Pentax Optio S1 review
A competent low-cost camera with an impressive set of features, but paying just a little more brings big benefits
Specifications
1/2.3in 13.8-megapixel sensor, 5.0x zoom (28-140mm equivalent), 126g
The gap between the Pentax and Canon’s image quality widened as diminishing light demanded faster ISO speeds. The S1 put in a decent effort, producing photos at ISO 800 that looked fine once they’d been resized to fit the screen. However, the Canon’s shots still looked pretty good at 100% magnification while the Pentax’s photos looked grubby and vague under such close inspection.
There’s a nice range of colours on offer
Pentax’s Optio S1 is a fine compact camera, but we think it’s worth paying £20 more for the Canon PowerShot A3200 IS. In most respects the two cameras are very similar but the Canon captures higher quality photos and videos, especially in low light. However, if £110 is beyond your budget, the S1 is an excellent alternative.
Basic Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Rating | **** |
| CCD effective megapixels | 13.8 megapixels |
| CCD size | 1/2.3in |
| Viewfinder | none |
| Viewfinder magnification, coverage | N/A |
| LCD screen size | 2.7in |
| LCD screen resolution | 230,000 pixels |
| Articulated screen | No |
| Live view | Yes |
| Optical zoom | 5.0x |
| Zoom 35mm equivalent | 28-140mm |
| Image stabilisation | optical, sensor shift |
| Maximum image resolution | 4,288×3,216 |
| Maximum movie resolution | 1280×720 |
| Movie frame rate at max quality | 30fps |
| File formats | JPEG; AVI (M-JPEG) |
Physical | |
| Memory slot | SDXC |
| Mermory supplied | 43MB internal |
| Battery type | Li-ion |
| Battery Life (tested) | 180 shots |
| Connectivity | USB, AV |
| HDMI output resolution | N/A |
| Body material | plastic |
| Lens mount | N/A |
| Focal length multiplier | N/A |
| Kit lens model name | N/A |
| Accessories | USB and AV cables |
| Weight | 126g |
| Size | 54x90x21mm |
Buying Information | |
| Warranty | one-year RTB |
| Price | £90 |
| Supplier | http://www.amazon.co.uk |
| Details | www.pentax.co.uk |
Camera Controls | |
| Exposure modes | auto |
| Shutter speed | auto |
| Aperture range | f/3.9 (wide), f/5.7 (tele) |
| ISO range (at full resolution) | 64 to 1600 |
| Exposure compensation | +/-2 EV |
| White balance | auto, 4 presets, manual |
| Additional image controls | contrast, saturation, sharpness, highlight correction, shadow correction |
| Manual focus | Yes |
| Closest macro focus | 5cm |
| Auto-focus modes | multi, centre, face detect, tracking |
| Metering modes | multi, centre-weighted, centre, face detect |
| Flash | auto, forced, suppressed, red-eye reduction |
| Drive modes | single, continuous, self-timer, IR remote |