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Review Summary
2013-12-16T19:00:00
Using it to record various activities in groups I am associated with, as well as other activities and events. Usually take a lot of pictures of the events, and then edit them down and provide the group with a CD slide show of the event. In a couple of cases I put an entire years activities on the disk as chapters in a DVD show that can be used by the group as a history review/retainer. I might add that I had several Pentax lenses from a filme K1000 which fit this body and provide me with ability to shoot in very low light situations. Also like the fact that it uses 64GB HDSC cards!
Russ
2013-01-28T19:00:00
Pentax has packed a lot of features into this camera that are above the price notably 100% VF, WR, and Dual Wheels. The dual wheels let you have "P" mode where one wheel makes the camera behave like it is in Tv mode and the other wheel makes it behave like it is in Av mode and if you press the Green button it returns to auto mode. There is also a TAv mode which lets you go one step away from manual by controlling both shutter speed and aperture and letting the camera set ISO. I upgraded from a K-x and this improved on that great camera in every way possible. The AF system has greatly improved in speed and accuracy and the Liveview AF has really come a long way (on the K-x it was all but useless so that isn't saying much), but it still lags behind Canon and Nikon in this respect so if you are totally dependent on AF or if you do lots of action stuff than you might want to weigh the importance of that feature.
MICHAEL V.
Type: CMOS w/primary color filter, integrated Shake/Dust Reduction sensor movement system
Size: 23.7 x 15.7mm (APS-C)
Color depth: 8 bits/channel JPG, 12 bits/channel RAW
Effective pixels (total pixels): 16.3 MP (16.5 MP)
Dust Removal: Sensor movement w SP coating on low pass filter
Pixel mapping: Yes
Type: Sensor-shift SR
Type/construction: PENTAX KAF2 bayonet stainless steel mount
Usable lenses: PENTAX KAF3, KAF2, KAF, and KA (K mount, 35mm screwmount, 645/67 med format lenses useable w adapter and/or restrictions)
SDM function: Yes
Power zoom function: n/a
Type: SAFOX IXi+ TTL phase-detection 11 point (9 cross) wide autofocus system w light wavelength sensor and diffraction lens
Sensitivity range: EV -1 to 18 (ISO 100)
Focus modes: AF.A (auto), AF.S (single, w focus lock, focus/shutter priority selectable), AF.C (continuous, w focus/FPS priority selectable), Manual Focus point
Type: TTL open aperture 77 segment metering
Sensitivity range: EV 0 to 22 (ISO 100, 50mm F1.4)
Metering patterns: (multi, center, spot): Multi 77, Center, Spot
Exposure compensation: +/- 5 EV (1/3 and 1/2 steps)
Exposure lock: Yes
Exposure bracketing: 3 frames
Type: Electronically controlled, vertical-run, focal plane shutter
Shutter speed: 1/6000 to 30 sec (1/3 or 1/2 steps), Bulb
Type: Pentaprism
Coverage (field of view): 100%
Magnification: 0.92X (w 50mm F1.4 at infinity)
Standard focusing screen: Natural-Bright-Matte III (interchangeable)
Diopter adjustment: -2.5m to 1.5m
Depth of field preview: Optical (diaphragm stop-down), digital
Type: 3.0" TFT color LCD w brightness/color adjustment
Resolution: 921,000 dots
Wide angle viewable: Yes
Type: TTL by CMOS image sensor
Field Of View: 100%
Display Modes: Magnification (2-6X), Grid Overlay (4x4, Golden Ratio, Scale), Bright/Dark Indication, Histogram
Autofocus: Contrast detection AF (face detection, tracking, select, spot)
Type: Retractable P-TTL popup flash
Guide number: 12m (ISO 100)
Coverage: 28mm wide angle equivalent
Flash modes: On, Redeye, Slow Sync, Slow Sync + Redeye, Trailing Curtain Sync, Wireless
Flash exposure compensation: -2 to 1 EV
Type: Hotshoe (P-TTL), high speed sync and wireless w PENTAX dedicated flash
Synchronization speed: 1/180 sec
Internal memory: n/a
Removable memory: SD, SDHC, SDXC
Ports: USB 2.0 hi-speed, AV out, cable switch
Video out: NTSC, PAL
Microphone: Built-in monaural
Power source: Rechargeable Li-Ion battery D-LI109 (included), AA battery holder D-BH109 for 4 AA batteries (sold separately)
Recordable images: Li-Ion approx 480 (410 w 50% flash, CIPA)
Playback time: Li-Ion approx 270 min
Movie recording time: 25 min max time per clip
AC adapter available: Yes (sold separately)
Recorded resolutions: 16M (4928x3264), 12M (4224x2816), 8M (3456x2304), 5M (2688x1792)
Quality levels: Best, Better, Good
File formats: RAW (DNG), JPG (EXIF 2.3), DCF 2.0 compliant, DPOF, PIM III
Color space: sRGB, AdobeRGB
Auto: 100-12800 (1/1, 1/2, 1/3 steps), expandable to 100-25600, auto range selectable
Manual: 100-12800 (1/1, 1/2, 1/3 steps), expandable to 100-25600
Type: Image sensor detection w light wavelength sensor assist
Auto preset modes: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Fluorescent (D, N, W, L), Tungsten, Flash, CTE
Manual mode(s): 3 manual and 3 Kelvin temperature presets, copy WB settings from a captured image available
WB fine adjustment: +/- 7 steps A-B axis or G-M axis
Mode selection: Hyper Program (P), Sensitivity Priority (Sv), Shutter Priority (Tv), Aperture Priority (Av), Shutter & Aperture Priority (TAv), Hyper Manual (M), Bulb (B), User (U1, U2), Scene (SCN), Auto Picture (AUTO), Movie
Auto Picture modes: Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Moving Object, Night Scene Portrait, Night Scene, Blue Sky, Forest
Scene modes: Portrait, Landscape, Macro, Moving Object, Night Scene Portrait, Sunset, Blue Sky, Forest, Night Scene, Night Scene HDR (JPG), Night Snap, Food, Pet, Kids, Surf & Snow, Backlight Silhouette, Candlelight, Stage Lighting, Museum
Custom Image modes: Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Radiant, Muted, Bleach Bypass, Reversal Film, Monochrome, Cross Processing
Green simplified mode available: n/a
Face detection available: Yes
PASMB: P, A, S, M, B (extended modes Sv, TAv)
Date stamp: n/a
Digital filters (capture): Extract Color, Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Shading, Invert Color, Color
Dynamic range adjustment: Highlight, shadow
Digital level: Viewfinder (horizontal), LCD (horizontal, vertical), SR auto-level function File/Folder customization: Folder name (standard, date), embed copyright
Mode selection: Single, Continuous (Hi, Lo), Self-Timer (12s, 2s), Remote (0s, 3s), Auto Bracketing (3 frames)
Continuous FPS
- Continuous Hi: Approx 6.0 FPS (30 JPG, 8 RAW)
- Continuous Lo: Approx 3.0 FPS (unlimited JPG, 10 RAW)
Multi-exposure: 2-9 shots, auto exposure adjustment
Interval: 999 shots, 3 sec to 24 hr interval, time delay
HDR: Auto, HDR 1, HDR 2, HDR 3, pixel alignment, exposure bracket +/- 1-3 EV (1/1 steps) Cable switch: sold separately.
Mode selection: One Shot (no data, basic data, full data, color channel histogram, bright/dark indication, copyright info), Multi Image Display (4, 9, 16, 36, 81 thumbnails), Magnification (up to 16X, scrollable, quick magnification), Image Rotation, Calendar Filmstrip, Display, Folder, Slideshow, Select & Delete, Movie Playback (no data, basic data, full data), Save RAW Data From JPG (if available in buffer memory)
Image Rotation, Digital Filter, Resize, Cropping, Slideshow, Save as Manual WB, RAW Development, Index Print, Image Comparison, Protect, DPOF, Movie Edit, Extract JPG from Movie
Monochrome, Extract Color, Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Shading, Invert Color, Color, Tone Expansion, Sketch Filter, Watercolor, Pastel, Posterization, Miniature, Soft, Starburst, Fisheye, Slim, Base Parameter Adj
Recorded resolutions/FPS: 1920x1080p30/25/24, 1280x720p60/50/30/25/24, 640x480p30/25/24
Quality levels: Best, Better, Good
File formats (compression): MOV MPEG-4 AVC (h.264)
Sound: Audio gain adj
Custom Image modes: Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, Radiant, Muted, Bleach Bypass, Reversal Film, Monochrome, Cross Processing
Digital filters (capture): Extract Color, Toy Camera, Retro, High Contrast, Invert Color, Color
Interval movie: 3 sec to 1 hr interval, 4 sec to 99 hr record time, time delay (AVI, MJPG)
Movie editing functions: Movie Divide, Delete Selected Frames
Functions available: 23
English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Finnish, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek, Russian, Korean, Traditional/Simplified Chinese, Japanese
Primary construction material(s): Reinforced polycarbonate over stainless steel chassis
Fully weather sealed throughout body, coldproof
14-104°F (-10 to 40°C)
5.1 x 3.8 x 2.8" / 130 x 97 x 71mm
22.9 oz / 649g with battery

One of the biggest worries DSLR users have is that their gear can be easily destroyed by dust, rain and cold. The ...
The Pentax K-30 DSLR is weather, dust, and cold resistant with an eye-catching design and practical, comfortable grip. Featuring a ruggedized body that's sealed against water, dust and cold (to 14 degrees farenheight), the K-30 is an enthusiast-level camera that offers features that should meet the needs of the most demanding users. These include a 6 fps burst rate, a top shutter speed of 1/6000 second, a 16MP APS-C sized CMOS sensor, a glass pentaprism and optical viewfinder with 100% field of view, and interchangeable focusing screens. Pentax says it has changed the autofocus system and claims a noticeable performance improvement. Of interest to astrophotographers is the Astrotracer mode, which Pentax says will eliminate star trails when photographing nighttime skies.
Whether you are climbing a snowy mountain, riding on Maid of the Mist in Niagra Falls, shooting in the Sahara or shooting the Milky Way, the Pentax K-30 is designed to deliver no-compromise image quality while letting you concentrate on getting the shot without worrying about getting your camera mucked up.