Here are a few images that accurately reflect the abilities
of any given camera model. The images are altered only in
terms of size and sharpness after reduction and by the JPEG
compression used. Unless otherwise mentioned, assume that
any marbling or artifacts visible in the images are due to
the compression required to display them here. We feel however,
that they still faithfully represent the results we experienced.
STILL LIFE
This subject is photographed in a room that has a mix of fluorescent and
incandescent light, but which is not brightly lit. The camera's flash is
used to add fill light. The backdrop is 1.95 m (6.5 ft) from the camera.
The image the Pentax Optio T30 yields with the sensitivity
set to 64 ISO is well exposed, and well lit. The light from
the flash complements the ambient artificial lighting perfectly
and opens up shadow areas very effectively, while the auto
white balance produces an image of this subject that has natural
colours.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f2.7
Exp:
Program
Shutter Spd:
1/50 sec.
Res:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
On
Quality:
Best
ISO:
64
File Size:
2.23 MB
Focal Lgth:
37.5 mm (35 mm
Eq.)
When the image is inspected at full
scale on a monitor, however, some graininess can be seen, possibly
a result of noise and compression, and the sharpness is noticeably
lower.
ZOOM PHOTO
Now we zoom in on the on the centre of the image above to gauge the sharpness
of the image at the zoom's maximum setting. The camera remains at the same
distance as in the preceding photo.
At the telephoto end of the zoom, the brightest aperture
available is f5.2 and it is necessary to set the camera to
Auto ISO and allow it to increase sensitivity to make the
image brighter.
The camera increases sensitivity to 400 ISO to improve the
effectiveness of the flash, and as a result noise starts to
become noticeable in shadow areas, slightly changing the colour
of the background cloth.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f5.2
Exp:
Program
Shutter Spd:
1/100 sec.
Res:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
On
Quality:
Best
ISO:
400
File Size:
2.45 MB
Focal Lgth:
112.5 mm (35 mm Eq.)
Yet, the image sharpness is greater
when the zoom is at the telephoto end, making it possible to
see the texture of the background cloth. Here again, however,
the combination of noise and compression lower the overall image
sharpness.
Aperture: f2.7, shutter speed: 1/8 sec. 64 ISO.
MACRO PHOTO
The Macro mode of the Optio T30 locks the zoom at the
wide angle end to allow for a minimum focus distance of 15
cm (6 in.). At this distance the camera captures a field of
view of approximately 14.5 cm (5.8 in.). Images captured at
this distance reveal some barrel distortion, most noticeably
when the subject contains straight elements along the long
sides of the frame.
As the camera selects the aperture and shutter speed automatically,
the depth of field of macro images cannot be maximized.
BUILDING PHOTO
This image
is our "outdoor" test. The architecture of the building,
in particular the angled girders, immediately show the presence
of jaggies.
The shadowed entrance can also often reveal the quality of the exposure.
The exposures the camera yields outdoors under good light
are very good. In this case, the colours are slightly warm,
and that saturation produces an excellent print.
Seen at 100%, the image appears a touch soft focus, but is
free of any noticeable barrel distortion. Likewise, there
is no visible chromatic aberration along the edges of high
contrasts.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f4.3
Exp:
Program
Shutter Spd:
1/320 sec.
Res:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
Off
Quality:
Best
ISO:
64
File Size:
2.15 MB
Focal Lgth:
37.5 mm (35 mm
Eq.)
ZOOM PHOTO
Zooming in on the entrance of the building, the
shadowed entrance takes on a greater importance for the metering
and can cause an overexposure of sections that are directly
lit.
The telephoto exposure has colours that are consistent with
those obtained at the wide angle end of the zoom. There is
no discernable pincushion distortion, nor any chromatic aberration.
Sharpness, on the other hand, is slightly soft and the small
sign on the door appears a bit blurry, very possibly the result
of the fairly strong compression applied to the images.
Photo
Information
Format:
JPEG
Aperture:
f5.2
Exp:
Program
Shutter Spd:
1/125 sec.
Res:
3072 x 2304
Flash:
Off
Quality:
Best
ISO:
64
File Size:
2.15 MB
Focal Lgth:
112.5 mm (35 mm
Eq.)
NIGHT PHOTO
As this camera is capable of a long exposure, a photo
taken at night is included.
Aperture: f2.7; shutter
speed: 4 sec., 160 ISO.
The Optio T30 is capable of
capturing exposures as long as 4 seconds when used in the
Night Scene mode. This comparatively short
exposure time translates as dark exposures at the lowest and
least noise-prone sensitivity unless the subject is very brightly
lit.
With darker subjects, the only alternative is to increase
sensitivity, but as of 200 ISO the noise in the image causes
a loss of detail and overall image quality.
To obtain the best results, a well-lit subject
is preferable, allowing the use of the lowest sensitivity. At
64 ISO, noise is minimal and the image retains a very reasonable
level of detail. And as the camera allows control over the white
balance in all capture modes, setting it — with this subject
— to Incandescent yields quite realistic colours.
Test Photos
