My first camera ever was a Pentax, when I was starting college, before the "digital craziness", and I needed a 35mm SLR for the photography course. I bought a used ME super at a cheap price. Later, I went through a few compact digital cameras (Sony and Canon) during the next years. Someday, then, I saw a Pentax ad in a photography magazine. It was the classic first "Optio S", the one that could use an Altoids tin as a case. The mega-tiny size was the main attractor to me, and I decided to get one some day. Finally, a couple years ago I bought one of the sucessors, the wonderful Optio s5z, which lasted me fore a little more than a year until it was stolen. That small camera was one of the best buys in my life. It was the first digital camera that I could keep with me in my pockets, and helped me record many priceless moments of my youth in pictures and videos. Talking of videos, I used that function A LOT, maybe more than the pictures, and because of that, I now keep in my computer very nice footage of me and my friends that I wouldn't have right now if I didn't carry that tiny Optio with me. Today we still enjoy and laught with those videos, and one of my friends bought the S7 optio as a consequence.
Anyway, last christmas I was looking to replace my lost s5z, and found out that the S10 was the new sucessor, but it was sold exclusively at Walmart (not avaliable where I live). Looking around for something I could order from Amazon, people recommended me the Canon SD1000, because of the size, that was almost identical to the optio. Having used Canon in the past and my work, I didn't hestitate and ordered it. It is a marvelous camera by the way.
However, a few days ago I saw the Optio S10 avaliable at Amazon, and in an impulsive shopping moment (Pentax love?), I got it, and gave the Canon to my girlfriend.
Let me tell one thing, however. For the first 2 days I was disappointed with the camera, but I later found out it was because I was used to the SD1000 operation menu. Pictures came very grainy, and I felt the images were of less quality that the canon. Wrong! After 10 days of use, I can assure you, as the above reviewer wrote, that the images I've gotten from the tiny Optio S10 are sharper and more natural than the SD1000! I recently shot some portraits using the nice "Natural skin tone portrait" mode in the camera, and they pictures were A-W-E-S-O-M-E, they have the backround blurred, and the look of a photo taken with a SLR, something I haven't been able to do with the canon. Very natural and fine colors too.
The operation is very fast, though the canon is still a bit (milliseconds) faster to start and take pictures. A feature I like a lot is the Anti-shake mode, that I use without flash when taking a picture indoors or with little light and serves me well. The night scende mode is great too. I'm not joking when I say that this little camera produces photos with a very peculiar feel, more "artistic", vintage, more SLR-like... than other digicams. I love it. Superb image quality, though I had to learn to set it to not go at 3200 ISO unless I want "cell phone" quality pics. Yesterday I printed a portrait of my girlfriend and I (using ISO 1600), in black and white, at 8x10 size, and there's no visible grain. The print looks like if it was taken with a film camera. This is something I had never seen in a compact camera!! I'm Totally amazed.
Now, I will tell you the three reasons why I didn't give it 5 stars:
- "Cheap plastic feel": For me, compared to the aluminium canon this camera is just plastic made. It doesn't matter too much to me, because I use the P&S cameras as semi-disposable units, expecting them to last me 6-12 months until they break or get stolen. But for many people it may be a no-no. If you're those kind of persons that buy point & shoots and expect to keep them usable until they get old, then I suggest you look for another brand/model of better body build.
- Video: I don't know why, but the video quality, although it is still good quality divx 640x380 @30 fps, feels like 'downgraded' from the optio s5z. I see more pixels in this optio in low light than with the last one, and the sound is very poor. The avi files I got with the s5z showed a quality rivaling that of the powershot sd1000 one (which uses not compression). But this one lacks "something"...
- Short battery life: For me, this is very important. If you're thinking of buying one of the optio S line cameras, buy at least one more battery, and if you're traveling, get another one more. I'm not joking. This is something Pentax could have 'upgraded' in all these years...
My conclusion: If you want SUPERB quality images (certainly sharper than the canon sd1000) in a mega-compact ultra-lightweight camera, at the cost of sacrificing 'durable' material, and don't care much about the battery, this is your best bet. If not, then just look around, there are other brands out there that offer stronger cameras at the same price, with longer battery life.
If my girlfriend gave me back the Canon powershot sd1000 today, I would keep this optio S10 as a backup camera, even if I still love Pentax, for the reasons I wrote above. In fact, I'm keeping it as a secondary ultra-compact, after I recieve a Casio exilim Z80 I just ordered, and which, according to the reviews, has a great battery and aluminium body. Pentax, take care of those details, but I still love you!
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Reviews with images
Excellent photo quality makes this little camera a big winner
I'm writing this review for the Option S10, which I bought a few weeks ago to replace my Optio S5. The S10 is much better than the S5, which I've had for 3 years and really liked. For some reason Pentax doesn't attract a big following with their consumer mid-range digital cameras.Other cameras I tried: Sony T-200 and the Canon SD750 and Canon SD1000. In my opinion, the picture quality of the Optio S10 was better than the Sony and the SD1000, and about the same as the SD750.I took the Optio with me on vacation, and posted some test shots. Before launching into my review, I listed my priorities, so you know on what basis I'm judging.PRIORITIES, in order of importance:- Picture quality- Ultracompact size- Durability- Speed (shuttering and powering on)- Zoom- Attractiveness- Cost- Variety of modes, extras, user options- Newness of modelAlso, I'm a Mac user, so it has to be Mac friendly. This works on iPhoto easily.Things I Don't Care About:- Touch screens- Face detection (it does have face detection) / Smile detection (I find this creepy)PROS- Excellent photo quality at all MP levels (5MP, 7MP, max 10MP)- Very good shake-reduction (HUGE improvement over previous models)- Turns on in about 3 seconds (another huge improvement)- Excellent Macro and Super-Macro output- Pocketable, easily fits in an evening bag- Powerful flash for its size- Solid build quality- Easy-to-understand, intuitive layout and menu options- Wide variety of modes (Text, Portrait, Landscape are especially good)- Adjustable flash (none, soft, regular, auto)- Adjustable red-eye (none, forced, auto)- Competitively priced at $249 ($236 on Amazon)CONS- Does not fit inside an Altoids tin like previous models- Awkwardly-placed USB input alongside the battery/flashcard slots (must open door first)- Just average battery life (about 150 pics at highest 10MP quality setting)- Double flash (I don't mind, but some find this annoying)- Must remove battery from camera to charge (previous model had a better cradle charger)- Takes 1-2 seconds to rest between shots- Must press down half-way for a half-second on the shot button before taking a shot to trigger focusIn conclusion, the Pentax Optio S10 is a solid, all-occasion camera that I can take with me everywhere, and the photo quality is surprisingly excellent. I would recommend it to amateur photographers in a second.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2008
Other cameras I tried: Sony T-200 and the Canon SD750 and Canon SD1000. In my opinion, the picture quality of the Optio S10 was better than the Sony and the SD1000, and about the same as the SD750.
I took the Optio with me on vacation, and posted some test shots. Before launching into my review, I listed my priorities, so you know on what basis I'm judging.
PRIORITIES, in order of importance:
- Picture quality
- Ultracompact size
- Durability
- Speed (shuttering and powering on)
- Zoom
- Attractiveness
- Cost
- Variety of modes, extras, user options
- Newness of model
Also, I'm a Mac user, so it has to be Mac friendly. This works on iPhoto easily.
Things I Don't Care About:
- Touch screens
- Face detection (it does have face detection) / Smile detection (I find this creepy)
PROS
- Excellent photo quality at all MP levels (5MP, 7MP, max 10MP)
- Very good shake-reduction (HUGE improvement over previous models)
- Turns on in about 3 seconds (another huge improvement)
- Excellent Macro and Super-Macro output
- Pocketable, easily fits in an evening bag
- Powerful flash for its size
- Solid build quality
- Easy-to-understand, intuitive layout and menu options
- Wide variety of modes (Text, Portrait, Landscape are especially good)
- Adjustable flash (none, soft, regular, auto)
- Adjustable red-eye (none, forced, auto)
- Competitively priced at $249 ($236 on Amazon)
CONS
- Does not fit inside an Altoids tin like previous models
- Awkwardly-placed USB input alongside the battery/flashcard slots (must open door first)
- Just average battery life (about 150 pics at highest 10MP quality setting)
- Double flash (I don't mind, but some find this annoying)
- Must remove battery from camera to charge (previous model had a better cradle charger)
- Takes 1-2 seconds to rest between shots
- Must press down half-way for a half-second on the shot button before taking a shot to trigger focus
In conclusion, the Pentax Optio S10 is a solid, all-occasion camera that I can take with me everywhere, and the photo quality is surprisingly excellent. I would recommend it to amateur photographers in a second.
Excellent photo quality makes this little camera a big winner
Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2008
I'm writing this review for the Option S10, which I bought a few weeks ago to replace my Optio S5. The S10 is much better than the S5, which I've had for 3 years and really liked. For some reason Pentax doesn't attract a big following with their consumer mid-range digital cameras.Reviewed in the United States on April 15, 2008
Other cameras I tried: Sony T-200 and the Canon SD750 and Canon SD1000. In my opinion, the picture quality of the Optio S10 was better than the Sony and the SD1000, and about the same as the SD750.
I took the Optio with me on vacation, and posted some test shots. Before launching into my review, I listed my priorities, so you know on what basis I'm judging.
PRIORITIES, in order of importance:
- Picture quality
- Ultracompact size
- Durability
- Speed (shuttering and powering on)
- Zoom
- Attractiveness
- Cost
- Variety of modes, extras, user options
- Newness of model
Also, I'm a Mac user, so it has to be Mac friendly. This works on iPhoto easily.
Things I Don't Care About:
- Touch screens
- Face detection (it does have face detection) / Smile detection (I find this creepy)
PROS
- Excellent photo quality at all MP levels (5MP, 7MP, max 10MP)
- Very good shake-reduction (HUGE improvement over previous models)
- Turns on in about 3 seconds (another huge improvement)
- Excellent Macro and Super-Macro output
- Pocketable, easily fits in an evening bag
- Powerful flash for its size
- Solid build quality
- Easy-to-understand, intuitive layout and menu options
- Wide variety of modes (Text, Portrait, Landscape are especially good)
- Adjustable flash (none, soft, regular, auto)
- Adjustable red-eye (none, forced, auto)
- Competitively priced at $249 ($236 on Amazon)
CONS
- Does not fit inside an Altoids tin like previous models
- Awkwardly-placed USB input alongside the battery/flashcard slots (must open door first)
- Just average battery life (about 150 pics at highest 10MP quality setting)
- Double flash (I don't mind, but some find this annoying)
- Must remove battery from camera to charge (previous model had a better cradle charger)
- Takes 1-2 seconds to rest between shots
- Must press down half-way for a half-second on the shot button before taking a shot to trigger focus
In conclusion, the Pentax Optio S10 is a solid, all-occasion camera that I can take with me everywhere, and the photo quality is surprisingly excellent. I would recommend it to amateur photographers in a second.
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