Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom




->Deal Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I really like this camera so far. I do tons of white water rafting so a water proof camera was a must. I am very impressed with it's video capabilities. It takes 640x480 video at 30fps. That is very good for a still camera. Don't plan on using the zoom while in video mode, I believe it is only a digital zoom. The interface is simple and intuitive. The over all picture quality is good but not great. My old Nikon took a little better still images. The bottom line is; if you plan on doing a lot a activities where things will get wet, this is the camera for you, if not, you can get a camera in this price range with a little better image quality.



-> Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

Very convient to carry in belt pouch while involved in adventure travel
Good quality pictures
Waterproof
Controls easy to manage
downside- uses different battery than previous Optiva waterproof camera


->Buy Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

Have owned this camera for about a month now and have take a few hundred pictures and at least 2 hours worth of video. Pictures are decent, but not even close to my Digital SLR. What I was amazed by was the quality of the video. On the highest setting the vids we have taken are fantastic in quality and clarity.

The camera also does very well underwater. We have used to film my son and his friends in the local pool and some of the vids I have taken underwater make this camera worth the price alone.

The makes a great 2nd camera for us and I think it's well worth the price.




->Best Price Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

Needed small waterprood camera to take on sailing adventures where everything gets wet! Other colleagues had this camera and were very satisfied with it. Really simple to use, good pictures and battery lasts for many, many pictures.

Note that Consumer Reports really liked their software; the camera overall was middle of the pack.


->Sale Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I needed a waterproof camera for snorkeling and other water activities on a trip to Hawaii. I bought this camera since there were very few choices for product offerings in the waterproof & digital catagories. I am really impressed with this camera as this was my first time snorkeling and I had great pictures (see customer gallery). The camera does require good light, so it is better in shallow water and clear days. I also own a Sony DSC 5MP camera which works better on large scenic pictures for me, but as far as underwater, light, compact, and worry-free this camera totally exceeded my expectations. I normally do not write reviews, but for the first time I felt compelled to let people know that this camera works wonders for use around water.


->Prices Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I just got the camera 5 days ago and have used it on 2 different water occasions. Water gets behind the protection around the LCD screen so that you can't see what you are taking pictures of and view the pictures already taken. My camera has been out of the water for 12 hours now and water is still "behind" the screen. I don't know if mine is defective. I'm going to contact Pentax.


->Prices Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

Wonderful point and shoot with great options, including fireworks modes--can be used fully automatic to fully manual. Takes great videos that looked great even on a 52" HDTV! The battery life is great, I took over 300 photos (some with and others without flash) and 5+ minues of video and was still in the "green". I haven't tried the underwater or dust proof functions, but I am sure that they will be as great as all of the other features.


->Buy Now Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I have owned a lot of camera's but you can not beat this Pentax for the money. So many different settings even one for fireworks. Best of all it is waterproof. So when your on vacation and get caught in the rain no problem! My son has one and he is always dropping it in his drinks and freaking everyone out. This camera is Amazing.


->Price Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I bought this camera for my mom for Mother's Day this year. We both love it! It's easy to use (a big plus for us, as we're both "technology challenged") and it takes great pics! We haven't taken any underwater pics yet, but I'm looking forward to it.


->Shipping Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

All the reviews & manufacturer hype the water/dust-proofness of this camera, which is fine, because it does a great job, is easy to use, and is fairly sturdy. However, we used to have a Canon SD400, but we wanted a waterproof camera. This W30 is a good camera, but I think we were spoiled with the picture/lens-quality of the Canon.

Good: Water/Dust proof with not much fuss. It just works! Easy to use. Compatible with new SDHC cards (my current card is 8GB!!!). But 16GB and 32GB are on the way. This allows a HUGE number of photos and video to be recorded on ONE CARD. Just make sure to keep spare batteries. One battery will 'roughly' last about 1 hour of video and a 100-200 photos (some with/without flash).

There are no external moving parts (such as lens extension)to get trapped with dust/water, since the lens 'extension' is internal.

The menu/capture-speed is good, but not 'quite' as fast as Canon's Digic II cameras (like SD400, or later).

USB connection is a standard USB mass-storage device, so it should work on Windows, Mac, or Linux with no problems (thank goodness).

Also, this camera seems to be pretty durable/tough. I dropped it several times on CEMENT/concrete, and it got a few cosmetic scratches on the case, but all operations and the lens were fine. But I might put a plastic screen protector on the 2.5" screen to prevent scratches. Another recommendation is to get a silicon skin for pool/underwater use (to prevent case scratches from the pool/rocks), or a neoprene case to keep the lens intact while traveling (since there is NO LENS COVER).

Bad: Video uses Quicktime-MOV files, which is good (potentially), but it's a bit grainy, and the compression is not great. But I can fit a 'rough estimate' of maybe 2-3+ hours of video on an 8GB card.

Ugly: Lots of grain/noise in low-light or even some normal daylight photos. You can workaround this by manually changing the ISO speed to 64, 100, or 200 to reduce noise, but then you may get some blurry shots (due to camera/object motion).

OVERALL: If you don't need a waterproof camera, get a Canon SD-series (they're EXCELLENT). But if you need/want something more 'safe', get this camera. It's easily the best water/dust-proof camera on the market.


->Prices Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I have been using this camera for about 3 weeks. It was worked well. I purchased for the waterproof aspect. If you don't need a waterproof camera there are better deals.

The picture quality is good. It focuses fast in normal to bright light. When it gets darker the focus slows down to about 1 - 2 seconds.

The High ISO images are noisy and soft(800 and above), but I figured this would be the case with a compact digital camera.

I haven't had a chance to use it under or around water yet, but look forward to doing this on a kayak trip later in the year.


->Affordable Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

Great product, particularly if you're looking for a digicam with optical zoom and no protruding lens. I used it on vacation and was happy with the picture and movie quality, battery life, reliability, and auto-focus. I did find that other people unfamiliar with the camera had a hard time taking pictures for me, but then later I learned the camera has a special mode for just that situation :)

Features I particularly like are the time-lapse and two different delay timers, plus the fact that each of the two dozen different modes has an on-screen description which pops up so you don't just have to guess by the icon what the mode does, like on so many other cameras.

Waterproof is a real plus, as is SDHC (Supports 2GB/4GB/etc SD cards)

It takes a little while to get used to the lack of an optical viewfinder, but other than the reduced battery life from having to use the LCD all the time, I don't miss it.


->Best Price Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I love this camera! I can take it anywhere, including dusty conditions and not worry about ruining it. Some will complain about the "cheap lens", but I think it's good enough for the intended purpose. Plus, I've blown up a shot to a 16x20 print and it looks fantastic! My only recommendation is to turn off the flash whenever possible as you'll achieve better, more realistic results, but that's the advice I give for any digital. The W30 is small, it's light, it's inexpensive and it takes great pics! What more could you want?


->Comparison Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I took my new camera on our cruise. I got some amazing underwater (snorkeling) pictures. I got some that were so-so because of the amount of sunshine at the time. I wish it had a viewfinder because I am old and set in my ways and have always held a camera up to my eye to shoot. But I am getting used to using the LCD screen. The screen is nice and big, so it's really not bad. The camera is small and lightweight. I had a little trouble finding an extra battery, but I think they should be more readily available now. It took wonderful pictures out of the water also. I would recommend this camera to anyone.


->Sale Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I bought this camera because I thought it would be an upgrade from the fabulous Pentax W20 waterproof camera. Rather this camera takes very poor, pixellated photos, no matter what the setting is on. I almost feel like I got a lemon. I have reset the settings, read the manual front to back and called Pentax customer care (who don't give a crap!) This camera is as good as garbage. If you need a good camera, then get the Pentax W20 which is truly the more superior of the 2.


->Buy Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I purchased this for a cruise to the Bahamas. Camera powers up quickly. Autofocus takes a little while in low light conditions. Lots of options for true "photographers", too many for me so far. I used underwater and picture quality was near perfect. Great all around camera as a replacement for my old Kodak digital.


->Deal Pentax Optio W30 7.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

I bought the W20 early this year for a month we spent in Hawaii. It was a great camera. Long story short, I lost it in the ocean. I just picked up a W30 while on business in Hong Kong. It is much faster than the w20. I haven't taken it underwater yet but the image stabilization works well and did I mention it powers up amazingly fast. Great product.