Over the last few months, two
trends have emerged in compact digital cameras: one to boost
the maximum ISO sensitivity, the other to include some form
of image stabilization.
Flowing with the current, Pentax is offering the Optio A30,
a compact camera equipped with both a CCD stabilization system
and a high ISO capability, which also includes a 10 megapixel
resolution, a 3X optical zoom and the now ubiquitous a 2.5-inch
LCD monitor.
Called Shake Reduction
(SR) the Optio A30's image stabilization has the same designation
as the system used on Pentax dSLR cameras. But, unlike many
of its competitors, the Optio A30 also offers a true Manual
mode and a Shutter Priority mode in addition
to all the auto and scene modes expected in a compact.
Aperture: f5.4, shutter speed: 1/60 sec., 64 ISO.
The Shake Reduction system is
the most costly of two systems intended to combat a design
weakness all cameras that rely exclusively on a monitor to
frame the image share: the fact that the camera must be held
out in front of the face to see its LCD screen, a stance that
is inherently more prone to camera shake than the traditional
one that has the camera held against the eye and the elbows
tucked in for stability. Moreover, with zoom-equipped compact
cameras, the lenses tend to use smaller apertures at the telephoto
end, exacerbating the likelihood of camera shake.
The other system used to avoid
camera shake is to boost the CCD sensitivity, a system the
Optio A30 also offers via its Digital SR Mode,
trading the increase in noise generated by higher ISO settings
for a higher shutter speed, thereby avoiding images blurred
by the photographer's involuntary movements.
Currently, of these two systems, the most effective is the
one that stabilizes the image at the precise moment of capture,
either by optically stabilizing the lens, or by stabilizing
the CCD as it does not normally entail a noticeable loss of
image quality, unlike systems that increase CCD sensitivity.
Indeed, the SR system of the
Optio A30 is quite effective and makes it possible to obtain
clear images at shutter speeds that would normally cause a
blurred image.
The Multi-segment metering pattern of the A30 is excellent
and consistently produces excellent results in all types of
situations, severely limiting the need for the Centre-weighted
or Spot metering. The same holds true for the auto white balance,
as it delivers images with superb colours that have a saturation
that makes them look real.
Results, however, are less ideal
when the flash is used, as is the case when it is used to
provide fill-in light, its best use as it is a bit underpowered
just like so many other compact camera flashes. Combined with
ambient light, the ambient light can surpass the light produced
by the flash, leading to colours that are biased by the other
light sources, particularly if the sensitivity is set to one
of the lowest levels such as 64 or 100 ISO.
The alternative is to set the
camera to Auto ISO, allowing it to increase the sensitivity
as required to maximize the effect of the flash, but then
it is advisable to set a maximum range of 400 ISO, as beyond
it images become quite noisy.
Without the flash and with bright natural light, images captured
at 64 or 100 ISO are normally devoid of noise. The 200 ISO
starts to show some noise, but it is limited to shadow areas.
At the 400 ISO level, noise is visible, but does not impact
the image noticeably if photos captured at this sensitivity
are printed out to a 5 x 7 inch (12 x 15 cm) size.
From 800 ISO onwards, however,
is easily visible, even on the camera's monitor, and lowers
the detail captured in the images. And with even higher sensitivities,
like most other compact cameras, the A30's images are of limited
use.
Optically, only the widest angle
of the A30's lens reveals some distortion and a less than
perfect sharpness in the image corners, exhibits some vignetting,
and can sometimes reveal a chromatic aberration near the edges
of the frame when there are strong contrasts.
On the other hand, the rest of the focal length range of
the A30 is close to perfection, offering excellent sharpness,
no chromatic aberration, distortion or vignetting.
Unlike many of its competitors,
the Optio A30 provides the user a choice of 3 levels of JPEG
compression at all image sizes. But, to obtain the highest image
quality, one that allows images to be printed to a large size
such as 9 x 12 inches (23 x 30 cm) at 300 dpi, the least compression
and highest image quality, represented by ***,
is best used. The other compression levels are best left for
images whose size will be reduced through printing and those
that will be used for slide shows or e-mailed.
With its classical looks, the
Pentax Optio A30, is an elegant and attractive camera. Used
outdoors and with bright light, it easily yields images of
excellent quality and colour that can be printed out to a
large size. Simple to use and equipped with a resolution that
is often considerably more than is needed, the Pentax Optio
A30 has the advantage of offering a good image stabilization
system and a short reaction time to its controls, both crucial
features when capturing subjects such as children, or even
pets.
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