Casio EX-Z55 vs. Pentax Optio s5i ???

[VinnyS]

I'm seriously considering buying either the Casio or Pentax ASAP and I'm unsure of which camera would be the better of the two. I like the Pentax because it's so compact and I can take it anywhere, it's got a great lense and reliable name like Pentax. I have a problem w/the battery life being so short (about 160 shots), but the docking cradle gives you the option to charge an addtl. battery, which is nice. (no pc connection w/dock, stupid IMO)

The casio has the Pentax lense, but I'm concerned about the Casio name and reliability. What I like about the casio is the 2.5" screen, (hopefully it doesn't scratch in my pocket) Battery Life (about 400 shots), docking cradle charges battery and connects to pc.

Other than that I viewed both in person and they both were comfortable and simple to use. Both powered up very quickly.

If anyone has any opinions, I would greatly appreciate them...Thanks

[m123456]

Have s5i and may swap for ex-55 (like to bigger lcd) but still have to go see it. s5i is by far the best "smallest" camera I have ever owned. It's literally so light I forget I'm carrying it around which is great but also worries me a bit as to whether it will hold up to any abuse.

Pics really solid no real probs. It's a little slow to write to disk after taking a shot sometimes.

Hate power button placement but you get used to pretty quickly.

steves-digicams.com has a good review.

[Need4Spd]

Have you considered the Canon SD300? 1 mpxl less but you probably won't miss it and the package is more robust than the Optio, at least that's what I concluded. 1st shot and shot to shot speed are also faster.