Pentax Optio 5si
When backpacking, I take this tiny digital camera with me for snap shots.
It’s a compromise for me. I’d rather be getting excellent shots with a digital SLR but a) it’s hard to justify the weight and b) I find when I’m backpacking I don’t want to be faffing around with all the setup needed to get those killer shots.
I went with the Optio as is only weighs 4.2 oz. and has a lot of features. It’s a 5 megapixel camera, so has decent resolution and with a 512 mb SD card, I can take about 140 shots. Even with all the opening and closing of the lens, I have never drained a fully charged battery on a single trip.
You can’t buy this camera anymore - it’s a old model, I think the Pentax Optio 750z has replaced it (an 8 megapixel version), but the weight has gone up.
If you’re in the market for a new ultralight camera, I’m sure there are better options at this point in time. Anyone care to suggest?
Read the digital photography review on the Pentax Optio S5i.
One Response to “Pentax Optio 5si”
June 17th, 2007 at 6:55 pm
I have this camera and actually bought it over the current model due to the fact it has a view finder. View finders have pretty much been eliminated on small cameras. Advantage of a view finder: saves the juice, you don’t have to energize the screen to take pictures!Great camera crammed full of features. Use the voice recorder as a journal.