Pentax Optio S5z 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

This camera is TINY with a PLUS-SIZE LCD. As a previous reviewer said, the screen is not quite bright enough in the brightest conditions, but this is a very small price to pay for the convenience and quality this camera.

If you are a serious photographer, this may not be the best choice for a primary camera (ideally you should have a Nikon D50 or Canon Digital Rebel), but it makes a terrific backup camera because it can literally go anywhere--it is the only camera I have ever put in my pocket that is smaller than a cell phone. And if you know what you are doing you can tweak the white balance settings and play with the various modes to take near-pro-quality shots.

I was particularly impressed with the the night scene mode, which allows you to simulate 'slow-sync' flash, and the macro and super macro settings.

Also very cool is the movie mode, which boats 640x480 resolution at 30fps and a time-lapse feature (a little gimmicky but very cool) that allows you to speed up the action by as much as 20x.

The zoom is a little limited (undestandable given its size) but if you always shoot at 5MP you can crop the image (either in the editing mode or in a photo editing program on your computer) to get another 2-3x zoom out of it while retaining 2-3 megapixels, which is more than you need for a 4x6. Under no circumstances, however, should you use the digital zoom feature on this or any other digital camera. Digital zoom is a bogus marketing ploy just like megapixels (it's the size of the sensor that makes the big difference, not the resolution) are--you'll get much better results by cropping the image after you take it.

Two more tips with this camera--always set the ISO to 80, never automatic, unless you really need to shoot in low light without a flash or tripod. And always take the time to set the white balance for each shot whenever possible--it makes a huge difference!

Okay: I have owned the previous Optio S4 and decided to upgrade to the S5Z. I have a couple of observations I would like to share.

PROS:

1) Huge display on S5Z. Really awesome viewing pics and makes composing much easier.

2) I don't think any other point-and-shoot camera has this many shooting modes and options to tweak color/contrast/ISO etc. To get the BEST quality shot, you should really mess with the settings. For example, taking a shot of a mural in the shade, you should up the contrast and saturation manually to get the best colors.

3) The Quick button can be assigned to custom functions for quick adjustments to pictures on-the-fly.

4) 640x480 movie mode with no limitation on max. time. Apparently they expanded the write buffer and created a faster write channel to the flash card that previous models.

5) Price is good and keeps dropping.

6) Really awesome camera for taking SIMPLE shots of everyday life

7) Compact enough to hide and walk around without it being a burden in your pocket.

CONS:

1) The screen, while huge, is a pain to look at in direct bright sunlight, as in, the sun is shining right onto the display. As one reviewer said, almost unusable except in shade / indoor scenarios.

2) The S5Z shares a trait with my other Pentax, the S4. The trait is that when taking pictures that contain BOTH a) bright sunlight and b) a good amount of blue sky the entire photo takes on a bluish/greyish hue. Can't see the effect on the camera's display screen but when put on a monitor it is apparent. For example, taking a picture of a completely white wall with blue sky above it in at least 1/3 of the picture will cause the white wall to take on a bluish hue. If you're taking pictures of people in the water or on/near a beach, the sand and people will take on a bluish hue. The auto white balance does nothing to remedy this; neither does choosing the other white balance options. Seems the image sensor on this and other mini cameras from Pentax are ultra sensitive to blue, causing a washout effect. Doing an auto color balance after downloading onto a PC remedies the effect somewhat.

3) The wash-out effect (when lens is pointed toward the sun) is more pronounced in this camera compared to other cameras. In fact you have to be pointed away from the sun by at least 90 degrees to avoid bad washout (washout is when the foreground/subject is completely dark because of it a bright lightsource in the background) I've taken shots with other point-and-shoot cams with less washout.

4) If you drop this camera while lens is open, the lens assembly is so frail you can kiss your new camera goodbye. It will crack and fall apart. If you drop it while closed, there's a good chance it'll still work (this is from experience). I can't speak for the S5Z (still new) but I've dropped my S4 on the ground at least a dozen times and it still works (sort of)

Buy Pentax Optio S5z 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Now

I am an experienced digital camera user since the times of the Casio QV-10 and my experience with the Optio s5z was excellent. The picture quality is superb for an ultra compact camera, fast focusing, sharp pictures, good contrast. From my point of view there are 2 cons, as all the compact and ultracompact cameras the flash is weak and it is hard to compose the picture under direct sunlight using the lcd display, an optical viewfinder would make it almost perfect.

Concerning the pictures do not forget that when you buy ultra compact or compact camera you get smaller size for less quality pictures.

Read Best Reviews of Pentax Optio S5z 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Here

Very small, fits into pocket.

Easy to operate.

Wonderful "Toy"

Great photos.

Downside... Does not come with carrying case. Can be easily scratched.

Want Pentax Optio S5z 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom Discount?

This is my second Pentax Optio. That says it all, I bought Pentax again !

I like the size and how easy it is to take pictures on it. "I love it"