Pentax Optio 450 - Expert Reviews

Review summary: This is a great choice for anyone who wants a highly portable digital camera that doesn't sacrifice shooting flexibility or picture quality.

Pros: Very compact for its specifications, comprehensive feature set, high-quality images, long battery life.

Cons: Autofocus speed average at best, continuous-shooting mode only 1fps, no slow-sync flash setting, no RAW mode.

Review summary: Crafted from aluminum alloy with design accents on the lens bases, the Optio 550 and Optio 450 are comfortable to hold and simple to operate. An ultra-compact zoom system allows the lens to fully retract in two stages and helps reduce the size of both ...

Award: Recommended!

Review summary: Pentax announced the aluminium alloy clad Optio 450 and 550 two weeks before PMA 2003. Both cameras share the same feature set, body design and impressive five times optical zoom lens. The Optio 450 has a four megapixel sensor, the 550 a five ...

Pros: Good image quality, average five megapixel resolution, lens has good resolving power, Good color reproduction, Low image noise at ISO 64, increases noticeably from ISO 100 upwards, Five times optical zoom lens gives good 'reach' in a compact body, ...

Cons: Image noise from ISO 100 upwards, Pincushion lens distortion from half-zoom to telephoto, Some purple fringing / chromatic aberrations, Vignetting of image corners from wide to half-zoom, Image parameters don't have enough latitude of adjustment, Slow ...

Verdict: The Optio 550 offers very good value for money.