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Ratings

Category: Electronics
Brand: Pentax
Model: SV
Availability: In Stock
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Product Pentax SV information

Pentax SV Review by Neil Latman (NYC)

I purchased the camera for my girlfriend back in December 2004. I liked the idea that it had 5x zoom and assumed the shutter lag problems of the previous models would be resolved. The shutter lag remained a problem but worse was the battery life and the most disappointing is my experience with customer service. The camera would just die on us after just a few pictures and less than an hour after charging overnight this would cause the lens to stall in a half closed position allowing sand to enter the lens. We sent it for service who said there was sand in the lens but claimed they repaired the problem. When we received the camera back the problem persisted. I tried buying another battery but neither stayed charged and the lens continued to get stuck half closed. We sent it back to Pentax and this time they said sand was causing the problem again (it was never exposed to sand since its return from Pentax). Pentax wanted to charge a couple hundred $ to fix it and when we refused to pay for the repair they returned the camera in pieces. I once again called and complained and am yet to hear back from Pentax. I will never buy another Pentax camera again after being subjected to this customer service.

Pentax SV Review by L. Meyer

This camera takes amazing pictures. It has a ton of functionality, which I have not figued out yet. It will take some time, but it will be worth it.

Pentax SV Review by Gadgester "No Time, No Money" (Mother Earth)

The new Optio SV differentiates itself from other slim-profile digital cameras by offering a whopping 5x optical zoom! This is just amazing achievement on the part of Pentax, being able to outgun all competition in this important area. The SV is comparable in width and height to the popular Canon SD300 and SD400 models, but is about 1/3 thicker. It takes good-quality pictures. Not quite as great as the Canon models or even the Casio EX-Z55/Z57, but still very acceptable both for screen display and for print.

But the SV suffers from two problems that may limit its appeal. Let me first say that these are not "fatal" problems. For *your* needs, you may find the pros of this super-zoom camera more than offset the two problems, so by all means if this fits your needs, go for it. I really, really like the 5x zoom, period.

The two problems are:

1) Shutter lag. All digital cameras have shutter lag (the time between you press the shutter button and when the picture is actually taken), but this one is a bit longer than its competition. It also takes longer time than many competitors (Canon, Casio, Nikon, Sony) to write an exposed image to memory. This results in a shot-to-shot time that was normal two years ago but is considered on the long side this day and age.

2) Battery life. This is where I've got a serious beef, as the rechargeable battery packs enough power for only 80 or so pictures. The Canon SD300, in comparison, can do about 200 pictures per charge and the Casio EX-Z55/57 can do 350 or more. With the Pentax Optio SV, you have to either buy 2 spare batteries or pack the charger with you wherever you go.

If Pentax could improve battery life and shutter lag, this would be the ultracompact digicam of my choice.

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