Home > Consumer Reviews > Pentax Optio S4i Digital Camera [4mp 3x Optical]

My friends describe me as picky. In fact this is my third attempt at a pocket sized digital camera.
After hours and hours of research I settled on the Optio S4 having completely ruled out the Cannon Ixuses as either too big or no optical zoom. Bought the Optio S4 and took it skiing.
However my head was turned when I saw my sister in law's Casio Exilim Z4 and the relative shortcomings of the Optio S4 - small screen, impractical battery charger, complicated menu, flimsy battery cover mechansim - started to grate.
When I got back I swapped it for the Casio....but disaster, the prints from the Casio were awful and when I compared them to those of the Pentax I was distraught.
Lucky person that I am, when I took the Exilim back the Optio S4i had been released. Swapped it again and haven't looked back. Pentax have fixed all the irks - large screen(with more clarity than the Casio), batttery charger which takes the camera OR the battery, easy to use menu(very useful Quick button), sturdy battery cover and can record more than 1 minute of video clip.
Most importantly of all the prints are beautiful and I've still got the smallest camera on the market.

The S4i is a beautiful little camera. The photos on this page don't do justice to how small it is, but it will comfortably hide behind a credit card, and is thinner than your mobile. After a while, you get in the habit of bringing it everywhere. (It's also noticeably smaller than the competition. The only camera comparable in size is the Canon Ixus i.)

Amazingly, picture quality hasn't been compromised. The 4 mega pixel sensor produces very good quality images, and the 3x optical zoom is very responsive. (For quality pictures, so-called digital zoom should generally be ignored.)

The on-screen menus are intuitive and easy to use.

It also takes movies with sound. Movie length: up to the capacity of your memory card. The picture quality on movies isn't great (320x200 at 16 frames per second) but more than enough to capture moments when you don't have a camcorder with you.

Downsides? The camera is well built with a metal case, but due to its size it's not going to stand up to bumps as well as a larger camera. A carrying case is essential, particularly as the large LCD screen is prone to scratching. The camera may well be too small for some: in particular, it can be hard to keep it steady when taking shots without the extra bulk to reduce vibration. Either use both hands to steady the camera, or bring along a mini-tripod. Finally, the optical viewfinder is so small as to be quite awkward to use. It can come in handy for composing shots in extremely bright sunlight, when you may have difficulty seeing the screen: otherwise, I tend to compose shots on screen.

All in all, a beautiful piece of optical engineering, almost unbelievably small, taking very good pictures. Strongly recommended.

First of all I've to say WOW! This really is a brilliant compact camera and should be your choice if you you're after something small enough to take with you anywhere and take good pictures. I decided against the Canon ixus i and Casio Exilim z4 because the Canon doesn’t have an optical zoom only digital which can be done using your PC anyway and the Casio because I've heard some bad reviews on it's picture quality and functionality.

The Optio s4i is certainly no disappointment by any means having had good reviews since the s3 was out. The Optio s4i has simply evolved from something great and become the best! It boasts a 1.8-inch TFT LCD (offers a 100% field of view), 4.0 effective megapixels, 3x optical zoom and a movie mode that allows you to record up to the memory capacity available.

There're 21 shooting modes you can choose from and also a green mode that takes excellent pictures without you having to adjust the settings manually because it’s done automatically and it works very well indeed. The flash on the camera is very powerful and you can take some very good pictures even in low light conditions - certainly surprised me!

The build of the camera is very sturdy and not cheap at all made of aluminium alloy. Battery life is very good, but if you're going to be out for a long time I would recommend a second battery otherwise you'd be fine. The only bad thing about this camera, well not even the camera itself, but the hand strap can scratch the camera so get a case or not use the strap. After all, the s4i has been improved with a grip, which works well because it has not slipped out of my hand even in the most drunken moments - definitely a thumbs up.

Don't be put off with the non existent memory card because once you start using the camera you would've forget about it completely. The s4i even comes with an optional remote control, which is a very nice touch for an ultra compact camera - it wouldn't surprise if the remote ended up bigger than the camera.

I love this camera and no doubt anyone who buys this will feel the same. Great pictures, great functionality and ultra compact what more can I say.

This is my second Pentax Digital Camera, first being 5 MegaPixel Optio 550. I knew how good that one was, so I ordered Optio 4Si. The improvement on Optio 550 is stunning: it starts up almost instantly, there is no detectable time lag between pressing the button and shutter release, clear and intuitive menu and buttons, excellent build quality and the smallness of it is simply amazing. But I was surprised to find that the shutter and arpeture priority modes were NOT THERE! This seriously downgrades this otherwise potentially a very powerful camera from an advanced amature/pro level to a snapshot one.
But this is what overwhelming majority wants anyway - point and click. For this purpose the camera is ideal.

I had a Pentax Optio s3 for about 18 months which was and is a great camera, recently I succumbed and upgraded to the s4i. The new version has all the features of the s3, better resolution and has fixed all the minor problems with the older camera. Apart from the 4 megapixel resolution the screen is now much larger, the selection buttons bigger and the menu system has been simplified with fewer confusing submenus.
This truly is a pocket camera, you can slip it in a shirt pocket and not notice it, it looks great (gadget freaks always ohh and ahh when they see it), the picture quality is very good and with the number of options available is very versatile. The video and audio recording modes are useful and the battery life is excellent. The only possible negative comment is that the aluminium finish can scratch easily, it is however sturdy, I have dropped mine onto concrete already with no more damage than a couple of little dents.
Go and buy one you won't regret it.