Contax Reviews

I bought Kyocera S5R mainly because of its capability to record VDO at 640x480 pixel at 30 frames per second until memory filled up. The fast still image capturing at 3 frames per second is an added bonus. Kyocera suggests that high speed SD card should be used , the one with transfer rate about 10 MB/s. I used the Panasonic 256 MB SD card which has just that speed but had never been able to do non-stop shooting until the memory filled. The camera stopped about 1 minute or so , obviously just could not handle large amount of VDO data all at once. When it stopped shooting the red light was blinking several more seconds to show that the data were being processed. Then you have to start shooting again if you want more VDO. In short , it could not do continuous shooting till memory full as advertised.

In general the still images taken by this camera were of really good quality , except in some instances with flash. I wish Kyocera could add the function to adjust the flash , i.e. , low-medium-strong , instead of just one fixed mode which seems to be too strong , many of my shots were overexposed.

The battery life is at best an average or on the lower than average side.

The LCD monitor should have more pixels.

The Kyocera S5R is quite the complete camera. Like one of the other reviews said, it rises above the rest when taking action pictures (for examples, kids in a soccer game). It comes with good software, cables. Very easy to connect to TV and computer. Controls are easy (worst case, a quick read through the reference card should get any one set.) Its only down side is from what I was told from an SME, is the night pictures. So again, I was very happy with my purchase. My pictures from my vacation look really nice. Good luck.

I had a 5 megapixel sony that had an optical finder and gave it to my brother when he was visiting because his broke.
I read about the s5r but did not see many owners or reviews or samples.
I took a chance and was pleasantly surprised! I now always have a camera in my pocket.
The camera is fast! and unlimited 5 megapixel pics is more than my 717 can do.
But to keep the camera tiny, the manufacturer decided not to put a fan in the computer bay. (Which explains the heat produced)
This is a little performer that just wants to burn itself up for you.
I am pleasantly surprised at the quality see pbase.com/stefffanovich

Great for point and shoot purposes- awesome size, plenty of pixels and good optics. The lens is a little small, though, so it suffers in lower light conditions. and the flash is kinda underpowered, so it's hard to get good groups shots in darkish conditions. although when compared to competitors (nikon SQ, sony DSCU50, etc... similar size and features) the lens size and flash are no better or worse.

One of the features that made me buy this camera was the advertised "speed." While it is extremely fast to start up, the time between hitting the shutter button and the image being captured is no faster than competitors. kind of a let down.

BIGGEST LET DOWN is the fragility of the camera. There is a DESIGN FLAW in the case that makes it so that if the camera is inserted a certain way, the snap closure to the (cool looking) case puts pressure on the LCD screen. This mistake is easy to make, so be careful. Mine was broken by the second day. Kyocera does not care that this is a design flaw and will make you pay to repair it!!! I'll bet the case gets changed next year. The camera also gets REALLY HOT if left on for a while.

BEST FEATURE is the swivel design. I got used to this feature with my old CoolPix 950 and this was a major selling point. And the camera looks really damn cool. I wish we could get the Japanese one with the designer colors....

Really great size, cool looking and takes decent pix. Above average. Hard to find until now- I just saw it at RADIO SHACK ($349)

This is a great camera. It's actually 3.2 megapixels, but whatever. The one drawback about it is that it is easily scratched, and my friend actually dented it by dropping it from no more than 3 feet. I'm not sure whether it hit the floor or an object on the floor, but it's dented. And it is very easily scratched. I left the camera on my bed, and when I picked it up again, it had scratches! Seeing as how the case seems pretty sturdy, I was pretty surprised. However, that's about the only drawback, besides the short battery life(35 minutes left on), but just get another battery and voila, taken care of. Extremely small size, fits easily in my cramped pocket along with my cell phone and wallet. And it actually has NO lag! As for the flash, some people say it's weak, but everyone I've taken a picture of says it's really strong. Great camera, lovin it.

The size of this piece of technology is what really sold me, but then you get to use it, you appreciate the great list of features, ease of use, quality of display, zoom, rechargable, USB plug in, huge memory chips available.
The only downer is the strength of the flash, but you cannot have everything.
It stays in your pocket/purse and is there whenever you need it, just remember keep it charged and stay relatively close for flash pics..

This is a great camera but which battery will keep its charge to take 50 pictures? I have tried 1800 mah & 2000 mah and the battery gets very low when 10 pictures are taken.

Bought this little jem for it's 2 1/2" LCD screen and the 3.2 mp picture quality. The LCD is exceptional and makes it easy to review photos without glasses as well as to share instantly with friends. The size is right also. When riding my Harley Springer it's easy to keep this camera handy for those instant shots (after pulling to the side of the road).
1. The metal case seems bullet proof however when holding it your right thumb rests against a very slippery portion of the camera body. I can almost feel the camera slipping from my hands if not careful. To prevent this I glued a small piece of 400 grit emery cloth to this area and the problem was cured. (Kyrocera take note: place a few bumps in thumb area to enable a better grip!).
2. Outdoor photos are almost 100% overexposed but can be quickly corrected in your favorite photo editing software. This may also be corrected by using the manual white balance.
3. Take your time when making photos because every photo will be blurred if you don't prefocus first (press shutter button half-way down) before taking the actual photo. If you press the shutter button all the way down when taking a photo it will blur everytime!
4. Buy a soft case for the camera for protection. A bought a perfect one at Target for $3.99.
5. The camera and menu controls are extremely simple a straight forward.

Now that I've had this camera for a few months problems have developed. It seems that once installing freshly recharged 2100mAh batteries I get only 2 pictures before it goes dead. A new CRv5 battery($10 each) lasts for 5 pictures. I'm attempting to contact Kyocera today (5/9/2004) and will post results. I lower my rating to 3 stars but it may go much lower depending on Kyocera's response.

This is a great little camera, and the price is right. However, you'll need to buy 2 more things in order to be able to enjoy using the camera: a bigger memory card; and a recharagable CRV3 battery. Kyocera claims this camera can run on 2 AA batteries as well as the recommended CRV3 battery. NOT TRUE! I tried both Li AA batteries fresh out of the pack and rechargable NiMH batteries, and the camera could take at most 10 photos before showing "low battery". So I got a rechargable CRV3, and took about 100 photos and it still showed full battery. Now you know the worst about this camera.

Otherwise, the camera is great. The image quality is good. The LCD is great - excellent way to take snaps at parties and have the instant gratification of seeing the image right away at a decent size and resolution. The controls are straightforward and easy to use.

If you're looking for a compact camera with advanced point and shoot features, I highly recommend this one.