The K-30 represents an excellent value for anyone shopping for a D-SLR. For under $1,000 you get a best-in-class viewfinder, fast continuous shooting, a better-than-average kit lens, in-body image stabilization, and excellent image quality.
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81
Conclusion: We like it
The Pentax K-30 takes the kind of good, well-balanced pictures you'd expect from a current DSLR with a 16-megapixel sensor, built-in shake reduction, and a good collection of quality lenses. However, that's not the reason to consider spending over $1,000 on the K-30, when you can get similar performance from Canon or Nikon models for less. The real reason to pick one up is that it's a rugged, weather-sealed DSLR that you can use to shoot in the rain, in dust storms, in frigid winter weather, and in other conditions that could seriously damage a more delicate camera. This makes it a great travel camera if you're looking for something more versatile than the latest batch of ruggedized point-and-shoots (just don't take it swimming; it's weather-resistant, but not waterproof!).
90-Day Price History
Critic reviews
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The Pentax K-30 is an excellent mid-range digital DSLR. Although its exterior styling may not be your taste, it combines a good feature set with superb image quality, a sense of fun, and a reasonable price.
Read the full review →[T]he rough and rugged Pentax K-30 is a great, small DSLR option for jobs where you might get splashed, snowed on or covered in dust.
Read the full review →Packed full of useful features, the K-30 will appeal to photographers who value bang for their buck. We do suggest investing in a better lens than the kit version for superior results.
Read the full review →An excellent DSLR choice for adventure photographers and creative types who will appreciate its in-camera effects. For most outdoor situations, the 18-135mm zoom provides plenty of width and reach, without adding much weight to the overall compact package.
Read the full review →With a great pentaprism viewfinder, a weather-sealed body, and twin control dials, the Pentax K-30 offers a lot of bang for the buck. Throw in much the same imaging configuration as the mirrorless K-01, and you're looking at a mighty interesting camera.
Read the full review →It may not be perfect, but there's plenty to like about the Pentax K-30.
Read the full review →We're pretty impressed with the Pentax K-30. It allows you take high quality 16MP images in the type of conditions that would result in other cameras needing a trip to the service centre. The control layout is sensible and all the important features can be assessed quickly.
Read the full review →As such the K-30 offers enough to stand out from its peers, with the overall build quality and weather sealing a notable highlight.
Read the full review →An extremely capable all-rounder, and aggressively priced to boot.
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How it stacks up
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