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32 of 32 found the following review helpful:
 Good camera for the priceJun 01, 2004
I purchased this camera for my Dad for fathers day. The main reasons for the purchase were:1) A "Smiley Face" mode - The "smiley face" is the symbol on the camera to select full automatic exposure. My parents want to take snapshots not worry about the exposure settings
2) Ability to use a variety of batteries - the camera accepts a Lithium Ion rechargable battery pack, AA rechargable batteries and AA alkaline cells. if they're traveling and don't have recharged batteries, then alkaline AA batteries can get them through in a pinch 3) size / portability - it's a small camera - the length and width is about the size of a credit card and the depth is about an inch or so. It's more compact than the Canon Elph series or Nikon Coolpix. If the camera is too bulky, the won't carry it and use it. 4) Price - even though it is a 4 Megapixel camera, it is priced in line with the 3 megapixel offerings from Canon, Nikon and Minolta. I bought it from Costco for $279 and that included the Li On recharger, a 64Megabyte SD card, and several rechargeable batteries I had the opportunity to try it out with my parents to make sure that it worked and ensure they could use it. Here's what we found: Picture Quality - Picture quality is good for snapshots, it's a little soft relative to other 4 megapixel offerings, but certainly better than 3 megapixels. The color balance is good and the pictures are sharp. We had the pictures printed at Walgreens and one could not tell that it was from a digital camera Flash performance - the flash is a typical flash for a compact camera - not great, but usable. It has a range of about 10 -12 feet Cycle time - the camera is not the fastest - it takes a few seconds to cycle up and down between shots. It is about the same as many of the other digital cameras I have used. I think Canon SD 110 and Minolta Xg are definitely quicker Program Modes - The "Smiley Face" mode does a great job of exposure settings. It truly is set and forget Battery performance - we got about 25 shots on a set of AA alkaline batteries, using flash for all pictures and using the LCD as a viewfinder Construction - the stainless steel housing feels solid and makes it easy to hold withuot shaking the camera In general, the camera is great for the price. It is not as good as other 4 megapixel cameras I have used, but the camera's low price means that it should really be compared with 3 megapixel cameras, in which case it is a great value. The issues with the camera are typical with other point and shoot cameras in this size range.
39 of 41 found the following review helpful:
 A mighty mite of a cameraMay 04, 2004
By Rob
"eandtee"
I've been using the Pentax S40 for the past three weeks, and am pleased with my purchase. I too selected this model because of the AA battery capability and have found the battery life to be very acceptable. I took over 100 flash pictures yesterday on a fully charged set of NiMH batteries. Spare NiMH batteries and a charger are quite cheap and most folks would carry a second set anyway. The photographic results are quite impressive. Certainly on par with my other digital camera which is the (much larger) Sony DSC-F707, though the slightly lower resolution (4mp to 5mp) would likely show on an 8x10. The viewfinder doesn't show the full size of the scene being framed on the LCD screen, but I believe this is true of most digicams. The telephoto works smoothly, and the LCD screen provides a clear and smooth look at the scene being framed. As with most LCD displays, it becomes less useful in bright sun. The camera is easy to set up and its menu system is intuitive and logical with a surprisingly large array of photographic options. It can also be used as an auto focus point and shoot camera with good results as my 12 year old daughter did recently on a school trip. Subsequently she spent a bit of time learning the camera, and now navigates the menus, etc., with ease. I'm using a 256mb Simpletech Secure Digital (SD) Pro-X High Speed card which has a much faster (10MB/sec) transfer rate than a standard SD card. The faster write speed frees the camera for its next shot much more quickly, and you won't believe how fast it transfers 256mb to a PC over a USB 2.0 (separate USB 2.0 reader needed) connection - whew! I also purchased the Pentax Optio Warranty Extension which gives this camera a full three years of coverage. I figured my family will be using this camera for at least that long. All in all, this is an excellent and fully featured camera in a very small package.
19 of 19 found the following review helpful:
Great size, image quality only so-soJun 20, 2004
The S40 is a very convenient size and light enough that it can be worn around your neck or carried in a shirt pocket. It uses two AA batteries instead of a proprietary battery, so you can power it with a couple of sets of rechargeable NiMH batteries. It has a 3x zoom and a nice selection of different shooting modes. The user interface is pretty good - you can select the 'hot buttons' that are most frequently needed to change resolution, exposure override, etc. So far, so good - right? Unfortunately, image quality isn't on a par with other 4MP cameras. The S40 that I had was consistently soft along the left side of the image and had a similar, although smaller area on the right side of the image. Image sharpness wasn't great throughout the frame regardless of the zoom setting, although the colors were accurate and well saturated. There was a good bit of distortion at the widest setting, although this seems to be pretty common with very small digital cameras. I was diasppointed enough with the S40 to return it - a pity, because I loved the small size and light weight.
21 of 22 found the following review helpful:
great for a compact camera!May 04, 2004
By farly
hi all, i've been eyeing this camera since the announcement from pentax in feb and quite pleased when i got it from my local retailer. all in all, i like the fact it's using 2 AA batteries only and that it's really slim and compact without bulging parts. pictures are good enough for an average consumer who isn't looking for "national geographic" standard pictures or anything like that. functions and features are good as well as the ergonomics. some might find the lcd blacking out while the flash is charging annoying, but it's actually good to me in the sense that at least i know i can't take pictures since the flash isn't ready! (lcd display returns when flash is charged, ie it's ready for another shoot!) battery power isn't all THAT bad... unless u really shoot alot and left it on most of the time. the camera heats up slightly after about 5 mins of it being switched on. i recommend getting a 256mb SD card since the video capture can take long video clips. those with problems with video capture: have to hold the shutter button halfway down until it registers before fully depressing it to start capture. to stop just a full depress will do. i had some problems downloading the pictures initially. apparently i need to have the camera switched on BEFORE i plug the usb connection and not switch on the camera AFTER i plug as stated in the manual. great camera for it's price as i think you can't really get any better camera that's cheaper! AA batts are great since i really like the flexibility of buying off the shelf if batt runs out when i'm out.
20 of 21 found the following review helpful:
perfect example of form over functionJun 05, 2004
The Pentax Optio S40 is ideal for consumers who want a small, durable, attractive camera that delivers merely tolerable performance and image quality. the lens produces invariably soft images, and the auto focus and shutter response seem to be relatively slow. My last camera was the more high-end, enthusiast-oriented Nikon Coolpix 995, but I couldn't tuck it in the pocket of my jeans and forget about it like the optio S40. In terms of aesthetics, the S40 rivals Canon's Digital Elph series, with its sleek, flat design and brushed metal exterior. Photographers seeking more versatility will want something larger, more complex, and more expensive, but casual snapshooters who want basic shots and short video clips (with sound) at parties, on trips, etc. will probably be satisfied. This camera is a pretty good deal at costco, which is the only store I know of that will accept returns on digital cameras without a 15% restocking fee. All in all, the Optio S40 is not a bad value. Compare to the Canon Powershot S410, Nikon Coolpix 3200, and Kodak Easy Share series.
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