Interchangeable front face plate "Skin" designs, and a variety to choose from
Easy to understand button layout, and a lot of cartoon menu icons for preprogrammed exposure settings
Short descriptions of each exposure setting
Face detection button also doubles as smile detection
In camera photo editing
Excellent shooting performance
Captures average 14-megapixel photos
Cons
Weak Flash
Zoom has less steps, making precise framing difficult
Default setting of backlight timeout is too short
Looks kind of cheap like a disposable camera
Bottom Line
The Pentax RS1500 is a stylish and fun digital camera that boast typical
specifications for a sub $150 digicam. It can produce nice 14-megapixel
photos, boasts speedy shooting performance, and offers the most unique
customization system seen to date (as of 05/2011). Read more in our Full Conclusion.
Pentax has released the second generation of their customizable RS-series of fashion savvy digicams, with the Optio RS1500. This model replaces the RS1000 from last year, carrying over several of the same key features. Pentax has incorporated an easier, and quicker way to change the "Skin" of the front of the camera, along with the addition of colored lens bezels that can be swapped in place of the standard black one.
This is an affordable camera aimed at the younger generations, or anyone who's artistic or fashion oriented. With a wide variety of included "Skin" choices, you can easily match the RS1500 to your daily attire. They even offer way to create custom skins that can be downloaded from the Pentax Website, and you can also upload your own artwork. Once you get past this camera's style, it's a pretty standard 14-megapixel digital camera, with a 4x optical zoom lens, 720p HD video recording, intelligent Auto Picture mode, and a 3.0-inch LCD screen.
Pentax Optio RS1500 Major Features:
14-megapixel image sensor
4X zoom lens with 27.5 - 110mm
wide-angle coverage
Intelligent Auto Picture mode
Face and Smile detection
720p High-Definition Video recording with Movie Shake
Reduction mode
3-inch, 230K dot display
Auto-tracking AF mode
PENTAX-original
SKIN change system for personalized designs
SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card slot (21.6MB of internal storage)
Li-ion battery pack (capture up to 210 photos per charge)
The
Pentax Optio RS1500 is available now with a MSRP of $149.95 US. You can choose a White or Silver base color, and Pentax includes several skins to get you
started; with custom skins available with the Pentax Personal Skin
Designer.
Visitors of Steves can visit the stores below for real-time pricing and availability. You can also find hot, soon to expire online offers on a variety of cameras and accessories at our very own Camera Deals page.
Pentax Optio RS1500 14MP Compact Camera - 4.90-19.60 mm 4x Zoom Lens - Silver
Pentax has released the second generation of their customizable RS-series of fashion savvy digicams, with the Optio RS1500. This model replaces the RS1000 from last year, carrying over several of the same key features. Pentax has incorporated an easier, and quicker way to change the "Skin" of the front of the camera, along with the addition of colored lens bezels that can be swapped in place of the standard black one. 
