Pentax Optio 550

The 550 is an attractive, 5megapixel, compact camera. It's not the most lightweight affair, but as a result feels sturdy and comfortable.

It comes with a 5x optical zoom which, along with the megapixel rating, sets it apart from the similarly sized and priced Olympus C-50 Zoom that only offers 3x.

The 550 offers plenty of resolution options ranging from 2,592 x 1,944 down to VGA. On its highest settings, the pictures are crisp and clear.

Colours were surprisingly well graded, though on the whole it's not quite on a par with other 5megapixel models, and the movie mode seemed a little jerky.

It's comfortable to hold, though it could do with an indent for your thumb on the right-hand side. The control dial at the top is well laid out and the nine picture options can produce some interesting effects.

It also includes a panoramic mode so you can stitch shots together.

Under manual control, there are eight white balance settings and ISO speeds up to 400. Aperture ranges from f2.8 to f4.6 at full zoom. The digital filter allows you to add sepia or black and white effects.

The movie mode can take up to 10 minutes of footage, though this is obviously dependent on memory card size.

We were therefore very disappointed with the 16MB SD memory card supplied with the camera, particularly as the 550 can produce very high resolution images.

All modes can record wav format sounds, allowing voice labels for images as well as for movies. The 1.5in LCD is clear and bright, but slightly slow to refresh.

The Optio 550 is incredibly well featured for a compact camera, but it is fairly expensive - be sure you need its high resolution and features before shelling out.

Contact: Pentax 01753 792 762
www.pentax.co.uk

Specifications:

• 5megapixel resolution
• 5x optical zoom
• 4x digital zoom
• 37.5
• 187.5mm focal length (35mm equivalent)
• Automatic, on, off and red-eye flash modes
• 1.5in LCD
• 16MB SD card
• 250g
• 100 x 40 x 59 mm (w x d x h)