Pentax Optio S55

alaTest has collected and analyzed 80 reviews from magazines and websites. Views about the value for money and screen are overall positive. The design and usability are also mentioned favorably. The energy efficiency and battery get negative comments.

performance, usability, design, screen, value for money

responsiveness, lens, shutter, battery, energy

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Digital Compact Cameras the Pentax Optio S55 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 82/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 80 reviews)

Expert Reviews  

User Reviews  

Review Ratings

  (17% of reviews)
Show all 5 star reviews   (33% of reviews)
Show all 4 star reviews   (18% of reviews)
Show all 3 star reviews   (16% of reviews)
Show all 2 star reviews   (16% of reviews)
Show all 1 star reviews

Features

Performance
  Show positive (67%)Show negative (33%)(Show all)
Usability
  Show positive (86%)None yet(Show all)
Design
  Show positive (55%)Show negative (9%)(Show all)
Screen
  Show positive (30%)None yet(Show all)
Value for money
  Show positive (60%)Show negative (10%)(Show all)
Portability
  Show positive (73%)Show negative (20%)(Show all)
Responsiveness
  None yetShow negative (50%)(Show all)
Storage
  Show positive (67%)None yet(Show all)
Zoom
  Show positive (22%)None yet(Show all)
Energy
  None yetShow negative (25%)(Show all)
More features

Showing 40 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews
Showing 1 - 10 of 40 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (47)

Expert review by:

Pentax Optio S55

 

The new Optio S55 is a compact camera that packs a 5 megapixel imager and a 3X optical zoom lens in a sleek aluminum design. It featuring a smc Pentax lens coupled with their Sliding Lens system that allows the lens to fully retract inside the camera when

The Pentax Optio S55 offers a good value with its under-$300 MSRP, 5-megapixel resolution, ease of fully-automatic operation, useful scene modes, durable compact design, built-in help screens, 2.5-inch LCD monitor and good image quality. It trails the com

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Expert review by:

Pentax Optio S55 Digital Camera Review

 

In the compact Optio S55, Pentax has included a 1/2.5-inch 5.36 total megapixel CCD and 3x optical zoom lens, equivalent to 35.6 - 107mm in 35mm format. Available online for as low as $212 (USD), the Optio S55 offers point-and-shoot consumers an...

-Good fit and finish -Simple styling -Very simple options for automatic settings -Large LCD screen

-Ridiculously short battery life -AA batteries, rather than dedicated rechargeable pack -No manual mode (except for white balance) -LCD in live view looks like an old T.V. with bad reception -Short zoom range -The camera does not have a "Sports"...

Many fundamental aspects of the Optio S55 - its size, 5 megapixel CCD, 3x optical zoom lens, 115,000-pixel LCD, $250-or-so street price - are decidedly middle-of-the-road. There are loads of cameras with those specs, because many, many snapshooters...

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Consumer review by:

Pentax Optio S55

 

Although I have the Optio 555 this is the closest to match. The movie feature uses Quick Time only and only records in 1/15 fps. thats a real bummer. cheaper cameras do much better.

User friendly controls

Movies record at 1/15 fps which produces grainy finish. also a little on the heavy side although that helps keep the camera stable

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Consumer review by:

Pentax Optio S55

 

Although I have the Optio 555 this is the closest to match. The movie feature uses Quick Time only and only records in 1/15 fps. thats a real bummer. cheaper cameras do much better.

User friendly controls

Movies record at 1/15 fps which produces grainy finish. also a little on the heavy side although that helps keep the camera stable

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Consumer review by:

Owners Opinion: Pentax Optio S55 (wandi guidolin, 17 Apr 06)

 

I bought a Pentax s55 without thinking too much. This camera is easy to use. Images are in average comparable to other cameras on this segment of cost. But....

I did not imagine that this camera eats batteries with an extraordinary speed. Unbelievable! So you must pay attention. Buy (if you like it) at least 5 couples of rechargeable batteries if you want to make at least 300 snapshots. Good luck ; Pentax in...

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Consumer review by:

Pentax Optio S55

 

Be very careful when purchasing this camera. I bought mine from www.buydig.com and it lasted about 3 weeks, before the LCD display (that's also the view finder) just stopped working. When contacting PENTAX tech support, their first questions was: has...

never got a chance to even get familiar with this pos

PENTAX Robbed me

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Consumer review by:

Pentax Optio S55

 

Be very careful when purchasing this camera. I bought mine from www.buydig.com and it lasted about 3 weeks, before the LCD display (that's also the view finder) just stopped working. When contacting PENTAX tech support, their first questions was: has...

never got a chance to even get familiar with this pos

PENTAX Robbed me

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Consumer review by:

Owners Opinion: Pentax Optio S55 (Cynicalcec, 21 Aug 05)

 

As a " mature" novice I am currently trying several digicams. The Pentax has 3 POF's before software(1) eats batteries due to large LCD; (2) double flash (which is not advertised) and, "buttons are easily inadventently hit when handling.

3 above and the lack of a viewfinder turned me off. The software description was enough to dissuade me from loading it

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Consumer review by:

Owners Opinion: Pentax Optio S55 (hrioo, 29 Jul 05)

 

After doing a lot of research I bought this camera. I must say that this is an excellent liitle digicam. It's not as small as some of the ultracompact models around but it easily fits in my jean's pockets and is easy to carry around. The image quality...

Flash recycle time is too slow. sometimes as long as 8 seconds ; Camera is basically non functional while flash is recycling ; Usb cable is not easy to fit to camera, it fits very tight

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Consumer review by:

Amazon review summary for the Pentax Optio S55

 

alaTest has collected and analyzed 6 user reviews of the Pentax Optio S55 from Amazon.com. The average user rating for this product is 3.0/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.0/5 for other products on Amazon.com.

performance, screen, image quality, zoom, portability

design, energy, lens

33% of reviews on Amazon.com give this product a positive rating.

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Product Specifications

With a giant 2.5 inch LCD monitor, a 3X zoom, and 5.0 effective megapixels, the digital Optio S55 is never daunting. Enjoy the simple operation of the handy mode dial to select from 6 still image shooting modes. Use the Help mode to display function explanations for shooting and playback, and help reduce your instruction manual dependency. Add to these helpful features, a compact aluminum alloy design that ensures you will never sacrifice style with the PENTAX Optio S55.

Audio Input

Microphone Operation Mode:Mono
Microphone Technology:Electret condenser
Type:Microphone

Battery

Battery Form Factor:Standard form factor
Supported Battery Form Factor:AA / CR-V3

Camera Flash

Red Eye Reduction: Yes
Type:Built-in flash

Digital Camera

Supported Flash Memory:SD Memory Card

Dimensions & Weight

Depth:1.1in
Height:2.3in
Weight:0.2lbs
Width:3.5in

Display (Projector)

Diagonal Size:2.5in
Diagonal Size (metric):6.4cm
Display Form Factor:Built-in
Technology:TFT active matrix
Type:LCD display

Exposure Parameters

Shooting Programs:2 in 1 / Flower / Food / Landscape / Landscape-portrait / Museum / Night scene / Panorama assist / Portrait mode / Self-portrait / Sports mode / Sunset / Surf & snow / Text

Header

Manufacturer:Pentax
Model:S55
Packaged Quantity:1
Product Line:Pentax Optio

Lens System

Lens Aperture:F/2.6-4.8
Max Focal Length:17.4mm
Min Focal Length:5.8mm
Optical Zoom:3
Type:Zoom lens

Optical Sensor

Optical Sensor Size:1/2.5"
Optical Sensor Size (metric):10.2 mm ( 1/2.5 ) / 10.2 mm ( 1/2.5" )
Optical Sensor Type:CCD
Sensor Resolution:5Megapixel

Storage Floppy Drive

Type: None

Video Input

Digital Video Format:AVI
Digital Zoom:2.6
ISO (Max):400
Light Sensitivity:ISO 100 / ISO 200 / ISO 400 / ISO 50 / ISO auto
Shooting Modes:Frame movie mode
Special Effects:Black & White / Black & White Blue filter / Black & White Red filter / Black & White Yellow filter / Blue / Green / Red / Sepia
Still Image Format:JPEG
Type:Digital camera

Viewfinder

Viewfinder Type: None
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