Pentax K-30 Digital Camera Review

Durability

While the Pentax K-30 initially made a big splash (excuse the pun) with its fully weather-sealed body, it's hardly the first Pentax camera to go that route. The Pentax K-5, which the K-30 is undercutting slightly with its $899.99 kit price point, featured 77 weather seals along with a magnesium alloy body and stainless steel chassis. The K-30 has 81 such weather seals, providing a little more protection. The K-30 does lack the K-5's magnesium alloy shell, opting for a reinforced polycarbonate shell over stainless steel body, though the difference is largely confined to its lower weight. The result is a camera that is coldproof, dustproof, can be shot in the rain, and should be durable over the long haul.

A word of caution, however, as the least expensive kit at $899.99 does not include the weather-sealed version of Pentax's 18-55mm lens. The only difference is a rubber seal around the lens mount, but it's a failure point that seems to have gone overlooked both in Pentax's marketing. bnb