happy snapper (Pentax Optio 430RS)

Member Name: monkeymagic vip

Product:	Pentax Optio 430RS
Date:	11/11/03 (180 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: solid metal casing

Disadvantages: no audio on video

I was in the market for a digtal camer as i was fed up of getting prints developed and then scanned on to the pc. I came across the pentax optio 430rs. I admit it wasn't my first choice but it fell within my price range.

The camera itself is a great looker with its metal gunmetal grey housing and is about the size of a smallish 35mm camera. At first I was dissapointed in the size as I thought with digital cameras came miniturisation. As i became accustomed to the camera though i appreciated that it was just the right size for my big fingers to operate and yet small enough to slip into my pocket and not cause a too embarrressing bulge in the front of my trousers(ahem are you pleased to see me or is that your digital camera?).
The camera is well equiped I only use a fraction of it's potential. It comes with 3x optical zoom 5x digital. An extremely clear lcd screen on the back, night shooting mode, continuos shooting mode, a clever 3d mode which lets you take two pics of the same subject from different angles, print em out and then view in real 3d with the supplied 3d glasses!! It has a self timer for when you wanna get your mug in the picture!! Picture quality for a snapper like myself is excellent. Oh it also has a load of technical gubbins that i'm afraid I don't understand where you can set the shutter speed manually adjust the focus etc etc. I f you know about all that well this camera does it all. It is also very easy to get the pics onto your pc and print them out. just connect with the usb cable supplied switch on your camera and a file opens with all your picture in it. at 4.0m te pictures are to high a quality to email
as they would take a hell of a long time to send but even at a lower setting they look great.

One thing I havent mentioned is this camera also takes video footage. About 30 seconds great huh? well yes and no. although the video quality is not bad there is no sound! For the price i paid for the camera I
expected sound. I recently bought my daughter a cheap as chips Kodak digital camera for £80 and although the video was only 15 seconds on that and slightly lower quality it had sound. The kodak also had the facility to be used as a web cam which the pentax doesn't. The pentax photo quality though blows the Kodak out of the water. At its highest quality and size setting the camera can only take 3 pics at 2304x1712. But that would be a huge picture. top qualit at poster size at a more reaonable size 1024x768 at a slightly lower although still excellent resolution the camera can take 36 pics. The camera excepts compact flash cards and if you invest in a 512mb you can snap away 1663 shots without stopping except to recharge the suplied lithium ion battery. Recharge takes about 2 hours and should last you all day.
The thing I found strange though was you pay a fair bit for this technology and they don't supply a case. Tight beggars ..

All in all i would recomend this camera especially as with a new model out or due out look for some good reductions.

Summary: good stuff

Processing/Quality:
Reliability:
Ease of use:
Features:
Picture quality: