Pentax 16.28 Megapixels K-30 DSLR Camera Review by TR With Rating 8/10

On May 21 2012, Pentax announced the 16.28 Megapixels weather and dust resistant DSLR camera - the PENTAX K-30. It features a compact & lightweight body, 16.28 Megapixels CMOS sensor, new SAFOX IXi+ AF sensor module with 9 cross points out of 11, and the 81 seals weather, dust and cold resistant body. It also comes with a glass prism optical finder with 100% field of view, high-speed burst shooting at 6 fps, a high-speed shutter unit with a top speed of 1/6000 second, dual electronic dials to access to exposure control and several Auto Picture and scene modes, as well as a 3-inch 920K LCD display, an ISO range reaching to 25,600, and 1080P video at 30fps (30, 25, 24, and 60fps at 720P). It is compatible with all PENTAX K-mount lenses.

The K-30 features the Auto Picture mode, which analyzes a scene then automatically selects the most appropriate shooting mode from Portrait, Landscape, Macro as well as others. It also offers 19 creative Scene modes, including Night Scene Portrait, Pet, Backlight Silhouette, etc. The new K-30 is available in three body colors: Crystal White, Crystal Blue, and traditional Black. The K-30 is listed for $849.95 body only, and $899.95 for the kit including the DA L 18-55mm zoom lens. Here's the summary of review by TrustedReviews, giving a rating of 8 out of 10:

"The K-30's all-new SAFOX IXi autofocus system performs well when the camera is being used through the viewfinder, with the AF proving consistently quick to lock focus in good light, while also remaining admirably swift when light levels drop. By default, the camera will emit an audible beep when focus has been locked, the volume of which can be adjusted up or down, or even switched off altogether. The 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 kit zoom isn't particularly quiet, with quite a lot of audible mechanical whirring when switching from subjects close at hand to subjects that are further away. While using the K30 through the viewfinder enables the camera to benefit from commendably fast phase-detection AF, switching to Live View raises the mirror forcing the camera to employ contrast-detect AF technology. This is noticeably slower and much less consistent, with the camera sometimes struggling to lock-on first time resulting in some slightly frustrating incidents of focus hunting. Other manufacturers (most notably Panasonic and Olympus) have shown that snappy contrast-detect AF technology is possible, so it's disappointing to find that the K-30 isn't able to match them in this respect. Overall image quality is very good. Pentax DSLRs have gained a bit of a reputation in recent years for slightly underexposing images, however that doesn't appear to be a problem with the K-30. Even in high-contrast scenes containing harsh lighting we found the K-30's 77-segment metering system to be up to the job, delivering consistent results that required little to no post-processing correction.

The Pentax K-30 is a richly featured mid-range DSLR that combines features from the more expensive but older K-5 with more recent innovations present in the K-01 compact system camera. As such the K-30 offers enough to stand out from its peers, with the overall build quality and weather sealing a notable highlight. Image quality impresses too, as does the 6fps top burst speed. Less impressive is the sluggish contrast-detect autofocus of the K-30's Live View mode, which lags some way behind its competitors in terms of speed and performance. At around £679 with the sealed 18-55mm DA WR zoom lens, the K-30 isn't the cheapest mid-range DSLR on the market and would certainly benefit from some high street discounting - something that generally tends to happen within a couple of months of release. Even if you can wait that long then the K-30 represents a solid investment for those wanting to grow their photography skills with a DSLR."

Better than my K-5 maybe but watch the price, John A. Byrne - Jun 13 2013
I bought this camera since my K-5 has the mirror lock-up problem and I did not have time ot get it fixed in time for a European vacation. It was easier, faster and almost the same price to get this camera instead of a fix for the K-5 and I took over 4000 shots and just love it. The ergonomics are terrific and I have large hands. The color, dynamic range and ease of use m...

This is a great camera!, Dude - Jun 09 2013
It takes great pictures. The display is easy to read. I have used it in rain storms and it has worked great....

Great upgrade, Family man - Jun 08 2013
We were shooting a K-100, which was good, but with kids moving into sports and a big trip coming up, we felt it was time to upgrade. Paired with the Sigma 18-250 as the walking-around lens and the Pentax 50 f1.4 for low light/no flash situations, it's a versatile package and a great upgrade....

Great Camera, JaguarOT - Jun 07 2013
I was really looking to step up to the true DSLR world. Having owned a couple cameras with swiveling LCDs and large optical zooms (Casio QV8000sx and Canon Powershot S2 1s), I knew I could get similar zoom-ability and much better optics with a few interchangeable lenses, but I thought the swivel LCD would be a necessity. OTOH, I had four lenses left over from my 35mm day...