Viewfinder (0.0)
The Optio S55 does not include an optical viewfinder, relying solely on its 2.5-inch LCD display for composing and reviewing images.
LCD Screen (7.0)
A primary marketing point of the Optio S55 is its 2.5-inch, 115,000-pixel LCD screen. The 2.5-inch size is generous, but 115,000 is just not enough resolution to perceive subtleties in the scene or accurately display recorded images. A higher pixel count would make it easier to focus the camera and evaluate pictures after they’re taken. The menus would be more attractive, too. The Sony DSC-T1 has a 211,000-pixel LCD. Shoppers would be wise to compare the displays, and consider whether the better display is worth an extra $50 or so (although bear in mind, the T1 has been succeeded by nearly identical Cyber-shot models multiple times, so the current price is a result of numerous reductions, while the Optio S55 is still relatively new to the market). Furthermore, users should be warned that a barrage of moving colors will encircle the oversized screen when directed near a bright light source. When testing the camera, alternating green and red vibrations danced around the LCD’s border, and while this was mildly amusing, it became a bit of a distraction.
Flash (7.5)
The camera manual says that the Optio S55’s flash will light scenes up to 4.9 meters (16 feet) away when the lens is set to wide angle, or 2.8 meters (9 feet) at telephoto. This is an impressive range for such a small flash unit. The flash itself is tiny when compared to other compact cameras, which makes the light harsh, accentuating wrinkles and blemishes on skin. It’s also not directly above the lens, which means that it will cast ugly shadows behind and to the right of the subject. (If the flash were directly above the lens, the shadows would fall entirely behind the subject, and not be visible in pictures.)
There are multiple flash settings included that can be manually altered by the user. The user can turn the flash off, let the camera decide when to use the flash (auto), set the flash to go off for every picture, set it to go off with a red-eye reduction pre-flash, or let the camera decide when to flash, but turn on red-eye reduction when it does go off.
Oddly, the S55’s flash always fires twice, even when it’s not in red-eye mode. The manual doesn’t explain why, but presumably the first flash helps the camera determine the proper exposure.
Zoom Lens (6.5)
Pentax applied a 3x optical zoom lens to the Optio S55, which is equivalent to a 35.6 to 107mm zoom in 35mm format. An additional 2.6x digital zoom is included, but obviously not recommended for usage as it will significantly decrease image quality. The lens is formed of 6 elements in 5 groups, 2 of which are aspherical, and it contains an f/2.6-f/7.7 aperture range.
In practical terms, the lens offers a slight wide angle view, for taking group pictures or landscapes, all the way through a mild telephoto, which is good for taking portraits. Though the zoom range can cover many picture-taking chores, it is limited.
At the wide angle end, it’s not really wide enough for common interior shots – an extended family around the dinner table, for instance. At the telephoto end, it’s fine for portraits, but not for sports or wildlife.
