Pentax T30 Performance

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Pentax Optio T30 Performance

Timing and Performance

Below average speed for a consumer camera.

Mode switching
Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	3.4 seconds	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.
Shutdown	1.8 seconds	How long it takes to retract lens.
Buffer clearing time	4 seconds (buffer clearing after continuous LF JPEGs)	Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Play to Record, first shot	0.8 second	Time until first shot is captured.
Record to play	1.9 seconds	Time to display a large/fine file immediately after capture.
Display recorded image	0.6 second	Time to display a large/fine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time)
Full Autofocus Wide	0.96 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele	1.13 seconds	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Prefocused	0.187 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Manual focus	0.38 second	For most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus, but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused".
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large Fine JPEG	3.88 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Single Shot mode 640x480 JPEG	3.68 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Early shutter penalty?	No	Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer
Continuous mode Large Fine JPEG	2.73 seconds (0.37 frames per second); 4 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Continuous mode 640x480 JPEG	1.66 seconds (0.60 frames per second); 2 second to clear	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Flash recycling	7.6 seconds	Flash at maximum output.
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	896 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-769=USB 2.0 Low; Above 770=USB 2.0 High
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a Kingston Ultimate 133x SD memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode.

The Pentax T30's performance is generally below average. Startup time is below average at almost 3.4 seconds, though shutdown time is closer to average at 1.8 seconds. Full autofocus shutter response is below average these days, which we measured at 0.96 second at wide angle, and 1.13 seconds at telephoto. Prefocused shutter lag isn't too bad at only 0.187 second, but still slower than many. Shot-to-shot cycle times are about average, but the continuous-mode speed of 0.37 frames-per-second is well below average. The Pentax T30's flash takes about 7.6 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot - which is also below average for compact models. Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are not as fast as most other digital cameras presently out on the market. Bottom line, the Pentax T30 is one of the slower models available today.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Slightly less-than-average battery life for a lithium-ion design.

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
Lithium-ion rechargeable battery (CIPA standard)	200

The Pentax Optio T30 uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and a charger is included. Since run times are a bit below average, we recommend picking up a spare battery and keeping it freshly charged and on-hand for long outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Pentax Optio T30 stores its photos and movies on SDHC/SD/MMCcards (card not included), or in approximately 20MB of internal memory.

Image Capacity with 20MB Internal Card		Fine	Normal	Basic
3,072 x 2,304	Images	5	10	15
3,072 x 2,304	File Size	3.7 MB	1.9 MB	1.3 MB
2,592 x 1,944	Images	6	13	20
2,592 x 1,944	File Size	3.0 MB	1.5 MB	977 KB
2,304 x 1,728	Images	9	18	26
2,304 x 1,728	File Size	2.2 MB	1.0 MB	754 KB
2,048 x 1,536	Images	11	22	33
2,048 x 1,536	File Size	1733 KB	874 KB	600 KB
1,600 x 1,200	Images	18	30	44
1,600 x 1,200	File Size	1080 KB	651 KB	445 KB
640 x 480	Images	72	106	145
640 x 480	File Size	274 KB	188 KB	137 KB

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SDHC/SD memory card, at least a 1GB card, preferably a 2GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings and videos. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)