Pentax Optio S4i

I purchased this camera after almost two months of researching other ultra-small/4+ megapixel cameras. During this researching period, I noticed how my own opinion changed dramatically when I actually held the camera and tried it out at a store after reading about it online. I highly recommend this; reading about it and actually holding it yourself is very different. You may have to visit several different stores to find them all, but it is well worth it. The Sony DSC-T1 is cool and all, but it was much more expensive and I didn't have the best experience with other Sony products, which made me shy away from it. The Casio Exilim EX-Z40 boasts a bigger screen, but the fact that when you look at the lens, it says 'SMC PENTAX ZOOM LENS' on it obviously says something. When I think about Casio, I think of G-Shock watches, not cameras... Is it just me? Therefore, I decided on the Pentax Optio S4i.

A very big lesson I learned during this purchase were the merchants that basically pull the bait & switch move on consumers. They place themselves at the top of the price list by advertising the lowest price on many of the price comparison sites such as shopper.cnet.com or zdnet.com. But once you order, they require you to call them or they'll call to "confirm" your information. During this call they will ask you whether or not you want to buy a rechargeable battery, because the one that it comes with it is some sort of "demo" battery and is not rechargeable. Therefore, you only get the camera, and none of the accessories that it is supposed to come with. The advertised option is the "so and so package" and not their other "so and so package" where the accessories are included. This happened to me three times with three different merchants. If the price of the camera at a certain site is dramatically lower than the majority of the group, beware!

Back to the Optio S4i. People give you compliments wherever you take it, and you will be able to take this camera everywhere because it is so small. You can take it even underwater if you buy the underwater housing. I went to eBay and bought two extra batteries not because I needed two more, but because the auction was for two. The good news is, if you do the research, you will find batteries which are as good or better than the pentax brand it comes with for around $8 each. Therefore, whenever I'm stepping out of the house, I switch batteries from the camera to the charger and I'm on my way. When buying an extra battery for the Optio S4i, make sure the battery is at least 710mAh and the model number is D-LI8 or NP-40;they are the exact same battery. NP-40 is just what Fuji named this particular battery.

I am extremely satisfied with my decision to purchase this camera. Don't expect the best quality pictures with this camera. I get great pictures most of the time, but then there are times where I wished I had a digital SLR camera. If you want awesome quality pictures, you're not going to find it in an ultra-small camera. I also love the video clips you can take with it, and the fact that you can still zoom in and out to some degree when you're recording.

I've had this camera for about 3 months now, and I don't have any complaints about it, other than the fact that I should have bought a 1gb memory card for it... :) The size, features, the software it came with it is easy to use.

I also bought the Genuine Pentax brand leather case for it, and it is worth the money. The fit is perfect, and it looks very nice; the black leather with the red stitching. The place I found it for the cheapest was on eBay.