Reviews for Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: * Multitude of manual control options * Sturdy aluminum alloy body * Excellent zoom optics * Long battery life * Battery charger is included with the camera * Relatively compact size

Weakness: * Built-in flash has relatively small effective range * Not the best camera to use in low-light conditions (zoom may fail to focus altogether) * Red eye effect is common for in-room images

If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive high-quality digital camera that would allow you a lot of manual control over your pictures, look no further, for this is the camera you need! On the other hand, if most of the time you would rather rely on the default "auto" settings to produce the best possible image; this digital camera may not be your best choice.

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: Easy to use. Intuitive menus/displays.

Weakness: Lens cover mechanism could get damaged.

I bought this camera three days prior to taking a two week trip to Spain. I was worried about getting good photos from this camera so I took my Olympus 35mm camera and film with me as a backup. I never used the backup camera.

This camera is surprisingly easy to use. I found the configuration menus easy to read & understand. I played around with the exposure settings, letting the camera choose and selecting my own. I was able to get some very good pictures inside churches with minimal lighting and in places where flash pictures was not allowed. The only suggestion I would make is that a tripod should be used in low light conditions. I couldn't stand still enough to get consistently sharp photos under low light conditions.

I had read reviews about the shutter delay. It is a little slow. Don't buy this camera if you're mainly going to be shooting action photos of sports.

My biggest concern is the mechanism which protects the lens. It's open to the world and there's no way to protect it. You've got to be very careful carrying the camera around and protect the front. Pentax went for a flat front design which looks great but in the long term I think I will have to send my camera in for repairs for a stuck lens cover.

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: Menu system layout, 5X optical zoom combined to 20X zoom, Repetitive shots w/advance timer,3D mode,Multiple Exposure mode,panorama 360 degree or straight,memo,10min.movie,5MP, auto white balance,MORE

Weakness: Have not found any so far.

I've had other digital cameras and this has more options than all combined. Also, in Auto mode you can still configure most everything, shutter speed, quality, type of image, filters,flash choices and more..while many other cameras don't allow that in auto mode. Can combine zooms to get a great 20X. Has macro and super macro modes. Pictures at night come out great without using flash.
You can even set up in advance for repetitive photos to be taken, choosing start time, how many shots, duration, etc. Another neat feature is the ability to film with delays between frames (normally 15 frames per sec!) so that when you play it back it appears as though it is in fast forward. Price is also great with a current rebate plus lots of extras (depending where you shop), delay between shots only 2 secs. Can do continuous mode shooting until memory stick full. Can go back and add memos to each photo.There is even an alarm.Can time/date stamp photos. Sound quality is great. Everything is totally configurable with a special memory area to save your personal configurations. Camera is laid out very well and easy to hold, unlike others with two main menu buttons you have to mess with to get to everything. Intuitive, easy to use for beginners and features enough for the advanced digital camera user. Better than the two 6.3 MP cameras I also tested before buying.

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: Small compact, very easy to use. Battery life excellant. This small camera took very good pictures even in most outside low light conditions. Starts up quick, about 3-4 seconds.

Weakness: Average quality of the movie mode. Although the sound during the movie mode was very good. If you can keep the camera still in low light pictures, they were great.

I would recommend this camera to anyone who wants a small camera with very good to excellant pictures. Daylight pictures will be awesome. Battery life is excellant. I used 256 Meg cards and never used them up.

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: 5X optical zoom, macro, super-macro, 3-D+viewer, panorama, movie, audio-only, and user-programmable modes; super battery life between charges; compact; intuitive & easy to use menus

Weakness: None that I have found

This camera was a no-brainer purchase for me. I wanted a 4- or 5-megapixel camera for under $400 that had above-average optical zoom (at least 4X), and "killer" macro capability... by which I mean the ability to get as close as 4 cm. (The Optio 555's super-macro mode will focus down to 2 cm, and it has 5X optical zoom!) I wanted a metal (not plastic!) camera body, and lots of adjustability, but the zoom & macro specs were the most important to me. The Optio 555 meets all those specs... and exceeds them.

On top of that, it has white balance adjustment, manual focus, shutter or aperture priority, user-programmable mode, powerful digital filters, QuickTime movie mode with sound, stand-alone audio recording with a built-in mike, remote control capability, 3-D imaging with a supplied 3-D viewer, panorama mode... sheesh, I can't list all the stuff this camera can do. Go check Pentax's web site for the detailed specs, or do a Google search for some professional reviews if you want more specific info.

The Optio 555's controls are well-positioned, and the menus are very easy to use -- especially for a camera with so many advanced features. The selectable audio effects are a nice touch. The bright LCD display is easy to read, and can be customized to include more or less information as needed.

You can start the camera in playback mode if all you want to do is view the pictures you've recorded, without having to power up the entire camera. That protects the lens and disables the controls, which is a good thing to do if you just want to pass the camera around to anyone else who wants to view the photos, and you don't have to worry about people messing with the controls or banging up the lens.

At first I was a bit irritated that the instructions recommended using the optional AC adapter while transferring photos to my computer. The reason they give is that you can corrupt the photo files or even lose them if the camera loses power during a transfer. My initial reaction to that was, "If the AC adapter is so doggone important to use, they ought to include it as a supplied accessory, rather than making it an extra that you have to buy."

But the Optio 555 comes with an AWESOME lithium-ion battery that provides about 3.5 hours of continuous use before it has to be recharged. It took me less than 30 seconds to download all the photos to my computer. The tri-color, 4-step battery indicator gives you plenty of warning about the charge left on the battery. The only way you'd get caught running out of battery charge during a transfer would be if you completely ignored the meter.

If you use a Mac running OS X Panther, you don't even need to install the nifty Pentax software. Per the instructions, I plugged the powered-down camera into a USB port with the supplied cable, and as soon as I turned the camera on, OS X automatically opened Image Capture and asked me what I wanted to do. It was completely intuitive. Image Capture automatically recognized the Optio 555, and called it by name. And since the camera is capable of recording movies, still photos, and digital audio, it even automatically selected the "Download to Movies, Pictures, and Music Folders" option.

I have to give Pentax a ton of credit for making a camera that works so well with OS X Panther. This is my very first digital camera, and I sort of expected that it would be easy with a Mac, but I didn't know HOW easy it would be. The bottom line is that ANYBODY with a modern operating system could download their photos, even if they didn't know anything about either computers or digital cameras -- that's how easy it is with the Optio 555. (I DO use Windows, but I find myself using the Mac for almost everything now, so I haven't tried using the camera with a Windows machine. Still, I suspect that Windows implementation for the Optio 555 is just as good as the Mac implementation. The Windows instructions look pretty straightforward.)

I have a couple of trivial gripes, and I've had to be really picky even to come up with these:
• I'd have liked some kind of protective case to be supplied with the camera ... even a cheap little vinyl job (but I like the carrying strap!);
• The 16MB multimedia card is a bit skimpy. You need at least a 32MB card to store uncompressed TIFF images, so I could argue that the card that comes with the camera should be at least 32MB. But it honestly doesn't bug me at all; the camera is so loaded with terrific features at such an incredibly low price, I really have nothing to complain about. (I paid under $400 at PriceGrabber.com affiliate BuyDig.com, with $50 rebate, including shipping.)

For the money, I don't think any other camera on the market even comes close to providing as much value.

©2004 - Pete Giansante (subject to PriceGrabber.com user agreement)

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: Battery Life, Excellent Pictures, Software Package, and User Friendly, Best bang for your buck!

Weakness: No AC adapter included.

I have been very happy with the Pentax Optio 555. The quality of the pictures has been great and using the camera has been easy. The battery life is awesome, lasting 3 or 4 days or more of constant use. The software package includes all of the necessary digital photo tools and organizers. Very simple to use right out of the box with very good documentation. I was a little disappointed that there was no AC adapter included, but did not keep me from giving this camera a high rating. I shopped 5 Megapixel cameras diligently when making my purchase and without a doubt would recommend this as the best price to value available.

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: 5X zoom, Picture resolution good, relatively easy to use.

Weakness: Red eye correction is not adequate. Instruction booklet is not always clear. The operating manual is also very complacated for a beginner. The lack of a dependable warranty is the major drawback.

MY RATING IS TWO (2) STARS

My negative rating is primarally related to the issue of the veracity of Pentax and their caprecious use of their warranty. A warranty is only as good as the integrity of the company which issues it. Don't trust Pentax. Specifically my camera lens would not close after I had used it. I sent it in for repair and they would not honor the warranty. Others have reported this problem I don't know what their experience was but Pentax said I had damaged it. How they came to that decision I have no idea. All of the communication was through a local repair service and I was given no opportunity to address the issue personally. I had to either pay them a $215 repair fee or lose the total cost of the camera.

Pentax buyers beware. Once you have bought the product Pentax will support it as it humors them.

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: 5 megapixel image sensor. 5 times zoom lense. Very compact metal body. Many different modes from fully automatic, to fully manual. Beautiful pictures.

Weakness: Plastic doors over memory card/battery compartment, and USB/Video out port seem slightly flimsy.

This great little camera was added to my collection just before christmas 2003. My wife was about to give birth to our second child, and I really wanted a small, take anywhere digital camera to capture lots of family pictures.

Before I settled on Pentax Optio 555, I had done quite a lot of research online, and in local camera shops. I had considered buying other very small or 'ultra compact' digital cameras, like the Pentax Optio S4, the Canon Powershot S400, and the Casio Exilim EX-Z4U. However, they all couldn't match up to the Optio 555.

I have been more than pleased with this camera. It is just a little bigger than other 'ultra compact' digital cameras(primarily in thickness). However, the Optio 555 more than makes up for that. The extra bit of zoom, over the usual 3 times zoom lenses in simular cameras is really handy.

The 5 megapixel imager is almost overkill. In normal everyday use, I set the camera at around 3 megapixels. This is mainly because of the vast amount of pictures I take. For more important shots, I switch over to 'User Mode' which I keep programed at 5 megapixels. Again, this is something that most of the other cameras I considered could not do.

If you are looking for an extremely compact, very high quality, digital camera, that has the features of much larger cameras, then you can't go wrong with the Pentax Optio 555.

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: Compact size, 5x optical zoom, long battery life, adaquate photo software.

Weakness: Though its current startup time is not that bad, I want faster startup time. Picture sharpness is average.

This is my second digital camera.

I previously owned Sony S70(3MP) which I bought 3 years ago.
Compared to my previous camera, optio 555 has much smaller body and lesser shutter lag.
I also appreciate its 5x optical zoom capability.
I recommend to turn off digital zoom which I believe useless.
The battery life is excellent.
I took 100+ pictures (maximum 5MP resolution), all with flash.
The battery meter is still full after 100+ pictures, two downloads.
I believe the manual's battery life (400 picture w/ 200 flashed pictures).
The included photo software is also pretty good.
It is not comparable to Adobe photoshop, but I think it is good enough for average photographers like myself.

It's very easy to carry thanks to its diminishing size.
It's hard to believe that it has a 5x optical zoom!

Highly recommend to anyone who wants small & easy point-and-shoot camera.

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: Well built, easy to use, excellent picture quality, good battery life, compact point-and-shoot camera

Weakness: It's not a digital SLR

We did a lot of research into compact point-and-shoot cameras. Our criteria were small, easy to use, high quality, fast, and flexible. The Pentax Optio 555 fills all of these needs. After two weeks, I can find no faults except thoses shared by all compact cameras, they are not as fast as the expensive digital SLRs.

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: Rich with features, great shutter control, ability to save to TIFF for better quality photos, and good value

Weakness: Needs aesthetic improvements to look more sleek, More pricey than other 5mp digicam

With the richness of features of the Optio 555, it enables you to explore different possibilities and expand your creativity in photography. The features are endless, and it makes you feel that you paid for such good value. Taking pictures have never felt as exciting now than ever before.

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: Battery life, camera size, menu options are fairly straightforward, included software is fairly easy to use and pictures can be transferred easily. Camera powers on quickly.

Weakness: shutter speed is still a touch slow, no included AC adapter.

Really like the feature where pictures can be viewed without opening the lens. One thing to keep in mind is that not all SD cards appear to be compatible with this camera. We originally bought a Sandisk Ultra II SD card that took pictures fine, but then had errors when playing them back. The included 16 MB card is a Panasonic, so we bought a Panasonic 256 MB SD card, and have experienced no further problems. All in all, although it is still early, this appears to be a great little camera for beginner to average users (which we are).

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: super macro feature is incredibly sharp and accurate, permitting the user to capture the finest details of flowers

Weakness: lens cover got stuck on second time I used the camera - I am a very cautious person

We had researched this camera carefully before buying it. It has been very disappointing to have a serious problem right away. I am sixty years old, and so did not grow up in the computer age. I feel very disappointed that I ran into difficulty although I was willing to try the technology after studying the manual. If I were going on a trip I would take one of my other cameras as well as the Pentax because I would be afraid of further malfunctions.

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: 5.0MP /5X optic WEIGHT SIZE

Weakness: I had bought this camera ,cherged the battary ,made 10 shoots and camera BROKE

Optio 555 BRAND NEW DOES NOT OPEN THE LENSES AFTER 3 h /battery charge and 10 SHOOTS WAS MADE. I spent 3 days to find proper camera for me after my old Sony dsc50 2.1mp/3opt x4dig. was stolen . I have had 3 cameras to choose from Olympus c 750uz, Olympus c 5060 wide zoom, which was selected as BEST BUY by PC WORLD.com and Pentax O550. Both Olympus were too bulky and I decided that I dont need 10X. Decision was made Pentax. I found a ton of review that says this camera one of the best on the market today. Yes its no any other camera on the market with same dimensions and weight. Combination of 5 mg pix and5 opt zoom is excellent. PCWORLD. Com rated camera as # 9 in top 100. www.pcworld.com/review...

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: The 5x Zoom is terrific and in such an easily portable and lightweight, but solid, camera!

Weakness: Proprietary batteries are a pain, but battery life is strong.

If you are looking for a pocketable camera with strong zoom and pretty easy to use menus you've found it. The Optio 555 takes nice pictures with a minimum of "noise" and, in spite of what the professional reviewers have said, does so even in what I would call low light. I haven't played around with it enough, yet, to give it a 5 star rating, but may revise this in the near future to do so.

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Pentax Optio 555 Compact Camera

Strengths: 5MP, 5x optical zoom, small size, easy to use

Weakness: Somewhat slow (as many digital cameras), nothing else really.

This is a great little camera. I read most of the available reviews and user comments before purchasing. I'm not disapointed! My main criteria were: picture quality, size, 5PM, strong optical zoom, price. This camera is the best one one the market, in my opinion, to satisfy these criteria. I also considered the Canon S50, whose picture quality might be marginally better, however, it only has a 3x optical zoom.

It looks like the other reviewers here give it a 4 star mainly because they haven't used it long enough to feel that they're entitled to a give better rating. I think as a result the overall rating is too low. 5 stars from me.

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Polaroid PDC 5355

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The Pentax 555 offers an unusually rich set of features in a compact package, with an excellent 5x optical zoom lens, 5 megapixels of resolution, good color and image quality, and good battery life. It's a great camera for families with both novices and enthusiasts who need to share the same camera, as it offers fully automatic or fully manual exposure control, as well as everything in between....

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