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Good, stable, reliable camera with excellent picture quality, July 12,
2005
Reviewer: Hypno Walrus "normiepeterson"
I used this digital camera on a trip to Miami and was very pleased with
its performance. What I liked most was the ability to customize my
photograph according to light condition, object, etc...if I wanted to, or
just use the auto setting feature of the camera. If you want a certain
shot to come out a certain way and you are confident that you can do that,
then this camera will allow you to do that. If you don't want to mess with
that, then just use the auto setting that will balance everything out. The
pictures are clear, crisp, and well lit. The flash is great. Just keep in
mind that there is a small delay between picture taking. The SD card slot
is easily located, battery life is excellent. Another good point is the
small size: small enough to fit in your pocket, and use only one hand to
take pictures if you want, but still large enough so that even large hands
like mine (size XXL gloves)can access the buttons clearly, evenly, and
without mistakes. Although the complete instructions manual is more of a
tome than a manual, the quick reference card helps out quite a bit.
Skimming the manual, if not reading it entirely, is strongly suggested to
get the most out of this camera. After that, it's a snap. I definitely
recommend this camera for everyday and some higher end applications,
although I wouldn't use it for photo-critical situations and
circumstances. Thats a job for a high-end professional camera. Try it,
you'll like it.
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Could be better, but ok if you don't have kids, May 25, 2005
Reviewer: technologyfan
I bought this camera after looking at several other cameras. I liked the
size of the camera, Pentax name and claimed battery life. I think the
color reproduction is ok, but not great, and the picture clarity is ok,
but not great. Using 2400 mAh recharageble batteries made this camera
almost useless. Since almost every shot requires a flash, I only would get
30 or so pictures before needing to switch batteries. And since NiMH
batteries loose charge when not in use, I would find the batteried dead if
I left the camera a few day. I have since purchased some 1400 mAh, Li-ion
CRV3 rechargeble batteries. These are a must for anyone with this camera.
I can't tell you how many pictures it gets per charge, because after 2
weeks it is still on the first charge, and has not even dropped from the
full charge indicator! This is several hundred pictures, viewing and
deleting pictures on the camera and transfering the picutes to a computer.
As a bonus, since the CRV3 battery supplies a full 3V, the flash charges
about twice as fast. (NiNM AA batteries are only 1.3 V each)
The main problem with the camera is how incredibly slow it is. This camera
is mostly used to take pictures of our kids, and kids do not sit still
enough for this camera. Every aspect of shooting a picture is very slow.
The other draw back is that this camera needs a lot of light, and the
flash doesn't help for anything more than a few feet (about 10 or so)
away. Outside shots are usually fine if the sun is at least partially out.
I am currenly looking for a faster digital camera, with a bigger lens to
help in low light situations.
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Good but could be better, May 2, 2005
Reviewer: Maxtov
Bought this camera about 6mo ago. After ~2GB of pictures:
1. Decent quality - you gotta understand that it is not SLR so for a
compact it is OK. Viewing 100% size shows no visible defects.
2. Really small - important since what good is your camera if it stays at
home most of the time. That one fits in the pocket, but you'll feel it
there.
3. Takes AA batteries - good thing just in case
4. Has multiple modes and settings - not too useful, but it doesn't hurt
either.
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Now for what could be better:
1. Slow as you would not believe shooting @5MP and best resolution. When
this red light is blinking (writing to card) you can't do anything and it
lasts forever.
2. Slow in general - takes too long between you push the button and the
picture being actually taken. Pple turn around, move out of frame and so
on.
3. Buttons are tiny - well, the camera is tiny too, but still...
If you plan to use gloves or just have large hands - forget about it.
4. Battery usage - I use rechargable 2400mAh ones and they don't last too
long. Indoor shots almost always use a flash so battery indicator goes
yellow after about 20-30 shots no matter how you recharge your batteries
(there are different ways to do it)
Conclusion: It is worth the price if you need really small camera to take
anywhere and want to stick with the combination of SD storage and regular
AA batteries
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Nice little Camera at a great price, April 3, 2005
Reviewer: Travis Anderson
after some extensive research I purchased the Pentax Optio S50 over a
Kodak or Cannon. I paid the msrp of $289 and that was about $40 cheaper
than the Cannon Elf SD200(the Cannon was 3.2MP vs the 5MP on the Pentax).
Im very happy with the Optio S50, its a very small camera, solid
construction, easy to use with lots of extras for the more advanced
photographer. Also takes video with sound, my 256MB SD card can take 10
minutes of continuous video....
Back to Pentax Optio S50
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