Pentax K-30 Comparison Review

The Pentax K-30 is a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) camera that was announced in May 2012 and is equipped with an APS-C sensor. It offers a resolution of 16.1 megapixel.

Is the Pentax K-30 a good camera? The K-30 has a Camera Elo of 1602. This rating puts the K-30 below average of all digital single lens reflex cameras. In terms of its sensor size category (APS cameras), the K-30 also ranks below average. Based on its within category standings, the camera earns a 2.5-star performance rating. – Well, the Pentax K-30 is more than 12 years old, and there have been many other good digital cameras released since 2012.

Read on to find out more about the camera's size, sensor, features, reception by expert reviewers, and how it compares to other digital cameras.

Body comparison with a credit card

The physical dimensions of the Pentax K-30 relative to a credit card are illustrated in the side-by-side display below. Three consecutive views from the front, the top, and the rear side are shown. All size dimensions are rounded to the nearest millimeter.

The table below summarizes the key physical specs of the Pentax K-30 alongside a set of similar cameras. If you want to review a particular camera pair side-by-side, just move across to the CAM-parator tool and choose from the broad selection of possible comparisons there.

Body Specifications

		Camera Model	Camera Width	Camera Height	Camera Depth	Camera Weight	Battery Life	Weather Sealing	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Pentax K-30	130 mm	97 mm	71 mm	650 g	410	Y	May 2012	US$ 849	ebay.com
2.		Pentax K-3	131 mm	100 mm	77 mm	800 g	560	Y	Oct 2013	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
3.		Pentax K-3 II	131 mm	100 mm	77 mm	800 g	720	Y	Apr 2015	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
4.		Pentax K-5	131 mm	97 mm	73 mm	760 g	740	Y	Sep 2010	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
5.		Pentax K-5 II	131 mm	97 mm	73 mm	760 g	740	Y	Sep 2012	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
6.		Pentax K-50	130 mm	97 mm	71 mm	650 g	410	Y	Jun 2013	US$ 599	ebay.com
7.		Pentax K-500	130 mm	97 mm	71 mm	646 g	710	n	Jun 2013	US$ 549	ebay.com
8.		Pentax KP	132 mm	101 mm	76 mm	703 g	390	Y	Jan 2017	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
9.		Pentax K-S1	121 mm	93 mm	70 mm	558 g	410	n	Aug 2014	US$ 749	ebay.com
10.		Pentax K-S2	123 mm	91 mm	73 mm	678 g	410	Y	Feb 2015	US$ 749	ebay.com
11.		Sony A77	143 mm	104 mm	81 mm	732 g	470	Y	Aug 2011	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
Note: Measurements and pricing do not include easily detachable parts, such as add-on or interchangeable lenses or optional viewfinders.
Convert to Imperial

The listed prices provide an indication of the market segment that the manufacturer of the cameras have been targeting. The Pentax K-30 was launched in the US market at a price of $849. Usually, retail prices stay at first close to the launch price, but after several months, discounts become available. Later in the product cycle and, in particular, when the replacement model is about to appear, further discounting and stock clearance sales often push the camera price considerably down. Then, after the new model is out, very good deals can frequently be found on the pre-owned market.

Check K-30 offers at
ebay.com

Sensor comparison with a 35mm slide

The size of the sensor inside a digital camera is one of the key determinants of image quality. All other things equal, a large sensor will have larger individual pixel-units that offer better low-light sensitivity, wider dynamic range, and richer color-depth than smaller pixels in a sensor of the same technological generation. Furthermore, a large sensor camera will give the photographer more possibilities to use shallow depth-of-field in order to isolate a subject from the background. On the downside, larger sensors are more costly to manufacture and tent to lead to bigger and heavier cameras and lenses.

The Pentax K-30 features an APS-C sensor and has a format factor (sometimes also referred to as "crop factor") of 1.5. Within the spectrum of camera sensors, this places the Pentax K-30 among the medium-sized sensor cameras that aim to strike a balance between image quality and portability.

Since 2007, DXO Mark has published sensor performance measurements that have been derived using a consistent methodology. This service is based on lab testing and assigns an overall score to each camera sensor, as well as ratings for dynamic range ("DXO Landscape"), color depth ("DXO Portrait"), and low-light sensitivity ("DXO Sports"). The adjacent table reports on the physical sensor characteristics and the outcomes of the DXO sensor quality tests for a sample of alternative cameras.

Sensor Characteristics

		Camera Model	Sensor Class	Resolution (MP)	Horiz. Pixels	Vert. Pixels	Video Format	DXO Portrait	DXO Landscape	DXO Sports	DXO Overall
1.		Pentax K-30	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.7	13.0	1129	79
2.		Pentax K-3	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.7	13.4	1216	80
3.		Pentax K-3 II	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.6	13.6	1106	80
4.		Pentax K-5	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/25p	23.7	14.1	1162	82
5.		Pentax K-5 II	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/25p	23.8	14.1	1235	82
6.		Pentax K-50	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.7	13.0	1120	79
7.		Pentax K-500	APS-C	16.1	4928	3264	1080/30p	23.7	13.1	1087	79
8.		Pentax KP	APS-C	24.1	6016	4000	1080/60i	23.9	13.2	1699	81
9.		Pentax K-S1	APS-C	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	23.5	13.0	1061	78
10.		Pentax K-S2	APS-C	20.0	5472	3648	1080/30p	23.6	12.9	1514	79
11.		Sony A77	APS-C	24.0	6000	4000	1080/60p	24.0	13.2	801	78
Note: DXO values in italics represent estimates based on sensor size and age.

Many modern cameras are not only capable of taking still images, but can also record movies. The K-30 indeed provides movie recording capabilities. The highest resolution format that the K-30 can use is 1080/30p.

Feature comparison

Apart from body and sensor, cameras can and do differ across a range of features. For example, the K-30 has an optical viewfinder that provides a field of view of 100% and a magnification of 0.61x. The following tables report on some other key feature differences and similarities of the Pentax K-30 and comparable cameras.

Core Features

		Camera Model	Viewfinder (Type or 000 dots)	Control Panel (yes/no)	LCD Specifications (inch/000 dots)	LCD Attach- ment	Touch Screen (yes/no)	Max Shutter Speed *	Max Shutter Flaps *	Built-in Flash (yes/no)	Built-in Image Stab
1.		Pentax K-30	optical	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/6000s	6.0/s	Y	Y
2.		Pentax K-3	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.3/s	Y	Y
3.		Pentax K-3 II	optical	Y	3.2 / 1037	fixed	n	1/8000s	8.3/s	n	Y
4.		Pentax K-5	optical	Y	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	7.0/s	Y	Y
5.		Pentax K-5 II	optical	Y	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/8000s	7.0/s	Y	Y
6.		Pentax K-50	optical	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/6000s	6.0/s	Y	Y
7.		Pentax K-500	optical	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/6000s	6.0/s	Y	Y
8.		Pentax KP	optical	n	3.0 / 921	tilting	n	1/6000s	7.0/s	Y	Y
9.		Pentax K-S1	optical	n	3.0 / 921	fixed	n	1/6000s	5.4/s	Y	Y
10.		Pentax K-S2	optical	n	3.0 / 921	swivel	n	1/6000s	5.4/s	Y	Y
11.		Sony A77	2359	Y	3.0 / 921	full-flex	n	1/8000s	12.0/s	Y	Y
Note: *) Information refers to the mechanical shutter, unless the camera only has an electronic one.

One convenient feature of the K-30 is the presence of an on-board flash. While this built-in flash is not very powerful, it can at times be useful as a fill-in light to brighten deep shadow areas.

Connection comparison

For some imaging applications, the extent to which a camera can communicate with its environment can be an important aspect in the camera decision process. The table below provides an overview of the connectivity of the Pentax K-30 and, in particular, the interfaces the cameras (and selected comparators) provide for accessory control and data transfer.

Input-Output Connections

		Camera Model	Hotshoe Port	Internal Mic / Speaker	Microphone Port	Headphone Port	HDMI Port	USB Port	WiFi Support	NFC Support	Bluetooth Support
1.		Pentax K-30	Y	mono / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
2.		Pentax K-3	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
3.		Pentax K-3 II	Y	mono / mono	Y	Y	mini	3.0	-	-	-
4.		Pentax K-5	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
5.		Pentax K-5 II	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-
6.		Pentax K-50	Y	mono / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	-	-	-
7.		Pentax K-500	Y	mono / mono	-	-	-	2.0	-	-	-
8.		Pentax KP	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	-	2.0	Y	-	-
9.		Pentax K-S1	Y	stereo / mono	-	-	micro	2.0	-	-	-
10.		Pentax K-S2	Y	mono / mono	Y	-	micro	2.0	Y	Y	-
11.		Sony A77	Y	stereo / mono	Y	-	mini	2.0	-	-	-

Further information on the features and operation of the K-30 can be found in the free online Pentax K-30 Manual or on the Pentax support site.

Expert reviews

While the specs-based evaluation of cameras is instructive in revealing their potential as photographic tools, it remains partial and cannot reveal, for example, the handling experience and imaging performance when actually working with the K-30. User reviews, such as those found at amazon, can sometimes inform about these issues, but such feedback is often incomplete, inconsistent, and biased. This is why expert reviews are important. The following table reports the overall rankings of the cameras as published by some of the major camera review sites (amateurphotographer [AP], cameralabs [CL], digitalcameraworld [DCW], dpreview [DPR], ephotozine [EPZ], photographyblog [PB]).

Review Scores

		Camera   Model	AP   score	CL   score	DCW   score	DPR   score	EPZ   score	PB   score	Camera Launch	Launch Price	Street Price
1.		Pentax K-30	4/5	..	..	78/100	4.5/5	4.5/5	May 2012	US$ 849	ebay.com
2.		Pentax K-3	4/5	..	..	83/100	5/5	5/5	Oct 2013	US$ 1 299	ebay.com
3.		Pentax K-3 II	4.5/5	..	..	..	5/5	5/5	Apr 2015	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
4.		Pentax K-5	4/5	..	..	83/100	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2010	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
5.		Pentax K-5 II	5/5	..	..	80/100	5/5	4.5/5	Sep 2012	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
6.		Pentax K-50	5/5	..	..	..	5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2013	US$ 599	ebay.com
7.		Pentax K-500	..	..	..	..	4.5/5	4.5/5	Jun 2013	US$ 549	ebay.com
8.		Pentax KP	4/5	..	3/5	82/100	5/5	4.5/5	Jan 2017	US$ 1 099	ebay.com
9.		Pentax K-S1	4/5	..	..	..	4.5/5	4/5	Aug 2014	US$ 749	ebay.com
10.		Pentax K-S2	4.5/5	..	..	..	5/5	4.5/5	Feb 2015	US$ 749	ebay.com
11.		Sony A77	5/5	91/100	..	81/100	..	5/5	Aug 2011	US$ 1 399	ebay.com
Note: (+ +) highly recommended; (+) recommended; (o) reviewed; (..) not available.

The review scores listed above should be treated with care, though. The ratings are only valid when referring to cameras in the same category and of the same age. Thus, a score needs to be put into the context of the launch date and the launch price of the camera, and comparing ratings of very distinct cameras or ones that are far apart in terms of their release date have little meaning. It should also be noted that some of the review sites have over time altered the way they render their verdicts.

Check K-30 offers at
ebay.com

Camera to camera comparisons

In case you are interested in seeing how this camera compares to another one, just use the search menu below. An an alternative, you can also directly jump to any one of the listed comparisons that were previously generated by the CAM-parator tool.

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