The Pentax Optio S4 is supposedly the smallest 4MP digital camera in the word. In the research I did before buying it, that seems to be the correct. The nearest competitors are the Casio Z4/Z40 (close but bigger) and the Canon S400 series (not even close in size).

I've had this Pentax Optio S4 now for 3 months and its been a pleasure to have. Its small, tiny enough to stick in my jeans and not be aware of it. That was my first priority in a camera - I wanted something that would be small enough to go everywhere and take pictures. I've had bigger digital cameras and I found that no matter the quality, the size was the barrier because a camera not small enough to be an "invisible carry", just never got used.

However, there is a tradeoff. I think the pictures of the S4 could be a tad less noisy. Some users have complained about fuzzy edges on the left side or on the edges in general. On my camera, that problem is not present.

Supposedly, this image quality dropoff occurs because the minaturized, retractible lens (required to make the camera so small) can is not as good in optical quality as a full-sized one. Its not a huge problem, but in all honesty there is definitely some tradeoff there. I use it at the highest quality settings, bump up the sharpness up a notch and the pics are not bad.

I don't have a problem with the tradeoff, and I'll gladly take this camera over the Canon S400 or Casio Z40 for example, because their( marginal) improvement in image quality does not outweigh the portability of the S4. But its important to know that the tradeoff is there.

The camera boots up quickly and takes pictures quickly, but there is a bit of lag, maybe 1.5 secs after taking a pic at the highest resolution and quality setting. There is a mode that will allow you to shoot 2-3 pics in quick succession.

Other things about the S4: the menu system is good, about on par with that of the Casio QV-R40, which I used to own. The button placement/layout is not as good as the Casio though. The "shoot" and "on" buttons should have been reversed, but its not a major problem. In addition the buttons on the back are a bit scattered and the 5-way controller could be better in motion. These things are in fact fixed on the newer model (Pentax S4i) - except for the power button.

Battery life is quite good. I take most pictures at 4MP and best quality and I have never run out of battery life while shooting with my 128MB SD card.

The flash is okay-to-poor. It will light up anything up to about 5-6 ft decently, but the background behind that will look dark. This is a common problem in ultra-compact digital camera. The only one I've had without this problem was the Casio QV-R40 which has a great flash up to about 10 ft or so. But the S4 has a problem here, for sure. If you lok at the sample photos on www.pbase.com , you can get a sense of what I mean.

Also of note: this camera requires you to take the battery out and put it in an external charger in order to recharge it. There is an optional AC adapter, but that merely powers the camera, eg when connecting to PC - it doesm't recharge the battery. This issue is also corrected on the newer S4i model.

Some people have complained about the battery cover not being metal and that it is connected by a rubber strap. I personally haven't had any problems. The area is not structurally load-bearing so I don't think it needs metal and the rubber strap is actually durable and helps you not lose the battery cover. I think the battery cover is fine, so don't let anyone mislead you about it! In general the body of this thing is quite solid and durable. It doesn't need to be babied, despite its petite size.

Overall, I highly recommend this camera. The ultra-portability of it simply changes the dimensions on which one thinks about camera usage - and therefore the dimensions on which you can compare the camera with others. In so many situations where you normally would not bring a camera along, you DO with this one, so you get shots that you would never otherwise get. At this point, I bring my S4 along with me almost as automatically as my mobile phone and keys!

The caveat - and this cameras achilles heel - is that the image quality could be better. It captures things okay, but the image is very "digital" looking and corner softness is a big problem among other things. Even a non-camera-pro like me can tell there is a lot to be desired in image overall quality.

But there generally seems to be a size/quality tradeoff with this class of cameras. So if you're not getting a digital SLR, you might as well go for this one and get the portability.

I paid $289 for mine at 17th St Photo (www.17photo.com) in New York. It included a $30 mail-in rebate to take net price down to $259. That was a value price and I can recommend it at that price point or really any price up to about $300.

However, if you can find the updated model (S4i) for within $330 or less, I'd go for that. It seems to fix a lot of the ergonomics that needed correction here. However there do seem to be problems with quality control with that one (a lot more complaints about fuzzy pic and soft left side of image). So if you do get that model, get it somewhere where you can exhange it if need be.

(Update Note, March 2005: These prices above are no longer relevant for comparison with current models).

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 259
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts