"Picky Details" for the Pentax Optio S4 digital camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)
Timing
I measure both cycle times and shutter delay times, using a test system I designed
and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with
a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers
I collected for the Optio S4:
NOTE: My qualitative characterizations of camera performance below (that
is, "reasonably fast," "about average," etc.) are
meant to be relative to other cameras of similar price and general capabilities.
Thus, the same shutter lag that's "very fast" for a low-end
consumer camera might be characterized as "quite slow" if I
encountered it on a professional model. The comments are also intended
as only a quick reference: If performance specs are critical for you,
rely on the absolute numbers to compare cameras, rather than my purely
qualitative comments.
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(secs) |
|
| Power On -> First shot | |
Time is for lens to
extend fully. |
| Shutdown | |
Lens has to retract. First time is that required for camera to finish writing a large/fine file to the memory card immediately after capturing it, the second time is time just to retract the lens. |
| Play to Record, first shot | |
Time until first shot
is captured. |
| Record to play | |
Time to display a large/fine file after
capture. Second time is for second display after processing has been
completed. |
| Shutter lag, full autofocus | |
First time is for wide angle, second for telephoto. |
| Shutter lag, prefocus | |
Time to capture, after half-pressing
Shutter button. |
| Cycle Time, max/min resolution | |
First numbers are for large/fine files, second number is time for small/basic images. In large/fine mode, the first two shots come about 1.93 seconds apart, then every three seconds if review is off. If the review is turned on, shots come about every 4.6 seconds. |
| Cycle Time, continuous mode, max/min resolution | 0.5/0.8fps |
First pair of numbers is for large/fine, second set for small/basic files. Numbers beneath are corresponding frames per second. The camera has a two-shot buffer for large/fine mode, though it's able to save as it goes in small/basic mode. Large/fine times start at 1.79, then average about 4.69 seconds between shots afterwards. |
Power
The Optio S4 does not have an external power connector, so I could not perform my usual power measurements here. Instead, I measured the runtime for a fully charged battery in its most power-consuming mode, finding a worst-case run time of about 93 minutes. This isn't at all bad for a subcompact model like the S4, but I still strongly recommend that you purchase a second battery along with the camera.
Storage Capacity
The Optio S4 stores its photos on SD/MMC memory cards, and has 11MB of internal
memory. The camera does not come with a memory card, so I strongly recommend buying at least a 64MB capacity card (preferably a 128MB one) to give you plenty of space for the camera's highest resolution setting. The chart below shows how many images can be stored on the 11MB internal memory at each size/quality setting.
| Resolution/Quality 11MB internal memory / 128MB SD Card |
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|
| Full
Resolution 2,304 x 1,728 |
Images (Avg size) |
3
/ 44 2,909 KB |
7
/ 83 1,542 KB |
10
/ 125 1,024 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
4:1 | 8:1 | 9:1 | |
| 1,600 x 1,200 | Images (Avg size) |
1,231 KB |
719 KB |
512 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
|
|
|
|
| |
Images (Avg size) |
564 KB |
307 KB |
235 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
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|
|
|
| |
Images (Avg size) |
256 KB |
164 KB |
123 KB |
| Approx. Compression |
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|
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|
Download Speed
The Optio S4 connects to a host computer via a USB interface. Downloading
files to my Sony VAIO desktop, 2.4 GHz Pentium IV, running Windows XP ("VAIO"),
I clocked it at 625 KBytes/second. This is a pretty fast performance. (Cameras
with slow USB interfaces run as low as 300 KB/s, cameras with fast ones run
as high as 600 KB/s.)
S4 Test Images
S4 Specifications
S4 "Picky Details"
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