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)
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Very Good Camera, December 6, 2005
Reviewer: Ricardo Mendillo

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.
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My first real digital camera, October 24, 2005
Reviewer: Yunhe Bao
I admit i chose this one because it was the smallest and lightest model out there at the time for a 5mp. I really needed one for my trip to China, and it performed nicely. The pictures came out pretty decent when there were decent lighting, but when it was a bit dark out, pics tend to turn out blurry. Overall a nice little camera to have around you 24/7 due to it's light weight, but if you are going for something important like a wedding or something, i'd suggest something more on the pro level.
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Excellent small camera, August 2, 2005
Reviewer: landale
Tough to beat this camera. It's got a huge screen but yet is one of the smallest cameras out there. Very easy to use and can pretty much go anywhere. Picture quality is good considering the size. Definitely worth checking out if you are in the market for a ultra small digital camera.
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 Dont Waste Your Time or Money, July 22, 2005
Reviewer: Digital Photographer "Used to Like Nikon,s"
At first glance this is a beautiful little camera, huge 2 1/2 display, appears to be beautifully made, it really is.
Its problem and it is one that renders it so useless is that, this nice big display has no antireflective coating, trying to take photos in a bright sunlit place like a beach or on a cruise even with the brightness gain alway the way up is useless.
I was so frustrated by it I ultimately just put it away so that when I get home I will return it. It is shameful that Pentax whom has a fine reputation produced a totally useless camera like this.
In my travel group some people had the Sony T33, the display was just superb, clear, bright and no problem, I will exchange it for the Sony.
Wake up Pentax

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