The Pentax Optio A30 is a moderately priced point-and-shoot. 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 $$ price tag.