Review With the release of the Optio E30 camera, Pentax has provided consumers with high resolution at a small cost. It might be packing the ability to capture seven-megapixel images, but you can snap up this snapper for less than £100.

Even though Pentax has packed in the extra resolution, the company hasn’t felt the need to go over the top on other functions. What that leaves users with is a camera your gran or your nephew could use, but that will still pull off impressive shots. However, there are a few noticeable areas where the cost savings have been implemented.

For starters, the £99 price tag shows up with the age-old problem of a delay between shutter press and image capture. This issue is often found with digital cameras, but is beginning to be solved on most professional models, which are now filtering down to amateur prices. However, it’s unlikely to reach truly budget cameras for some time so the E30 shouldn’t be judged too harshly.

Coupled with that delay is the less forgivable problem of an occasional issue with the auto focus. This can be slow to home in on your intended target and can sometimes choose the wrong subject to focus on altogether. This isn’t ideal if you are more concerned with spontaneous images using automatic settings. In that scenario you don’t want to be stuck checking the screen for any sign of a focal problem, or find yourself madly snapping away in the hope that one shot will be right.

Having bothered to pack in a high resolution, it’s also a shame there wasn’t any spend left over to add the memory to handle those images. A less-than-whopping 11MB internal memory isn’t really up to the job of handling photos taken using the Optio E30’s highest settings and gets full after just three snaps. Luckily, the internal expansion slot for SD memory cards comes to the rescue. Add in a 1GB card, which are as cheap as chips these days, and suddenly you’ve got room for around 280 photos.

The design of the Optio E30 also betrays its cheap manufacture. While it is not quite the Ugly Betty of the camera world, it wouldn’t grace a catwalk at Mode Magazine either. Its form factor is a little bulky in a pocket when compared with the sleeker, more discreet models available today. However, the powerful lens is helpfully concealed by retracting it into the camera and it only extends fully when the E30 is turned on.

Another slight nag about the build quality is that the shutter button is slightly too far forward. Sitting this on the part of the camera that begins to slope down towards the front means you need to grip the Optio quite firmly to get your shot off, otherwise your finger can just slide down. Housing the button directly at the top of the camera would solve this problem and make it much easier to capture your intended target.

Another strange option is the decision to leave the USB connector open to the elements. With this model being at the lower end of the market it is unlikely to be carried by a professional tucked away nicely in a case. The casual users attracted by the price tag are much more likely to stick it in a pocket, the bottom of a bag or in a drawer at home where any number of things could clog up this connection point.

Thankfully, Pentax hasn’t scrimped on the viewing screen and the 2.4in LCD offering almost fills the back of the camera. Generally this is excellent, although it can occasionally be hard to see your target if there’s direct sunlight on the screen.

The menu system is similarly excellent, with navigation being carried out with just a few button clicks. Zooming in is left to two dedicated buttons and setting up different kinds of focus, flash and timer options is a doddle even if this is the first time you’ve opted for a digital camera. A collection of 15 different automatic settings also makes for good photos right from the off. These are represented by obvious logos and words so there’s no mistaking their use and the ability to capture video or voice make up two of the choices.

There are some weird options on offer here, though, including automatic settings to shoot food and pets. More advanced users might find the auto settings too basic to bother with and in that case the Program option can be used. This takes images based on the general settings set up in the main menu. Anyone wanting to go the other way and relinquish total control to the camera can simply push the green Easy button and get quick, fully-automatic snaps.

Performance wise, photos taken with the Optio E30 appeared with very little noise. That’s thanks to the minimum ISO 80 and maximum ISO 320 settings that are used in automatic mode, depending on how much light you have. Noise only increases to distort the images as the ISO level is increased, but only users accessing the more advanced Program function can go as high as ISO 400.

One seriously useful feature is the use of regular AA batteries that can be easily restocked no matter where you are in the world. That gets rid of the need to carry around a specific charger for one product or buy expensive proprietary rechargeable batteries in order to have spares.

Verdict

A few nagging problems aside, the Optio E30 is a very good camera for the price tag. Images are as crisp and clear as a budget photographer could want, the viewing screen is large and it’s extremely easy to use right out of the box.