Wow. The Pentax K-30 image quality really caught me by surprise. I’ve been using the K-30 DSLR for a few weeks now and I am quite enjoying it. The size is great for packing on the mountain bike and the excellent image quality is outstanding. As a camera manufacturing underdog, Pentax has to position their cameras carefully right now and they’ve definitely done that with the K-30. Compared to other DSLRs at the same price point (about US $1000 with 18-55mm kit lens), the K-30 gives you more for your money, including a weather-sealed body, some interesting shooting modes and excellent image quality for an APS-C sensor camera. Below, you’ll find a full set of high-res studio sample photos taken with the Pentax K-30 along with a bit of analysis.
The K-30’s image quality surprised and impressed me. In fact, the K-30 has the best image quality I’ve seen yet from an APS-C sensor camera. With proper exposure and the right kind of subject, I think it’s useable right up to ISO 3200 and even ISO 6400 looks pretty good. Pentax did a great job of keeping the noise under control and the K-30 images have a smoothness and tonal subtlety I don’t think I’ve seen in another APS-C sensor camera. I do think they’ve traded a bit of detail but you’ll have to do some very careful comparing to see the difference. I compared the K-30 to the Nikon D7000 and the Sony NEX-5N, both of which use a comparable 16-megapixel APS-C sensor. Comparing ISO 400 studio tests at 100% the K-30 looks a bit softer but the noise is also less harsh. And when you get into higher sensitivity settings, the Pentax strategy really pays off. At ISO 3200 the K-30 images look remarkably better than the Sony and Nikon sample photos. Pentax really deserves to be congratulated on the K-30’s image quality.
These Pentax K-30 studio test photos were shot in aperture priority at f/8 using the Pentax 18-135mm SMC-DA zoom lens. They were shot RAW using the tungsten white balance preset and converted to 16-bit TIFFs with Lightroom with no adjustments. The graybar, text and logo were added in Photoshop and the images were then saved as maximum quality JPEGs for your viewing pleasure. No sharpening or noise reduction has been applied. Download, print and pixel peep them in any way you please. Visit our Digital Camera Sample Photos page to browse samples from other cameras. I’ve still got a lot to set up and post, but if you want to look at some real world samples, check out my Pentax K-30 photo gallery.
If you own the Pentax K-30, please write a user review!
Pentax K-30 Studio Tests
 Pentax K-30 ISO 100 Sample |
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 Pentax K-30 ISO 200 Sample |
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 Pentax K-30 ISO 400 Sample |
 Pentax K-30 ISO 800 Sample |
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 Pentax K-30 ISO 1600 Sample |
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 Pentax K-30 ISO 3200 Sample |
 Pentax K-30 ISO 6400 Sample |
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 Pentax K-30 ISO 12,800 Sample |
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 Pentax K-30 ISO 25,600 Sample |
All Digital Camera Sample Photos >>
Related Content:
All Pentax Camera User Reviews
Pentax K-30 Photo Gallery
Pentax Cameras Forum
Digital SLRs Forum
Pentax Camera News And Articles
Pentax Cameras Web Page
All Digital Camera Pro Reviews
All Digital Camera Studio Sample Photos
Looks great! I know you know I love my K-5 and even the trusty old K-x.
At some point my K-x will need to be retired and I’ll be strongly considering the K-30 as a backup/smaller body in the future.
I have to say small weatherproof bodies with great IQ are perfect for the skier/MTBer/hikers out there. John, at some point you need to try a Limited prime or two. The IQ from those compact little guys on a good body is truly amazing!
After using this camera bit Matt, I am definitely impressed. With the 18-135mm lens, it’s got a pretty good range and it’s light and small enough to comfortably carry on any mountain bike ride. When the time comes, you should definitely get one of these or whatever replaces it. It’s a great camera – especially for the price.