Pentax Optio S1

129 reviews

Nov, 2024

Positive
usability (36)
performance (31)
design (28)
portability (24)
price (21)

Negative
battery (5)
zoom (3)
flash (2)
screen (2)
focus (2)

General overview
Price comparison

alaTest has collected and analyzed 129 reviews of Pentax Optio S1. The average rating for this product is 3.8/5, compared to an average rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras for all reviews. People are impressed by the price and portability. The design and performance are also appreciated, whereas many are negative about the flash and focus.

usability, performance, design, portability, price

battery, zoom, screen, focus, flash

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Digital Compact Cameras the Pentax Optio S1 is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 87/100 = Very good quality.

Review analysis

(Based on 129 reviews)

Expert Reviews

User Reviews

Review Ratings

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Showing 1 - 33 of 57 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (62)

Consumer review (amazon.co.uk)

Amazon.co.uk review summary for Pentax Optio S1

alaTest has collected and analyzed 23 user reviews of Pentax Optio S1 from Amazon.co.uk. The average user rating for this product is 3.5/5, compared to an average user rating of 4.3/5 for other Digital Compact Cameras on Amazon.co.uk. Opinions about the color and reliability are overall positive. The price and portability are also mentioned favorably, whereas the flash and focus get negative comments. There are mixed opinions on the performance and durability.

usability, portability, price, reliability, color

size, focus, flash

74% of the reviews on Amazon.co.uk give this product a positive rating.

Nov, 2024

Expert review by : Molly McHugh (digitaltrends.com)

Pentax Optio S1 Review

The Pentax Optio S1 gets points for style, size, and convenience. And when paired with its adequate performance, it's a respectable choice.

People need inexpensive and adequate digital cameras, and Pentax produced the Optio S1 to meet that need. There’s nothing revolutionary or mind blowing about its technology, but it is easy to use and takes decent to above-average photos, if you’re...

Oct, 2011

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Expert review by : Joshua Goldman (cnet.com)

Pentax Optio W90 review

There are a lot of rugged point-and-shoot digital camera options this year, but while most manufacturers are new to the market, Pentax is on its 11th generation with the Optio W90. The 12-megapixel camera is waterproof down to 20 feet, shockproof to 4...

Outstanding design; excellent feature set and shooting options for its class.

Short battery life; no optical or mechanical image stabilization.

The well-designed Pentax Optio W90 offers up very good photos and performance at a reasonable price for a rugged pocket camera.

Oct, 2010

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Expert review by : Michael Palmer (steves-digicams.com)

Pentax K-S1

Ricoh Imaging has announced the PENTAX K-S1, a mid-level DSLR for customers "accustomed to a mobile interface" and built upon the solid footing set down by the more advanced K-3. There's a "newly designed" 20-megapixel image sensor capable of a...

Aug, 2014

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Expert review by : William Chambers (steves-digicams.com)

Pentax Optio S1 Review

The Optio S1 is a "cute" little camera, that offers some pretty standard features for a 14-megapixel camera; all of which are stuffed in a petite and stylish shell. However, we feel you'd be better off looking at other Optio models for the price; like...

Lightweight, and compact in size ; Fashionable/pleasing to the eye ; Smooth and won't snag on your pocket ; Easy to understand button layout, and a lot of easy to understand cartoon menu icons for preprogrammed exposure settings ; Short descriptions of...

Weak Flash can cause some headaches indoors ; Sometimes produced strong exposures with blown out highlights ; Zoom has less steps, making precise framing difficult ; Default setting of backlight time-out is too short ; Poor battery life ; Battery...

Jun, 2011

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Expert review by : Gavin Stoker (photographyblog.com)

Pentax Optio S1 Review

The Pentax Optio S1 is a stylish new compact digital camera sporting a wide-angle 5x zoom lens. Offering a versatile focal range of 28-140mm, the Pentax S1 also features a 14 megapixel sensor, 2.7 inch LCD screen, 720p HD movie recording, 5cm macro...

We liked Pentax's low cost snappers of last year in the RS1000 (superceded by the RS1500) and i-10, which like the S1 majored heavily on funky design but for us delivered a more consistent imaging performance than the S1, which is slightly more...

Jun, 2011

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Expert review by : Christopher Snow (reviewed.com)

Pentax Optio S1

The gorgeous chrome exterior stands out, but the test results do anything but

Doesn’t look as cheap as it is

Poor resolution; Disappointing color; Cheap lens and battery

The Pentax Optio S1 has a brilliant exterior that caught the eye of our entire imaging team. Yet in the same way that a middle-aged, underemployed man might go out and buy a sports car to overcompensate for his insecurities, Pentax–it seems, is also...

Jul, 2011

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Expert review by : Digital Camera Review (digitalcamerareview.com)

Pentax Optio S1 Review

The Pentax Optio S1 is a very stylish camera with the features you would expect at its price point - with the exception of a panorama mode - plus it has a remote control receiver, a feature few Point and Shoot cameras have. The camera is solidly built...

Attractive, reflective aluminum body, Solid build quality, Produces strong but realistic colors, Numerous interesting filters

Overexposure in still images and videos, No optical zoom during video recording, Image sharpness drops off at the corners, Image quality declines above 400 ISO

Jun, 2011

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Expert review by (goodhousekeeping.com)

Pentax Optio S1 Digital Camera

The Pentax Optio S1 combines excellent photo quality and macro focusing for close-up shots with a simple control layout and an especially ergonomic design. Our consumer testers rated it easy to use overall, and the compact, lightweight form factor also...

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Expert review by : Gavin Stoker (pocket-lint.com)

Pentax Optio S1

Looking for an inexpensive bauble with which to turn heads every time you take a snap? Photography stalwart Pentax is better known for practicality than trend setting, yet recent(ish) pocket snapshots including the Optio I-10 and RS1000 have bucked...

Attractively mirrored chrome-finished aluminium alloy body, solid feel build, inexpensive, relatively easy to use, a couple of fun effects filters

Images overall are ropey, optical zoom inaccessible when recording video

There’s not much to the Pentax Optio S1; it’s your average, easy to use “auto everything” £100 pocket snapper disguised as the chrome domed Silver Surfer. Ironically, this flash exterior led us to unwisely hope for a much better performance when it...

Jun, 2011

Partner Source

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Expert review by (photographymonthly.com)

The Pentax K-S1

If you're looking for high-end specs the PENTAX K-S1 really does have it all. From the PENTAX-developed AA (anti-aliasing) filter simulator (first introduced on the PENTAX K-3); and an optical viewfinder offering 100% field of view; to an built-in...

Aug, 2014

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