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Although probably better known for its presence in the SLR and professional arena of photography, Pentax has not neglected the concept of the digital camera. One example of this is the Optio S4 camera which Pentax has described as being “the smallest, lightest and coolest digital camera in its class.” While some might argue that there are smaller cameras available, units that are lighter in weight and have more street-cred, you have to ask yourselves whether these cameras feature 4.0 megapixels and have a 3x optical zoom lens. The answer could well be “no”.

Measuring 83 x 52 x 20 (W x H x D) mm., the Optio S4 is certainly on the small size and at 113g (including rechargeable battery) should not weigh you down too much. Pressing the top-mounted power button not only turns on the camera but causes the Pentax zoom lens to emerge from the body of the camera. A second button, found on the back of the unit, can be used to adjust the zoom level up to 3x optical and this will immediately be reflected in the view finder and high-resolution 1.6 inch LCD monitor. By turning on the digital zoom option you can increase the maximum magnification to 12 times.

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The Optio S4 gives you a choice of eight capture modes selected from a Lara Croft-type wheel displayed on the LCD monitor. In some cases selecting a particular option will allow access to further choices. For example in Picture mode there are options for landscape, portrait, sunset and autumn colours settings amongst others while Digital Filter mode lets you make a choice from eight colours and set a degree of slimness either horizontally or vertically. However having the slim filter selected does remove the digital zoom feature.

Four still image resolution sizes are available. These range from the memory hungry 2,304 x 1,728 down to a more conservative 640 x 480 pixels. Each resolution setting can also be designated as being good, better or best quality. The built-in 11Mb of memory should be capable of storing between 4 and 80 images depending upon the resolution and quality setting. As the camera supports SD and MultiMedia cards, you can add extra storage capacity. 320 x 240 movie clips with audio can be recorded and you also have the capability to add a voice memo to a captured image.

When playing back images, a number of choices are available. Still images can be viewed individually or nine at a time. These images can be magnified up to 4 times and rotated through 90 degree increments. Movie clips can be played forwards or backwards, paused and then moved a frame at a time in either direction. Information regarding each image can be displayed.

One feature of this camera that you might expect to stand out would be that of 3D. This involves taking two pictures of the same image. The camera needs to be moved slightly before taking the second image. The two images, stored side-by-side, need to be printed and then viewed using the supplied plastic viewer. Unfortunately the results are often disappointing. Basically this feature is little more than a gimmick.

Probably of more use is the camera’s ability to act as an alarm. The alarm can be set to sound once or on a daily basis at a specific time and show a designated image.

Images can be transferred to a computer via USB or, if appropriate, a card reader. A copy of ACDSee software is included for any image processing that might be required.

Overall image quality is acceptable. The camera controls are easy to use and there is a wide range of user-definable options available from the menu system. Apart from the disappointing 3D aspect, the Optio S4 is a reasonable but not outstanding buy available at around £310.

Link : http://www.pentax.co.uk/active_photo.htm