Pentax Optio S40 4MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I've been using the Pentax S40 for the past three weeks, and am pleased with my purchase. I too selected this model because of the AA battery capability and have found the battery life to be very acceptable. I took over 100 flash pictures yesterday on a fully charged set of NiMH batteries. Spare NiMH batteries and a charger are quite cheap and most folks would carry a second set anyway.

The photographic results are quite impressive. Certainly on par with my other digital camera which is the (much larger) Sony DSC-F707, though the slightly lower resolution (4mp to 5mp) would likely show on an 8x10. The viewfinder doesn't show the full size of the scene being framed on the LCD screen, but I believe this is true of most digicams.

The telephoto works smoothly, and the LCD screen provides a clear and smooth look at the scene being framed. As with most LCD displays, it becomes less useful in bright sun.

The camera is easy to set up and its menu system is intuitive and logical with a surprisingly large array of photographic options. It can also be used as an auto focus point and shoot camera with good results as my 12 year old daughter did recently on a school trip. Subsequently she spent a bit of time learning the camera, and now navigates the menus, etc., with ease.

I'm using a 256mb Simpletech Secure Digital (SD) Pro-X High Speed card which has a much faster (10MB/sec) transfer rate than a standard SD card. The faster write speed frees the camera for its next shot much more quickly, and you won't believe how fast it transfers 256mb to a PC over a USB 2.0 (separate USB 2.0 reader needed) connection whew!

I also purchased the Pentax Optio Warranty Extension which gives this camera a full three years of coverage. I figured my family will be using this camera for at least that long.

All in all, this is an excellent and fully featured camera in a very small package.

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.

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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.

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I already have a Nikon D70, and I just wanted something I could carry around in my pocket. I got it through Amazon.com at a refurbished price, and for that price I have to give it four stars. If I had to pay list I'd only give it 3 stars.

I've been having a lot of fun with it, and it's a great little camera that didn't cost me much.

Good points: Very small and easy to use for beginners. Lots of settings that should please anyone. 4 megapixels for adequate 8x10 prints. Good closeup and super closeup macro modes. Lots of data for each picture, including a histogram. Uses easy to find AA batteries.

Bad points: Small LCD screen. Very noisy (grainy) expecially at low light levels. No way to manually set shutter speed or aperture. Very slow starting up and writing to memory. Relatively short battery life (get rechargeables). Flash seems to want to go off for any shot in low light, even outdoor's shade.

Otherwise, the camera seems to be fairly rugged. Again, perfect for someone who wants a go anywhere camera for taking snapshots. If you want great quality images I suggest you pay more and get a better camera, but this one was hard to beat at the refurbished price.

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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!

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