Pentax IQ Zoom/Espio 115M

Overall Rating
 1 of 5

Value Rating
 2 of 5

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5,
1 votes

Price Paid:  $250.00 from Canada

Summary:
The slow shutter lag alone has almost stopped me using this camera. Sure, it's nice and compact, but you can get much better cameras for the same size and weight. To be honest, this is the worst modern camera I have used. I wouldn't buy one from this range again.

Strengths:
Compact, light weight and robust. Nice lens

Weaknesses:
Extremely slow shutter lag,
poor zoom control,
tiny viewfinder

Similar Products Used:
Pentax ME Super SE
Canon EOS 300
Canon Sure shot 135

Customer Service:
None needed

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Price Paid:  $12.00 from Got this one in a pawn shop too!

Summary:
This is a pocketable camera. Women love it! Guys get one to impress the girls and take great photos!

Strengths:
Nice sharpness. Very compact, pretty-that's word isn't it?

Weaknesses:
Hard to open back-the latch is tiny and I'm a big guy.

Similar Products Used:
Olympus XA, Pentax 105 Super, Ricoh R-1 (the best one so far!)

Customer Service:
Pentax did a lousy job on another Pentax I had. Sent it in twice and it's still not right. No problems with this Pentax however.

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 4 of 5

Price Paid:  $350.00 from Ted's

Summary:
This is a very versatile camera. The photos are consistently good (although they are not as sharp as some other cameras) and well exposed. I suspect many people complaining about getting blur shots at the tele zooms are using ISO 100 or 200 film. To get consistently good results with this camera, you really need to use ISO 400 films. Unless you are sure you are shooting under bright sunlight.

Strengths:
Appearance
Nice size
Versatality

Weaknesses:
Not very sharp

Similar Products Used:
Samsung Slim Zoom

Customer Service:
Not needed

Overall Rating
 2 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Summary:
A camera for people who like snaps - but not 'photographs.' The meter doesn't stand up to the critical tolerance of slides and the lens just isn't sharp enough. There is too much shutter lag (missed too many moments, and got "closed eyes" pics instead) and the max apertures are far too small, which force long shutter speeds - leading to blurred pics unless you use a tripod... and if you can take a tripod, you should take an SLR! It's OK for the non-critical eye, but the Olympuses are better. In fact, I've abandoned P&S zooms altogether. It has good features (apart from Panoramic) and may compare well with its peers, but I recently got rid of mine. And good riddance.

Strengths:
:: Size
:: Design
:: Zoom range
:: Price for the features

Weaknesses:
:: Min aperture too large - prone to shake
:: Unsharp lens
:: Panoramic option is poor
:: metering
:: shutter lag (painfully slow)

Similar Products Used:
Olympus mju/stylus zooms

Customer Service:
NA

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Value Rating
 3 of 5

Price Paid:  $190.00

Summary:
This camera stands out for its remarkably small size, especially considering its zoom range. The picture quality is good. However, the poor zoom control and extensive shutter lag do get in the way. It's a good compact for shooting landscape, but not so good for taking pictures of children or pets.

Strengths:
Very small & light, sharp lens, decent zoom range, landscape mode, bulb mode, remote control

Weaknesses:
long shutter lag, poor response to zoom lever, blurry viewfinder

Similar Products Used:
Canon Sure Shot 115,
Olympus Mju Zoom 105,
Minolta Riva Zoom 115EX

Customer Service:
Not needed so far