I bought this camera half a year ago because of all the great reviews. Well it's true! I've been using this camera all the time, and it hasn't failed me yet!

necessary accessories: Rechargable batteries & larger compactflash memory card (I have a 128mb one which is fine)..

WHAT I LIKE:
- easy & automatic. This was my first digicam, and I had no problems figuring it out. It works like a point and shoot, so you can start using it right away & get great results. You can explore the rest of the features later; you don't have to be confused & stress about learning to use it right off the bat, like my friends did over cannon a95 or whatever that took blurry pictures unless you set it on proper settings etc. Pentax optio takes great pictures on default settings, no worries!
- intuitive menu. When you do have the time to explore the camera a bit more, it's easy! You don't even need to look at the manual that much.
- clear sharp good quality pictures. it seems like cameras nowadays are just competing to have higher and higher megapixels. But for the everyday standard casual user, I can vouch that pentax's 3.2 megapixels is more than satisfactory. When I upload the pictures onto my computer, they are HUGE and have great resolution; not blurry or fuzzy at all! Much more than enough megapixels to produce your standard 4x6 print, and a few sizes larger.
- swivel LCD! It's so convenient! Countless times I've seen people without swivel LCD cameras try to take pictures of themselves with others by aiming randomly and hoping for the best. But with this swivel LCD, you can easily easily take self-portraits and pictures of you and other people without haphazard guess-and-check. Also, since the LCD swivels, You don't have to worry about scratching it or getting a special protective bag or anything; the LCD folds face-down neatly so that it's automatically protected when you close it.
- timer. much fun, very useful for group pictures that you want to be in. It has a 3 second and 10 second timer, for whatevers more convenient for your situation
- fun color filters. You can take sepia, black & white pictures, or pictures with red, blue, & green color filters. This is a neat feature; for example, it's fun to take black/white/red filter pictures if you're photographing a bright red flower or something, because it comes out cool...the only color in the picture would be the red flower that stands out a lot! I've gotten a lot of positive comments from people about pictures that I take with the filters. a nice little extra.
- i like that it has a video, another nice little extra.
- easy to use software. I just loaded in the CD, hooked up the camera to the computer, and it's all done.
- overall, decent battery life with rechargable AAs. Good flash that you can set to on or off or automatic. A number of different picture settings. Great & versatile.
- GREAT PRICE! I got mine for $168 off ebay after much research. Well worth it, great value.

WHAT COULD BE BETTER:
- no viewfinder. others have mentioned this already, and have said it wasn't really a problem because youve got your LCD that you use all the time anyway. I agree. Never in my months of using it, have i ever thought "aw, I wish i had a viewfinder!" It's really not needed, so this isn't really a con.
- video quality. The picture quality of the videos isn't that great, and there is no sound. Better quality & sound would be nice, but I see having a video at all as being an extra already, so Im not really complaining.
- slow load. Sometimes, especially if the batteries are low, it takes a while for the LCD to light up when you turn on the camera or switch between picture-taking and picture-viewing modes, which is only a slight annoyance. Maybe a faster shutter speed would be nice too, because sometimes it takes a second to take the picture so people start moving again and its blurry. But generally, it's fine.

So overall, I highly recommend this camera for the typical non-professional user on a budget. Easy to use, takes great pictures, has fun extra little features, and is relatively inexpensive! You can't ask for more than that!

this is really a great camera, i love how you, could open and close the lcd screen. you've got program mode for taking still pictures. picture mode for taking pictures of people. movie mode where there is over 20 seconds to do a video and more. the pictures comes out great with only 3.2 mega. the only comlpaint i have is that it takes terrible night photos on night vision mode. and when i email pentax about the problem i got no reply. anyway this is really a great camera, for outdoors the quality of pictures is outstanding. definaitely worth buying.

I think this should be one of the best buy 3 MP camera. I have another digital camera with 5 MP (Kyocera S5R) but I like this one much more. The most striking thing about this camera (33L) is the beautiful color high resolution swivelling LCD monitor. The swivel monitor is very useful. The images taken by this camera are also real good. The balance of flash is extremely good eventhough it seems to be a bit of reddish saturation. 3D , filters , and panorama are fun to use. I used the rechargeable NIMH (AA , 2000 mAh) with no problem.
All in all , I love this one and carry it with me whenever possible. The only complaint I may have is that it lacks of date imprint mode. ( I use camera to record my work so date imprint is important for me.)

Once I got this camera, I was in love. I love how the LCD swivels. I takes picture-taking to a whole other level. If your just going to use this camera for everyday use, you can stop right here. This is the camera to buy. The software for editing that comes with it is GREAT too. It's a whole lotta fun.

This camera is great. Lots of features, super-cool LCD monitor...and a GREAT price.

However, beware of one thing. Do not try to power the camera with the "Power 2000" brand rechargeable AA batteries. I bought these batteries along with the charger from a website that suggested these batteries as an accessory for this camera. When I tried to use 2 fully charged Power 2000s, the camera would make 4 quick beep sounds and wouldn't turn on. After calling Pentax and telling them about my problem, they said I had to send it in for repair, and that it could take over a month. When I got the camera back I found out there was no problem with the camera. I was just using an "off brand" of AA battery that is not intended to power this specific camera.

I was angry at the retailer for suggesting a brand of battery that isn't even capable of powering this camera, but I was even more upset that the Pentax service rep didn't ask me over the phone which type of battery I was using. That whole problem and time spent without my camera could've been avoided if he had asked me that one simple question.

In summary, I would only use the Lithium Ion CR-V3 type battery with this camera. It lasts the longest, and now that Pentax themselves told me that it's the type of battery that is intended for use with this model, I won't try any other. It's too bad because I find it very wasteful and expensive to constantly purchase and throw away non-rechargeable batteries.

And one other thing - the reviewer that said he's had his camera "for 2 years" is either lying or accidentally reviewed the wrong camera. The Pentax Optio 33L was introduced in March 2003. It's less than a year old.

Don't let the negativity of my review deter you, though, because I love the camera. I'm just bothered by the service I got.

After I lost my previous digital camera to a 3 foot fall, I was looking for a digital camera that could survive being thrown around a bit, and also something I could take kayaking. The Optio 33WR seemed tailor-made for my needs. The first weekend I had it I went hiking on one of the dustier trails in Northern California, I came back with some great shots of banana slugs, redwoods and hilly panoramas. The camera didn't handle the bright sunlight as well as I hoped (some of my panarama pictures were a bit washed out). However, you can knock exposure down in half steps manually (which I came to use frequently later).

The next day I tentatively dipped it under the running sink, dried it off, and waited for it to explode. Happily it behaved as though nothing had happened. Eventually, I took it kayaking, all day, in salt water. It handled splash, salt, and sun like a champ. As an added bonus, the batteries (not the default ones, but some fairly standard rechargeables I'd purchased seperately) managed to last the whole trip (about 120 shots and 4 hours on the water). I also got to use the phrase: "hang on a minute, I have to rinse off my camera" - and there's something cool about saying that.

Most recently the camera has survived 4 weeks of backpacking, much of which was spent on the plains of Kenya. Obviously, there's not enough zoom to make this the "safari" camera, but it was great for capturing some spontaneous moments, some landscape shots and the braver wildlife. I found it hard to get a good picture in lower light situations (dusk or dawn). But anytime there was some cloud cover during the day the pictures were deep and rich.

The quality of the photos are quite what I'd expect from a 3MP camera. The manual focus is a nice bonus, but the autofocus is responsive enough. The zoom is less then I would like, but is still acceptable. For digital camera features alone, I'd say this camera is an easy 3.5 or maybe 4 stars. Having the freedom to take it out on the water, get dirty and generally abuse it push it up to a shining 5 stars.

I can be rough on cameras so I wanted a digital camera that could take at least a little abuse. I considered the Olympus Stylus 300/400 but didn't care for some of the reviews and the kind of batteries they use (I'm a rechargeable AA fan). What I read on the Optio 33WR was impressive, it has more mode features than I'll probably use (even a specialty mode for fireworks!) Although not quite as easy to use as the Kodak 6330 I feel this is offset by the extra features of the Optio 33WR. Since the Optio 33WR is "immersible" it *should* be able to handle rain and splashing from white water rafting and other water sports (I'll find out the hard way next summer) which greatly appeals to me. Taking pictures is easy and the 3.2 megapixel results are great even for 8x10 prints. Pictures are easy to download to your computer w/the included USB cable and the ACDSee photo-editing software is surprisingly easy to use as well. With a 256MB SD memory card I can take over 100 max quality/resolution photos and battery life is very good. It's small enough to drop in a pocket yet controls are large enough to be easily used. However, the Optio 33WR is not *quite* perfect... A docking bay w/battery charger for downloading photos would be nice and very convenient, I can't locate the optional AC adapter *anywhere*, a *slightly* more powerful flash (adequate as is) would be good, the power on/off button is a little too close to the shutter release for my comfort and the camera strap can dangle in front of the lens/flash when holding the camera at 90 degrees for more vertically oriented shots. Despite these minor quibbles I'm *very* happy w/my Optio 33WR and recommend it to anyone looking for a good digital camera that isn't afraid of the water. I give it 4.75 stars out of 5.
Added: I found a suitable AC adapter at Radio Shack (...) and the ACDSee photo-editing software that comes with the 33WR does a good job of lightening/brightening photos that the flash couldn't quite handle.
Added: The Vivitar DF200 Digital Flash looks to be my choice for better flash performance: It takes AA batteries like my Optio 33WR, "learns" the camera's flash characteristics for better results, tilts/aims for more lighting options and comes with a mini flex tripod & a special bracket for attaching to the tripod hole of the 33WR.
EDITED 5/04: The Phoenix D91-BZS 4-Stop Digital Slave Flash looks to be even better than the Vivitar (even comes w/a camera bracket). I now have the Optio 43WR which is nearly identical to the 33WR except for slightly greater resolution (no big deal) and a much-improved movie mode (640x480@30fps instead of 320x240@15fps) which I really like. However, it requires hi-speed memory to achieve 30fps and the SanDisk 512Mb Ultra II will provide 7.5 minutes of movie recording time at 640x480@30fps. If the movie mode isn't that important to you then I suggest you stick with the 33WR and less expensive memory.

I've waited a long time for a decent digital camera that's rugged enough for going outdoors and enduring a little punishment. This thing is all you could ask for if your looking for a camera to go fishing, duck hunting and anything else you throw at it. It's simple and well laid out but still has all the features of a mid-range camera. It takes great pictures and comes with ACDsee for a wonderful software package.
Enjoy!!!!

I am new to Digital cameras, but have been shooting film in a variety of formats and systems for over 30 years. After much research and agonizing compromises, I waited and purchased this Pentax Optio 33WR. It is small, but fits my small hands well. All the controls are nicely defined and laid out. I began using the camera prior to consulting the manual because the camera is logically engineered. The manual is well done and thorough, and Pentax also spells out the accompanying ACDSEE software - not needed if you own a Mac. You can also download the manual and specs for this and many Pentax cameras directly from Pentax's doc site - free, prior to purchase if you want to study this. The specs available are quite accurate. Output is great! Sharp lens, fast focus, accurate exposure, and it fits in my pants pocket. It has a lot of flexibility for a P&S and a fair number of manual features if you need them. Nicely sealed, all weather unit. solid feel! Lots of positives! Negatives are: Came with 2 inexpensive alkaline batteries instead of lithium versions - I replaced them, but one can find power for this camera anywhere. The camera comes with an 16MB SD memory card which is good for about 8-10 hi-res pix, so I replaced it with a 64MB version ($34). All-in-all, 4 stars may be conservative because I like it and it is nearly all I need and want.

This camera really fits a niche if you like to hike, bike, canoe, raft, kayak, etc. From the rubberized corners to the sealed design, it's made for adventure. I've dropped mine, been rained on, and splashed big time- without problems.

Also, it has most features all other camera's have. Easy to use, rugged, good pics- I highly recommend it.

I use it often for my blog: www.riverrant.blogspot.com. Many photos from this camera are posted.

I got this camera to replace an Olympus C4000 that was too slow focusing and bulky for my needs (shooting my toddler). I have had it for about 9 months now and still think its great. One reason I bought it was the price (under $200) and the reviews I saw on the web (like dpreview.com). It is small enough to go in your pocket. It can be used in the rain without fear of damage. The fireworks shots I took , a couple can be seen in the user images for this camera, where unexpectedly good and done HANDHELD without a tripod using the fireworks program! There are a couple of cons, but minor and are to be expected for a camera of this type, ie. weak indoor flash (fix with software), sometimes takes long in low light to focus, no lens protection. But in all, would buy and recommend again. Make sure you invest in NiMH batteries and a charger and you will be all set! Happy shooting!

The camera came with no memory chip. The online store had no more of this camera or chips so the only thing they could suggest was to return it for a refund. Not a great experience.

Small, good picture quality, rugged...I've taken this camera camping, canoing, hiking, biking, etc. It's covered with scratches, it's been in the rain, and yet it still takes great pictures. It fits in a pocket or backpack without any problem. I'd highly recommend this camera.

This little camera is the cats meow. Not only does it take wonderfull pics with adjustments that rate right up there with the "big dollar" camers. It is the most rugged little thing i've ever owned. Last summer, '06, i crashed on my motorcycle. I had my Pentax Optio 33WR in my shirt pocket and when i went down my camera flew out of my pocket and went tumblin down the road. It traveled about 75feet down the pavement then tumbled off into the weeds.Was it fased or damaged?..NOPE, in fact, i picked it right up and took pics of the crash.It gits a solid 10 in my book.

This camera and its companion the 43WR have three features I want in a camera that I can take with me wherever I go. It has an optical viewfinder, uses AA size batteries and is weatherproof. It doesn't matter if it's raining or you're riding down or hiking up a whitewater river, you can still take pictures. Also, it easily fits in a shirt pocket. It is my "I always take it with me camera."