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 megapixel sensor. At the time of writing this review
the Optio 550 is the only compact five megapixel digital camera with a
five times optical zoom lens - the Sony DSC-F717 and Nikon Coolpix 5700
aren't classed as compact, the next nearest would be Sony's DSC-V1 with
a four times optical zoom lens. The Optio 550 sports a wide range of manual
controls, flexible settings and a powerful Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery
which puts it up at the prosumer end of the market, a street price of
around US$600 means it's a very attractive proposition for anyone considering
a five megapixel prosumer compact digital camera.
Gear in this story
Gear in this story
Recommended
Fujifilm's X-H2 is a high-resolution stills and video camera, that sits alongside the high-speed X-H2S at the pinnacle of the company's range of X-mount APS-C mirrorless cameras. We dug into what it does and what it means.
Holy Stone produces dozens of low-cost drone models aimed at consumers. We look at the HS710 and HS175D to see if they stack up to other sub-250g offerings. Are these secretly great or more like toys?
It's small, light, cheap and extremely wide but is it any good?
After weeks with a production Fujifilm X-T5, Chris and Jordan have some final thoughts.
The EOS R6 II arrives in one of the most competitive parts of the market, facing off against some very capable competition. We think it rises to the challenge.
Above $2500 cameras tend to become increasingly specialized, making it difficult to select a 'best' option. We case our eye over the options costing more than $2500 but less than $4000, to find the best all-rounder.
There are a lot of photo/video cameras that have found a role as B-cameras on professional film productions or even A-cameras for amateur and independent productions. We've combed through the options and selected our two favorite cameras in this class.
What’s the best camera for around $2000? These capable cameras should be solid and well-built, have both the speed and focus to capture fast action and offer professional-level image quality. In this buying guide we’ve rounded up all the current interchangeable lens cameras costing around $2000 and recommended the best.
Family moments are precious and sometimes you want to capture that time spent with loved ones or friends in better quality than your phone can manage. We've selected a group of cameras that are easy to keep with you, and that can adapt to take photos wherever and whenever something memorable happens.
What's the best camera for shooting sports and action? Fast continuous shooting, reliable autofocus and great battery life are just three of the most important factors. In this buying guide we've rounded-up several great cameras for shooting sports and action, and recommended the best.
Comments