Pentax Optio S

Images shaken, but not blurred.

Review: The Pentax Optio S1 gives novice users decent image quality from a chic, compact package that’s as easy to use as it is to carry.

Pentax S1 is a 14.0MP Small Sensor Compact camera with a 1/2.3-inch sized CCD sensor and 28-140 mm F3.5-5.5 lens. Read our S1 review to find its pros and cons.

Review posted 4/19/03 Click on the Optio S to take a QuickTime VR tour The Pentax OptioS (shown above larger than life) is smaller than the size of an average credit card and just over 3/4-inch thick. The OptioS fits neatly into an empty tin of Altoids®. It's a high-quality 3.2 effective megapixel

This is a 5.0 megapixel camera with 3x optical zoom. It is just an inch bigger than my palm so it is still a comfortable size to fit in bags/pockets. ...

The smallest and lightest of the Optio 'S' series cameras Pentax has made thus far, the Optio S5z fits easily in a shirt pocket and its smart, brushed aluminium alloy body has a 'quality' look. A large 2.5-inch LCD monitor covers most of the rear panel, leaving no space for a viewfinder and five tiny rubber buttons provide a secure finger grip. The 3x optical zoom lens slides into the camera body leaving the front panel flat but pops out within a second or two when the camera is switched on.

The Optio S1 is the first model in a stylish new range of compact cameras from Pentax. In addition to its dashing good looks, the Pentax S1 also offers 14 megapixels, a 5x zoom lens, 2.7 inch screen and 720p movies. Available for just £119.99 / $199.95, check out our Pentax Optio S1 review to find out if it's all style and no substance...

Steve's Conclusion The Pentax OptioS is (as of April 2003) one of the smallest cameras we've reviewed so far. It's packed with features that you wouldn't expect to find in such a small camera like a 3.2-megapixel imager, 3x optical zoom lens, 11MB of built-in memory, 3D Imaging, Panorama Assist

A new edition to the S series of ultracompacts, the Pentax Optio S12 is small but solid. Packing a whopping 12 megapixels into its ultracompact body as well as a crisp 64mm (2.5-inch) screen, this camera will give you natural and realistic images for an excellent price

Pentax announced the ultra-compact (in the most accurate sense of the phrase) Optio S at CES 2003 in January 2003. The Optio S measures just 83 x 52 x 20 mm (3.3 x 2.0 x 0.8 in) and weighs in at just 115 g (4.1 oz) ready to shoot, specifications we'd expect to see from an ultra-compact fixed lens digital camera, all the more amazing then that it has a three times optical zoom lens. Pentax has achieved this feat of miniaturization by altering the lens design so that when retracted three of the lens elements actually move upwards allowing the lens to take up less space. The only hint of this design from the outside is the vertically offset front lens element. The Optio S has a three megapixel sensor, lightweight Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery and stores images on SD / MMC cards.