Pentax Optio S4i 4MP Digital Camera Review
So the deal is, I shoot photography in a professional capacity. I recently moved to all digital in my SLRs, which has resulted in some pretty satisfying results. I get awesome picture quality, superb tools for post processing, and no longer really have to hassle with developing film. But one thing was missing… convenience and portability.
My pro kit bag weighs in at about 17 pounds fully loaded. My camera and lens of choice weighs in at over four pounds just on its own, and it’s hardly what I’d call pocketable. So I started searching for an ultra small, ultraslim camera to do the trick.
My search took me to a variety of “influencer” sites including dpreview and others. I read like a madman. I looked at picture quality. I read comments by current users. And I weighed positives against negatives. My choice was narrowed down to the Pentax Optio s4 and I was about to buy, when I found out the new s4i was coming out. It made my choice a lot easier. I’ll outline more below.
I placed a preorder on Amazon, and took delivery of one of the first shipping models. I guess that’s extreme early adopter for you – the camera wasn’t even supposed to be available till April 1, but I had mine in my hands by April 2. I’ve used it for five days now, and while that’s a short time to evaluate something, it’s long enough for me to give it a thumbs up. Here’s what I like:
Extreme Small Size: This is one of the smallest digicams on the market, but it’s ruggedly built with lots of aluminum and metal surfaces.
Large (relative) LCD: a big step up from the s4 is the 1.8″ LCD on the s4i. May not seem large, but considering the small size of this camera, it’s massive.
Streaming Video: very important feature for me. My previous digicam (before I went dSLR) was an Olympus C-5050, and I loved the fact I could fill a memory card with one long video. This one lets me do it too.
Image quality’s okay: at ISO 50 and 100, images are good, colour tone is decent. At 200 it’s losing me, and at 400, it’s terrible, but at least it goes to 400 ISO. The lens quality’s okay too – nothing’s changed from the s4 model, and the sample images you can find online show it’s a decent snapshot capture device.
“Stupid” Modes: Normally I’m not a fan of what I call “stupid” modes – you know, put the camera into a mode where the camera makes decisions for you (ie Museum mode, Night shot mode, Portrait mode), but I like the versatility in some of the modes on this camera. My faves so far: 3D mode, food mode (works well!), text mode and digital filter mode (I like taking a picture of myself as someone skinny!).
“Lifestyle” Features: on top of being a digicam, this camera has additional lifestyle perks. It has a capable audio recorder mode (which I plan to use while conducting interviews for articles I write). It has a world clock function (though accessing it is a bit of a pain, unless you map it to the quick button). It has not one, not two, but three alarms, which can be set for once or daily (hey nice feature – a $350 travel alarm clock!).
There are some negatives:
Shot to shot performance: in a word, it blows. This thing can take a first shot quick (lag time is very short). But in “high speed” frame mode, you’re lucky if you can get one shot every two seconds or more. Maybe if you have it set to manual focus or something.
CCD is tiny = Grain, Chromatic distortions: because the CCD inside is so small, you end up with pictures with grain in continuous colour areas, and you see a lot of purple fringing in photos with high contrast.
It may be too small: I’ve got big mitts. This thing feels like it’s so small, it may fall out of my hands at times. The textured alum on the front helps though.
Overall.
I wasn’t expecting a camera that could rival a Nikon D70 or a Canon Eos Digital Rebel in image quality, and you shouldn’t either. But if you want a good quality camera for taking snapshots, movies, recording audio (sounds good too), and something you can wear around your neck or make disappear in your pocket, this is the model to beat. I’m very happy with the purchase.
Product Description
Pentax packs a hefty 1.8-inch LCD monitor for larger viewing and focusing on the tiny Optio S4i digital camera. With 4.0 megapixels and a 3X optical zoom, this latest Optio digital camera also features the first Pentax digital cradle-style lithium ion recharge base unit. The rechargeable unit design makes it so easy to recharge the Optio S4i. Simply set the camera in the recharge base until it ready to use again.Featuring the legendary smc Pentax lens and the unique Pentax Sliding Lens system that allows the lens to retract fully when the camera is off lens, the Optio S4i is sleek and compact enough to carry everywhere. With the optional, acrylic waterproof housing that is newly designed for the Optio S4i, everywhere may well include the exciting world of underwater digital photography! For optimal results, the Optio S4i features both Marine Picture and Marine Movie modes to capture drama of blue underwater hues.
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