Review: Pentax Optio A30 digital camera

Now that compact cameras are so light, it's actually made shaky images slightly more likely in even bright light.

Pentax has faced up to this in its latest snazzy snapper, the A30, by including three anti-shake systems.

First, there’s the sensitivity option – it's nothing to do with being in touch with your feminine side; this is the way the sensor automatically responds to available light. By increasing sensitivity (the ISO setting) it’s possible to make the shutter speed faster, thus reducing the possibility of camera shake.

Pentax calls this feature Digital SR. It adjusts the ISO up to a maximum of 3200, which is remarkably high, although it can only reach these heights when the images are set to five megapixels, not the full 10-megapixel resolution the camera can manage at lower ISO settings.

Secondly, the sensor itself is able to move. So if you shake the camera, the sensor compensates for this by quickly shifting in the opposite direction in order to stabilise the image. And third, there’s a shake-reduction feature for when you’re shooting movies instead of still images, which compensates electronically rather than mechanically, using the included software.

All of this comes at a price: with higher ISO settings image noise is often an issue and certainly here there’s plenty of that in all but the brightest of light. The reason for much of this disappointing performance is the 10-megapixel sensor. While that many dots may sound alluring, the sensor is not physically large enough to have to draw in enough light to prevent the resulting image noise.

That aside, there’s a face-priority function which can recognise when there’s a pair of eyes, a nose and a mouth in shot and focus on that. It’s a neat idea that works well in the A30. This camera is also particularly compact and will slip into the smallest pocket, as well as leaping into life satisfyingly fast when switched on. There’s also very little trace of shutter lag, which often bedevils less pricey cameras.

Pentax’s reputation for making solid, feature-heavy, attractive cameras while keeping the cost down remains in place with this device – it's a snip at the price, but it's not as accomplished as some seemingly less well-equipped models.

Vista compatible: Yes