Home | Forums | Article Search | Subscribe & Shop | Contact Us | Log Out Pentax Optio 430 Email This Print This View My Personal Library Heavy Gear May 2002 • Vol.2 Issue 5 Page(s) 23 in print issue Add To My Personal Library Pentax Optio 430 The 4-megapixel Pentax Optio 430 is designed for those who want a convenient, portable camera. At just 2.3 inches high x 3.6 inches wide x 1.2 inches deep, the camera easily slips into a pocket. Despite its size, the camera's stainless steel case is sturdy. The camera bundles USB and video cables, a 16MB CompactFlash Type I card, a D-LI2 proprietary Li-Ion rechargeable battery, and a battery charger. A camera this size almost requires a special, tiny, short-life battery, such as the D-L12. Still, a portable camera shouldn't constantly suffer downtime while recharging the battery. The optional AC adapter might be a solution. The camera's Playback mode includes a zoom and pan function. Although panning is a little slow, it's a useful feature, helping you assess image quality on the small 1.6-inch TFT LCD. Histogram and Exposure displays assist in correcting lighting problems. The Optio 430's several modes and controls include AF Free, which lets you select a focus area. I'm thrilled that the Movie mode allows zooming. Unfortunately there's no option to record sound. The Multi-Exposure mode lets you superimpose one image over another. The Optio 430's strangest feature, though, is the alarm clock, which might be useful for travelers, assuming the battery holds out during photo sessions. Images I took weren't very sharp, becoming fuzzy and pixilated quickly as I enlarged them. This surprised me, given the camera's 4-megapixel ability. On the other hand, colors were gorgeous and extremely accurate. For a 4-megapixel camera, I wasn't impressed with this camera's image quality. I also wish the battery lasted longer. However, compared to some mini-cameras out there, the Optio 430 is a decent camera with accurate image colors and a long list of manual controls not usually found on such a tiny camera. by Kylee Dickey Optio 430 $799 Pentax (800) 877-0155 (303) 799-8000 www.pentax.com CPU Rating: 1.5 (out of 5)  User Reviews Be the first to write a review of this product Want more information about a topic you found of interest while reading this article? Type a word or phrase that identifies the topic and click "Search" to find relevant articles from within our editorial database. Enter A Subject (key words or a phrase): ALL Words (‘digital’ AND ‘photography’) ANY Words (‘digital’ OR ‘photography’) Exact Match ('digital photography'- all words MUST appear together) Home      Copyright & Legal Information      Privacy Policy      Site Map      Contact Us Copyright © 2010 Sandhills Publishing Company U.S.A. All rights reserved.