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Pentax K-30 was announced in 2012 and is an APS-C (23.7 x 15.7 mm) DSLR camera with 16.3 Megapixel CMOS sensor. Its native ISO ranges from 100 to 12,800 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode. The camera has a Fixed 3.0" screen with 921k dot resolution and built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a built-in Sensor Shift in body image stabilization.
Pentax K-30 can capture video up to 1920 x 1080 resolution.
In this section we present pros and cons of Pentax K-30.
And here are some specifications which fall into average criteria and are neither in PROs nor in CONs category:
In 2013 Pentax K-30 was replaced by Pentax K-50. Let us now have a look at some important differences between Pentax K-30 and its successor.
| UPGRADES | Pentax K-50 | vs | Pentax K-30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cheaper | Body only: $599/£529; body with 18-55mm WR lens: $779/£599; body with 18-55mm and 50-200m WR lenses: $879 | vs | Body: US $849.95, with 18-55mm kit lens: $899.95 |
| Higher Native ISO | 51,600 | vs | 12,800 |
| DOWNGRADES | Pentax K-50 | vs | Pentax K-30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Selective Autofocus | vs | ||
| Lower DxO Low Light ISO | 1120 | vs | 1129 |
For more detailed comparison between the models please visit Pentax K-30 vs K-50.
Pentax K-30 has a 3.0" Fixed screen with 921k dot resolution.
Camera has a built-in Optical (pentaprism) viewfinder. It has a 100% coverage and 0.92x (0.61x 35mm equivalent) magnification.
Pentax K-30 features a 16.3 megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor with dimensions of 23.7 x 15.7 mm and a total area of 372.1 mm2. Its native ISO range is 100 - 12,800 and expands to 100 - 25,600 in boosted mode.
Here is a sensor size comparison chart where you can see how Pentax K-30's APS-C sensor compares with other types of sensors:
| Sensor | Dimensions | Area | Aspect Ratio | Crop Factor | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Medium Format | 44 x 33 mm | 1452 mm2 | 4:3 | 0.79x |
 | Full Frame | 36 x 24 mm | 864 mm2 | 3:2 | 1x |
 | APS-H | 27 x 18 mm | 486 mm2 | 3:2 | 1.3x |
 | APS-C | 23.7 x 15.7 mm | 372.1 mm2 | 3:2 | 1.5x |
 0.webp) | APS-C (Canon) | 22.3 x 14.9 mm | 332.3 mm2 | 3:2 | 1.6x |
 | Micro Four Thirds | 17.4 x 13 mm | 226.2 mm2 | 4:3 | 2x |
 | 1-inch | 13.2 x 8.8 mm | 116.2 mm2 | 3:2 | 2.7x |
 | 1/1.7-inch | 7.44 x 5.58 mm | 41.5 mm2 | 4:3 | 4.7x |
 | 1/2.3-inch | 6.17 x 4.55 mm | 28.1 mm2 | 4:3 | 5.6x |
Camera is equipped with PRIME M processor and can take pictures up to 4928 x 3264 resolution. It can also take pictures with lower resolutions like 4224 x 2816, 3456 x 2304, 2688 x 1792 with 3:2 aspect ratios.
Pentax K-30 has Pentax KAF2 lens mount. Due to APS-C sensor its crop factor (also called lens multiplier) is 1.5x. This means that a 35mm equivalent focal length of the mounted lens will be equal to its actual focal length times 1.5.
The camera has a built-in Sensor Shift in-body image stabilization (IBIS). This means that you are still getting vibration reduction when camera is paired with non-image stabilizied lenses. It also works with lenses with optical image stabilization and in combination can achieve even better compensation.
Pentax K-30 has a USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) input for data transfer.
Pentax K-30 comes with D-LI109
4 x AA battery pack with battery life of 410 shots.
The camera has a single SD/SDHC/SDXC (UHS-I) card slot.
Pentax K-30's shutter speed can go up to 1/6000 sec. Camera can shoot continuously up to 6.0 fps.
Pentax K-30 has a built-in flash with maximum range of 12.00 m at ISO 100 and also accepts external flash which can be connected via Hot Shoe or Wireless connection. The fastest flash synchronization speed is 1/180 sec.
Pentax K-30 has dimensions of 130 x 97 x 71 mm (5.12 x 3.82 x 2.8"). It weighs 650 g (1.43 lb / 22.93 oz) which is neither heavy nor lightweight.
130 mm (5.12")
97 mm (3.82")
97 mm (3.82")
71 mm (2.8")
Pentax K-30 dimensions
We give scores to the camera for different type of photography based on its features and specifications. Let us see how Pentax K-30 is suitable for six different types of photography.
Pentax K-30 gets a score of 81 and is GOOD choice for Landscape photography.
Pentax K-30 gets a score of 72 and is GOOD choice for Sports photography.
Pentax K-30 gets a score of 68 and is AVERAGE choice for Wildlife photography.
Pentax K-30 gets a score of 81 and is GOOD choice for Portrait photography.
Pentax K-30 gets a score of 83 and is GOOD choice for Street photography.
Pentax K-30 gets a score of 83 and is GOOD choice for Travel photography.
We evaluate Pentax K-30 and give score of 67 out of 100. We also give separate scores for 7 different categories according to the available features and specifications some of which are listed below. These evaluations are relative and may change each time a new camera is added to the database.
We give Pentax K-30 a score of 69 for Sensor parameters.
We give Pentax K-30 a score of 77 for Photo parameters.
We give Pentax K-30 a score of 45 for Video parameters.
We give Pentax K-30 a score of 80 for Focusing parameters.
We give Pentax K-30 a score of 73 for Screen and Viewfinder parameters.
We give Pentax K-30 a score of 46 for Connectivity parameters.
We give Pentax K-30 a score of 67 for Battery, Storage and Physical parameters.
For a full specification list please go to the specifications page:
