Pentax Optio A30 Digital Camera Review

Likes

- Clean external design with minimal controls - Nice LCD screen - Decent resolution (although lots of sharpening applied) - Green Shooting mode for the novice. - Lots of manual controls

Dislikes

- Terrible placement of tripod - Poor video quality - Inaccurate color reproduction - Slow operation speeds - Sluggish focusing time - LCD solarizes in bright light - Icon-based menu system not intuitive

Conclusion
The Pentax Optio A30 is a moderately priced point-and-shoot, with an initial MSRP of $349.95. Its clean and concise design, aluminum alloy body, and wealth of features and manual controls make it a worthwhile consideration for a range of users. The Pentax Optio A30 has a 10-megapixel CCD with Sensor Shift Shake Reduction, and carries two additional digital stabilization shooting modes, one for still images and one for videos. The camera has a 2.5-inch LCD with 232,000-pixel resolution, 3x optical zoom lens, and a face recognition system for both autofocus and auto exposure. A full host of manual controls allow for control over metering, exposure compensation, ISO, white balance, aperture, and shutter speed, although with mixed, and sometimes sluggish, results. The camera’s LCD tends to solarize and the substandard software program only allows users to make the most basic of edits. The A30's true shortcomings however, are in its performance. With inaccurate colors, high noise levels, limited dynamic range, and terrible video quality, this camera isn't worth the $350 price tag. 

Sample Photos
Click to view the high-resolution image.

Focal Length: 8mm  Aperture: f/2.8 Shutter: 1/320 sec. ISO: 800	Focal Length: 8mm Aperture: f/2.8 Shutter: 1/60 sec. ISO: 400
Focal Length: 14mm  Aperture: f/3.8 Shutter: 1/320 sec. ISO: 64	Focal Length: 8mm Aperture: f/8 Shutter: 1/800 sec. ISO: 1600
Focal Length: 8mm Aperture: f/2.8 Shutter: 1/320 sec. ISO: 1600	Focal Length: 8mm Aperture: f/2.8 Shutter: 1/125 sec. ISO: 800
Focal Length: 8mm Aperture: f/8 Shutter: 1/250 sec. ISO: 400	Focal Length: 24mm Aperture: f/5.4 Shutter: 1/200 sec. ISO: 200
Focal Length: 12mm Aperture: f/9.7 Shutter: 1/125 sec. ISO: 64	Focal Length: 8mm  Aperture: f/2.8 Shutter: 1/60 sec. ISO: 64