Pentax Optio W30

Reviewed June 2007

Characteristics

The Optio W30 has a 1/2.5-inch CCD, a 7.41 million pixel CCD of which 7.1 million pixels are effective when capturing an image at the maximum size of 3072 x 2304 pixels, part of the 8 image sizes available:

All images are captured in JPEG format, using one of the three compression levels the W30 provides:

• Best: applies a compression that has a ratio of approximately 8:1.
• Better: applies a compression that has a ratio of approximately 13:1.
• Good: applies a compression that has a ratio of approximately 20:1.

Sensitivity for the CCD starts at 64 ISO but can be manually set to 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200 ISO as well when the camera is used in the Program mode. An auto ISO setting is also available, the setting used by most scene modes, starting at 64 ISO. However, the upper limit of the Auto ISO is user selectable, and can be selected to 200, 400, 800, 1600 or 3200 ISO.

The W30 has a 3X SMC Pentax zoom lens with a focal length range of 6.3 to 18.9 mm, the equivalent in the 35 mm format of a 38 to 114 mm zoom. The zoom is composed of 11 elements in 9 groups and uses a single-sided aspherical element, and 2 double-sided aspherical elements to control curvilinear distortion. The zoom has apertures that start at f3.3 at the wide angle end, and f4 at the telephoto end.

In addition to the optical zoom, a 4X digital zoom is also available for a total magnification of 12X. The digital zoom has to be enabled in the menu. The digital zoom crops the centre of the image and interpolates the cropped section to the currently selected image size.

The W30 has a shutter speed range that covers from 1/2000 second down to 4 seconds, but the maximum exposure time is only available when the camera is set to the Night Scene or Fireworks modes, all other modes normally extending only to 1/4 second. Exposures longer than 1 second are automatically processed for noise reduction.

Other settings are contained in the menu of the W30. The menu, displayed by pressing the MENU button, is composed of two sections, the Rec. Mode options, and the Setup options. The number of accessible options in the Rec. section depends on the shooting mode in use, while those contained in the Setup menu remain constant. Interestingly, however, Pentax provides a system, controlled by the Green button, to change the order in which options appear in the menu:

• Recorded Pixels: serves to choose the image size (see above).
• Quality Level: serves to set the level of compression (see above).
• White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Shade, Tungsten, Fluorescent, or Manual which allows setting the white balance under ambient light, using a white surface.
• AE Metering serves to select the metering pattern: Multi-segment, Centre-weighted or Spot.
• Sensitivity sets the ISO equivalent of the CCD: Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200 ISO or Auto ISO with a selectable upper limit (200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200).

• EV Compensation to adjust the exposure, if necessary, over a range of ± 2 EV in 1/3 EV increments.
• AF Setting contains two options:
  • Focusing Area: Multiple, selects the focus point automatically from a wide area in the frame; Spot, focuses on the middle of the frame; Automatic Tracking AF, serves to track a moving subject.
  • Focus Limiter: limits the focus range to the distant range, or the macro range when the camera is set to the macro mode.

• Movie contains all the options related to the Movie mode:
  • Recorded Pixels: selects the movie frame size.
  • Quality Level: selects the compression.
  • Frame Rate: 15 or 30 frames per second.
  • Colour Mode: serves to select colour, or black and white, or sepia.
  • Movie SR: On or Off, controls the electronic Shake Reduction.
  • Interval Shooting: allows recording multiple still images that are then stored as a movie file.
  • AF w/recording: decides whether or not the auto focus operates while recording movies.
  • Optical Zoom: decides whether the optical zoom is available while recording movies (motor noise may be recorded as well).
• Interval Shooting: Allows selecting:
  • Interval: 10 seconds to 99 minutes.
  • Number of Shots: from 2 to 999 shots.
  • Start Delay: from 0 min to 24 hours.
• Digital Zoom: On or Off. Controls the 4X digital zoom.
• Instant Review: decides if an image is displayed on the monitor immediately post capture (0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 seconds or Off).
• Memory: decides which camera settings will be recalled when the camera is turned back On.
• Sharpness: High, Normal or Low.
• Saturation: High, Normal or Low.
• Contrast: High, Normal or Low.

Set to the Playback mode, the MENU button displays the same menu, but opens on the Setup options instead of the Rec. Mode menu. The MODE button, however, offers a playback related menu, called the Playback Mode Palette that is presented as icons and, as it is with the Shooting Modes that are displayed when this button is pressed in the capture modes, a short text description of the highlighted option appears on screen after a couple of seconds:

• Slide show: serves to select the interval between images (3, 5, 10, 15, 20 or 30 seconds) as well as transition effects (wipe, fade, shrink, or Off) and if a sound is produced each time the image changes.
• Resize: allows reducing the size of an image under review, or changing its compression. An option is provided to either overwrite the original image or save the resized image as a new file.
• Cropping: allows selecting a part of an image by zooming into it on the monitor, and saving the visible section as a new image using the same compression level as the original.

• Image/Sound Copy: to copy images and sounds from the internal memory to a memory card, or vice versa.
• Image Rotation: serves to rotate images by 90° to the right or left, or 180°.
• Digital Filter:
  • Colour Filter processes the image so that it is B&W, sepia, red, pink, purple, blue, green, or yellow.
  • Colour Extraction Filter removes a selected colour from the image.
  • Soft Filter blurs the entire image.
  • Fisheye Filter: produces a fisheye effect.

• Brightness Filter: Serves to change the brightness of still images.
• Movie Edit offers tools to edit movies:
  • Save as Still Image: allows saving one frame from a movie as a still image.
  • Divide Movies: serves to cut a movie into two movies.
  • Stitch Movies: allows joining two movies into one.
• Frame Composite: offers the same functionality as the Scene mode, making it possible to add a frame to an already captured image and save it as a new image.
• Red-eye Compensation: serves to apply automatic red-eye correction.
• Voice Memo: serves to add a voice annotation to an image. The maximum recording time is 24 hours.
• Protect: makes the image read-only, preventing it from being accidentally deleted.
• DPOF*: serves to select individual images for printing and the number of copies to make of each, or select all images for printing. Moreover, when the camera is connected to a PictBridge printer, a screen automatically appears that provides choices for paper size, paper type, quality and border options.
• Image Recovery: this option serves to, within certain parameters, recover images and sound files that were deleted with the camera (up to a maximum of 999)
• Start-up Screen: makes it possible to select an image captured with the camera and have the W30 display it during start-up.

Pentax does not include a memory card with the Optio W30, but as it is with many cameras nowadays, the W30 has internal memory, 21.9 MB in this case, that can be used as a back-up, or when the camera is fresh out of the box. For greater photo capacity, however, an SD memory card slot is provided next to the battery slot, both being sealed behind a locking waterproof door.

As a guide, the chart below lists the approximate numbers of images that can be saved using either the internal memory or an optional 1 GB memory card:

A tiny rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (D-LI63) powers the Optio W30. The battery is held in place by a small orange coloured latch that prevents it from sliding out when the cover door is opened to take out the SD card.

A wired charger (D-BC8) is included as part of the kit, (D-BC63) which takes around 120 minutes to completely recharge the battery.

The W30 is equipped with a DC jack, hidden behind a small door, along with another external connection, beneath the camera. The door that protects both these connections locks, and has a waterproof seal. The DC-IN jack is specific to the optional K-AC63 AC adapter that is intended to power the camera from regular household current.