Pentax Optio SVi Review

The Pentax Optio SVi is a five megapixel digital camera. It offers something different to the majority of compact digital cameras with a longer than standard zoom lens (5x) and manual controls. If you prefer it can also be used as a straightforward point and shoot camera. Therefore the Optio SVi is likely to appeal to someone who is looking for a standard digital camera that has that bit extra. This type of camera often appeals to families where part of the group is looking for ease of use, while others would like to have access to more advanced features.

In terms of image quality the Optio SVi produced a set of images that are fairly typical of any middle of the road digital camera. It struggles indoors, but produces a set of photos outdoors that are perfectly acceptable.

There are two areas in particular where I thought this camera performed above expectations. This was in the test for colours and the macro shot. The colour test showed up very strong and deep colours. This should bode well for all types of photography and you can expect to take some excellent landscape type shots with the camera. The macro shot was as good as any I have produced and is very bright and clear.

The outdoor test shots produced good results. Not surprisingly the colours were good and the resolution of each shot was also above average with only the darkest areas showing a loss of detail. The outdoor portrait came out well too. There is nothing exceptional about the shot, but it illustrates the fact that there should be no problems taking every day portrait style photos.

Indoors is where the Optio SVi found it tough. My test shots indoors are where many cameras fall down and the biggest problem here was with focusing. The camera struggled to produce a sharp image when the light was low.

All in all I would describe the test pictures as a standard set of shots.

Shutter lag is the time it takes to capture and record a picture. With digital cameras there can be a delay between clicking the shutter button and the photo being captured. This can lead to missing the picture you wanted to take. Shutter lag is a major problem if you are taking shots of moving subjects such as animals, sports scenes and children.

The Optio SVi managed to take a single shot in 1.65 seconds. This is painfully slow. The camera was also slow when it came to being ready to take the next shot. It took 19.98 seconds to take five consecutive shots. This works out at a rate of one photo almost every four seconds. This is one of the slowest cameras I have tested. This is an area where there has been a noticeable improvement in other cameras and it is a shame to see this camera is unable to keep up with the competition.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

The 5x optical zoom lens is the equivalent of a 36mm to 180mm lens in 35mm format. There is also a four times digital lens feature. In super macro mode the camera can focus from 3cms away from the object.

The built in flash unit has a range of up to 4.2m when the zoom lens is not is use. This decreases to 2.5m when the zoom is fully extended. You can set the flash to fire automatically or set it to always fire or never fire. A red eye reduction setting is also available.

To help get you started there are 12 preset scene modes. These support the automatic mode and help the camera to take the best possible shot in differing photographic conditions. All you need to do is select the most appropriate scene. The scene modes available are: Landscape, Portrait, Self Portrait, Sport, Flower, Surf & Snow, Autumn Colours, Sunset, Museum, Food, Panorama Assist and 3D Image.

To add different effects to your photos there are a number of filters available to try. These are Black & White, Sepia, Colour (21 steps), B&W+Red, B&W+Green, B&W+Blue, Illustration, Slim and Soft. You can also adjust the sharpness, contrast and saturation levels.

For composing and reviewing images there is a 1.8" LCD screen. This is also used for accessing the menu system. A wide range of useful information can be displayed including battery level and memory card level warnings. To help you take colour balanced images a histogram can be displayed on the screen as well.

When you would like to appear in a shot there is a self timer that can be set to either a two or ten second delay. You can also purchase separately a remote control unit. Short voice memos can be added to each image.

Short movies can be produced. The duration is only limited by the capacity of the memory card and battery. The maximum resolution is 320x240 and there is a top speed of 30 frames per second. One smart feature is that you can zoom in while you are shooting a movie. This feature is not widely available on other cameras.

Among the more advanced controls there is fully manual exposure. This allows you to set the shutter speed and aperture. Shutter and aperture priority are available too. Shutter speeds can be set in the range 1/2000 to four seconds. Aperture values range from f2.8 to f8. You can select from three different types of metering (TTL Multi segment, centre-weighted or spot). The focusing options are five point auto focus, spot auto focusing and manual focusing. Sensitivity can be set at 50, 100, 200 or 400. Exposure compensation is available as well (+/- 2 EV in 1/3 EV steps).

Auto bracketing, continuous shooting and interval shooting complete an impressive list of features.

Pentax supplies all the necessary cables and software to connect the Optio SVi to a computer, television set and a PictBridge compatible printer.

Despite the number of features it has the Optio SVi remains a camera that is easy enough to find your way around. Any camera with manual exposure controls with take extra time to get used to, but that extra time spent getting to know the camera will pay dividends over time. Having said that you can be up and running more or less immediately if you use the camera in automatic mode.

You can pick up a Pentax Optio SVi for around £205. This compares to around £200 for a Canon Powershot A95, £210 for a Olympus C-55 and £190 for a Fuji Finepix E550. Out of these models the camera that is closest to the Optio SVi in terms of specification is the Olympus C-55.

I like the design and style of this camera. It has a aluminium body and is a typical rectangular shape with a silver finish. There is a small grip on the front to steady the camera when you are taking a shot. It weighs in at 150g and has dimensions of 91.5 x 56 x 28mm. That makes it only slightly larger than an ultra compact camera.

A rechargeable lithium ion battery is used to power the camera. Pentax supplies both a battery and a charger with the Optio SVi.

Images are stored on Secure Digital (SD) cards. A 16mb card was supplied with the camera. I was able to take 12 images before the card became full. As you can see it is a good idea to buy a high capacity card to go with the camera. Click here to save money on SD cards.

Design and build quality
Good range of features
Zoom works in movie mode

Shutter lag
Indoor photos

The Pentax Optio SVi scores highly in many areas. It has a very good set of features for the price and the fact that the features are packed into an attractive compact body is a major plus point. The extra length of the zoom lens will prove attractive to many people. If you are looking for a camera to use primarily outdoors then this camera is well worth a closer look. If you are planning to take photos of active children, sports or animals you will find the shutter lag times a major drawback.

Pentax Optio SVi Front View

Pentax Optio SVI Back View

Pentax Optio SVI Top View

Sample Menus

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Pentax Optio SVi