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
Weaknesses:None that I have found
Posted Jan 17, 2004 - 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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