the picture quality is also very nice.
3) Batteries - one of the reasons I bought this was the fact it takes AA batteries, unlike most other small compacts I considered.
4) Manual controls - the camera has plenty of manual controls, more than I'll ever use. I especially like the ability to select 4MP/3MP/2MP/1MP resolutions, each in FINE quality mode.
5) Movie mode - shoots at 30fps which makes for smooth movies albeit at 320x240 (quite acceptable for a camera).
6) Menu system - quite easy to learn and navigate. Negatives:
1) Performance - unfortunately, the camera is a bit slow, even with a high speed SD card.
a) Shot-to-shot - in 4MP/Fine mode is just over 5 seconds with flash, and just over 3 seconds without flash. This is with post-review off, which usually helps to some degree. This performance improves slightly as resolution/quality is decreased. For example, at 2MP/Fine without flash shot-to-shot is under 2.5 seconds. Note this performance is with a high speed Panasonic SD card.
b) Continuous mode - the camera can shoot 2 pix while in continuous mode in about 2 seconds. Then, a noticeable delay for the 3rd and subsequent pictures. This is for 4Mp/Fine, and does also improve for lower res/quality.
c) Start-up speed - no better than 4-5 seconds. Overall, I really like this camera, and would recommend as long as its coupled with a high speed SD card.
Rating:
Summary: Sleek and Powerful
Review: I just purchased this camera in order to take pictures at my father's funeral to pass to family and friends. I had been in the market for my first digital camera. I wanted to get a camera from a camera manufacturer. I chose the Pentax for the resolution per dollar and look and feel. I love the size that easily fits in my shirt pocket. I took over 100 pictures over two days without having to change the battery. The different picture modes will allow for easy picture taking for kids and novices to use but still has the settings to manipulate the picture for more advanced users. I don't mind the slight pause between pictures since I don't take rapid pictures. I didn't buy the camera to replace my video camera or to record audio but to take pictures and replace my point and shoot film camera. I compared the Pentax S40 with the other 4M pixels offerings and found this to be the best in price. I wanted to have a metal body that will be able to withstand the bumps it will receive. I love the fact that when the camera is powered off the lense fully retracts into the camera. I made digital prints and found the quality to be the same as film pictures. While only having owned this camera for just a few days I am pleased with this camera. I continue to learn how to speed up the picture from point to capture. This comes when trying to capture the smile or expression of a baby that is bobbing and moving. I got better at capturing this as I went along. I recommend this camera for all those that either want to upgrade an old digital camera or to enter the digital camera market. I am very pleased...
Rating:
Summary: Just got it today
Review: I ordered the Pentax Optio S40 the other day online and well today i got it. I opend the box and put the batteries in and started shooting. Its pretty easy to use and the quality is pretty good. Transfering the photos to my PC was easy. I havn't read the manual completely yet so ill probably do that later. I love the compact size because it makes carrying the camera easier. My first camera was a Fujifilm Finepix camera and it was bulky and heavy. I'm happy with this little cam and its nice aluminum body. The only problem i had with the camera was when i was playing around with it in Happy face mode and it somehow froze up. None of the buttons were working and the lcd was on. The lcd didnt freeze because when i moved the camera you could see the movement on the lcd. When i pressed the power button to turn it off nothing happened, so i opened the battery slot and it shut off and when i closed it and turned it back on it said depleted batteries and turned off. So i opened the battery slot and took the batteries out then waited for like 10 seconds and put them back in and turned the camera on and now it works fine. Dont know why it happend and i hope its the last time it happens. But overall this is a pretty good point and shoot camera for those casual photographers who dont need to spend a gazillion dollars on a camera.
Rating:
Summary: Good camera for the price
Review: I purchased this camera for my Dad for fathers day. The main reasons for the purchase were: 1) A "Smiley Face" mode - The "smiley face" is the symbol on the camera to select full automatic exposure. My parents want to take snapshots not worry about the exposure settings
2) Ability to use a variety of batteries - the camera accepts a Lithium Ion rechargable battery pack, AA rechargable batteries and AA alkaline cells. if they're traveling and don't have recharged batteries, then alkaline AA batteries can get them through in a pinch 3) size / portability - it's a small camera - the length and width is about the size of a credit card and the depth is about an inch or so. It's more compact than the Canon Elph series or Nikon Coolpix. If the camera is too bulky, the won't carry it and use it. 4) Price - even though it is a 4 Megapixel camera, it is priced in line with the 3 megapixel offerings from Canon, Nikon and Minolta. I bought it from Costco for $279 and that included the Li On recharger, a 64Megabyte SD card, and several rechargeable batteries I had the opportunity to try it out with my parents to make sure that it worked and ensure they could use it. Here's what we found: Picture Quality - Picture quality is good for snapshots, it's a little soft relative to other 4 megapixel offerings, but certainly better than 3 megapixels. The color balance is good and the pictures are sharp. We had the pictures printed at Walgreens and one could not tell that it was from a digital camera Flash performance - the flash is a typical flash for a compact camera - not great, but usable. It has a range of about 10 -12 feet Cycle time - the camera is not the fastest - it takes a few seconds to cycle up and down between shots. It is about the same as many of the other digital cameras I have used. I think Canon SD 110 and Minolta Xg are definitely quicker Program Modes - The "Smiley Face" mode does a great job of exposure settings. It truly is set and forget Battery performance - we got about 25 shots on a set of AA alkaline batteries, using flash for all pictures and using the LCD as a viewfinder Construction - the stainless steel housing feels solid and makes it easy to hold withuot shaking the camera In general, the camera is great for the price. It is not as good as other 4 megapixel cameras I have used, but the camera's low price means that it should really be compared with 3 megapixel cameras, in which case it is a great value. The issues with the camera are typical with other point and shoot cameras in this size range.
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