Pentax has today announced the Optio555 digital camera which is an upgrade to the 550. It is a 5 megapixel, 5X zoom camera which Pentax has maximized the responsiveness of, by reducing lag time so the camera is instantly ready when the power is turned on. The Optio 555 will ship to major camera retailers around the end of October.

Specifications

 More information :  Announced 03-Sep-03  
 Max resolution   :   2592 x 1944
 Low resolution   :   2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 1024 x 768, 640 x 480
 Image ratio w:h   :   4:3
 Effective pixels   :   5.0 million
 Sensor photo detectors  :    5.2 million
 Sensor size   :   1/1.8 " (7.18 x 5.32 mm)
 Sensor type  :    CCD
 Colour filter array   :   RGB
 Sensor manufacturer  :    Unknown
 ISO rating  :    Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400
 Zoom wide (W)  :    37.5 mm
 Zoom tele (T)   :   187.5 mm (4.9 x)
 Digital zoom  :    Yes, 4x
 Image stabilization  :    No
 Auto Focus  :    Yes
 Manual Focus   :   Yes
 Auto focus type  :    TTL
 Normal focus range   :   60 cm
 Macro focus range  :    2 cm
 White balance override  :    6 positions, plus manual one-touch
 Aperture range   :   F2.8 - F4.6 / ??
 Min shutter  :    15 sec
 Max shutter   :   1/2000 sec
 Built-in Flash   :   Yes
 Flash guide no.  :    5.2 m (17 ft) 2 m
 External flash  :    No
 Flash modes   :   Auto, On, Off, Red-eye reduction
 Exposure compensation  :    -2 EV to +2 EV in 1/3 EV steps
 Metering   :   Multi-segment, Center weighted, Spot
 Aperture priority    :  Yes
 Shutter priority    :  Yes
 Focal length multiplier       
 Lens thread   :   No
 Continuous Drive  :    Yes
 Movie Clips  :    Yes
 Remote control   :   Yes
 Tripod mount   :   Yes
 Self-timer  :    Yes
 Timelapse recording    :  Yes
 Orientation sensor   :   No
 Storage types   :   SD/MMC card
 Storage included    :  16 MB SD card
 Uncompressed format    :  TIFF
 Compressed format   :   JPEG (EXIF 2.2)
 Quality Levels  :    Normal, Fine, Superfine
 Viewfinder  :    Optical
 LCD    :  1.5 "
 LCD Pixels       
 Video out   :   Yes
 USB   :   Yes
 Firewire (IEEE 1394)   :   No
 Battery / Charger   :   Yes
 Battery  :    Lithium-Ion rechargeable
 Weight (inc. batteries) :     250 g (8.8 oz)
 Dimensions    :  100 x 59 x 40 mm (3.9 x 2.3 x 1.6 in)

Review

Faster zooming and PictBridge compatibility are among the minor improvements that make the Optio 555 a bit better than its predecessor, the Optio 550. The 555 also shed a few ounces, so it's attractive to amateur photographers who want features such as TIFF-file output, a 5X zoom lens, and manual controls in a relatively compact package. The Optio design doesn't wow us now as it did when the 550 initially shipped, and much of the camera's feature set has become more commonplace, but the 555 remains a solid 5-megapixel amateur model.
http://reviews.cnet.com/