Optio s4, s40, s4i: Whats the best?

[jesseboat]

I have been comparing these three cameras online and reading reviews, and I think I have narrowed it down to just the s4 and s40, but from there I cant decide. Are they basically the same thing except one has a lithium battery and the other uses AA batts? I cannot seem to find many reviews on the s40, but I read a bunch (more than 100) on the s4 with almost 99 percent having a positive rating. The s4 is more expensive, but is the battery the only thing? The size has to be a little different to accomodate for the AA batteries, but is there much of a difference?

I am going to be using this camera at school for just fun fictures at parties, in clubs and at random school events. Give me some feedback if you can.

Thanks,
Jesse

[awkwards]

I have some personal experience with all these cameras, so I hope I can help. I own the S4 myself.

I have been comparing these three cameras online and reading reviews, and I think I have narrowed it down to just the s4 and s40, but from there I cant decide.

In short, I recommend the S4i. It is the same basic camera as the S4, but with some solid improvements, including

• A much larger LCD screen. Very nice.
• A vastly improved 4-way navigation button with now-separate OK button. The S4’s 4-way button is actually a 5-way button when you include the OK button, and it’s so tiny that I sometimes find myself accidentally clicking the wrong things because it’s so small and hard to control. Nothing catastrophic, but it is a bit of a nuisance.
• Reinforced strap ring and wrist strap (instead of long, clumsy neck strap). Sadly, this change makes it so the little camera no longer fits in a closed Altoids tin, so you won’t be able to brag about that.
• A handy charging cradle for the camera, which is an improvement over the original battery charger that comes with the S4.

Are they basically the same thing except one has a lithium battery and the other uses AA batts? I cannot seem to find many reviews on the s40, but I read a bunch (more than 100) on the s4 with almost 99 percent having a positive rating. The s4 is more expensive, but is the battery the only thing? The size has to be a little different to accomodate for the AA batteries, but is there much of a difference?

The S40 has some significant differences, and I do not recommend it. A friend of mine bought the S40, thinking it was the same as my S4, and found the following:

• It’s significantly bigger to accommodate the standard batteries. This eliminates the most important advantage of the S4 and S4i – their tiny size.
• Battery life on the AAs was no better (maybe even worse) than the Li-ion battery in my S4.
• Picture quality was poor. This could have been a defect in the camera.

My friend returned the S40.

I am going to be using this camera at school for just fun fictures at parties, in clubs and at random school events. Give me some feedback if you can.

This is the PERFECT use for this camera. Its tiny size means you can take it anywhere without even noticing it’s there in your front pocket. It’s quick to start up and is reasonably quick to shoot. Its photo quality is perfectly suitable for snapshots. Its photo quality is decent, but just remember that if you want to get serious, you need something with more glass (my other camera is a Nikon D70). Here are some things to note:

• The tiny lens on this camera is stretched to or beyond its limit at 4 megapixel resolution. At 4MP, the resolution outstrips this lens’s image capacity, so the high resolution begins to accentuate the lens’s shortcomings, if you ask me. This lens is known for softness in the corners and edges. For this reason, I set the camera at 3MP and am quite satisfied with the results. This also lets me get more pictures onto my SD card.
• Indoor evening shots are best at distances of five feet or closer. This tiny camera has a tiny flash, and it is understandably challenged by distance in darker situations.
• Try the macro/close-up feature. It’s the best I’ve seen on any compact camera.

Here are a couple of my photo albums:
http://www.waldopond.com/easter2004
http://www.waldopond.com/cathy50

Here is my photographyreview.com gallery:
http://gallery.photographyreview.com...&ppuser=235976
The “Portland” and “Tulip” shots are from my S4.

Here’s the deal I got on my S4 from walmart.com (looks like their out of stock).

I also recommend:

• 2-year service plan (Pentax customer service and support is notoriously horrendous)
• Leather case (love it!!!)
• Pentax D-L18 Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery (you can also look for alternative brands on eBay, but they're often not as powerful as this OEM battery)

Best of luck with your purchase, no matter what you decide!

James