Pentax Optio W30: Review

Posted to Digital Cameras 2009-04-28

Pentax Optio W30 Review:

The Pentax Optio W30 is a waterproof digital camera. This waterproof camera can be used in depths of up to ten feet for two hours and it has an ISO sensitivity of 3200. With an aluminum body and a 2.5 inch LCD monitor, a 7.1 megapixel sensor and a 3x optical zoom providing an equivalent focal length range of 38-114 mm, this first rate digital camera will take you where no camera has taken you before.

With the waterproof feature as the pulling factor for this camera, Pentax completes the package offering USB and AV cables, a rechargeable battery, a battery charger, and an AC cord. The W30 also comes with a strap and the software needed to download the photographs onto your computer if you chose to use it. With 21.9MB of internal memory, this camera accepts SD or SDHC memory cards. The camera weighs 5.6 ounces and is 4.2 x 2.1 x 0.9 inches in dimension. You can capture JPEG images with it or you can film 640x480 or 320x240 videos at either 15 or 30 frames per second.

Rating:

4.2 out of 5

Performance

Pentax says the Optio W30 has a shutter lag speed of .05 seconds. The time required for the camera to focus and shoot a single frame in good light is about 1.5 seconds. This camera has a continuous high-speed shutter that can take about 3 images per second, but it will only take 5 images at a time. This may limit your ability to take sequence shots if that was your photo need. The 3x optical zoom lens has an aperture range of f3.3 to f4. The lens seems pretty sharp at both ends (telephoto and wide angle), but there is some distortion near the ends. There is also some chromic aberration in some high contrast boundary areas. The 2.5 inch LCD screen is easy to see, but the 115,000 dot composition is about half of some LCD screens in cameras of the same size. The monitor is adjustable for brightness, but images may still be difficult to see, out in the field.

Ergonomics

The front of the camera has the built in flash, the lens and the self-timer lamp. This lens has an internal zoom and focus, due to the waterproofing. The lens does not protrude from the camera body as is usual in compact digital cameras. The back of the camera features the 2.5-inch LCD monitor, with the zoom, playback, controller, display and menu buttons. The design of the back is very user friendly. The bottom of the camera has a threaded tripod socket and the cover for the PC/AV and DC terminals. The shutter release button, power button, microphone and speaker are located on the top of the body.

Summary

The Pentax Optio W30 takes great pictures in conditions that are optimal. The underwater capabilities are limited, but the camera is an excellent choice for those photographers who are often in wet or soggy conditions. The camera is sturdy and takes sharp photographs. With no manual controls, photographers are going to have to trust that this camera will take the best possible pictures. While this is often the case, it's not a sure thing. The time this camera takes to focus and fire is about 1.5 seconds. For some, this might be too long.

Pros

Excellent foul weather camera
2.5 inch LCD display screen
0.05 second shutter lag

Cons

No manual controls
Difficult to focus in dim light