Pentax K-30 in the office

I can import photos from the camera connected to the PC via USB cable, but the Pentax DSLRs don't support tethered shooting*. (Unless you buy the tethered shooting option for the 645D).

*PKTether could be an option, but the K-30 is not listed as being supported.

pkTriggerCord is another tether project I've read about. These Open Source projects are very geeky and abit scary to most though!

Tethering should surely be a free upgrade for all users IF Pentax is serious about their cameras being treated as a Pro range again.

On other improvements I moved from KX to KR to K5 in th last couple of years. A real pentaprism, a quiet shutter, decent autofocus and dust resistance have been my needs for improvement. The shutter noise from the KX and KR are therefore the only outstanding issues for your K30 test in my list. I guess the magnesium alloy body on the K5 is why that model is so whisper quiet. A 5D MKII owning friend visiting last week was amazed by this and the K5 in general! He is considering the K30 as a possible second personal camera rather than lugging his 'full frame' gear everywhere

I agree.

But apart from the no Lightroom tethering (can't be that hard for Pentax to solve?) and missing an external microphone socket, in my mind the K30 seems to be a pretty fine camera!

Don't you just set Lightroom up to watch a folder and load
new pics when they arrive.

Eye-Fi cards are better than tethering.... no need to have
any leads.

Thank you

The Pentax K-30 Review is now live, which you can read here:
https://www.pentaxuser.com/review/pentax-k-30-digital-slr-review-573

If you have any questions or comments, please let me know, thanks.

And as people were asking about the size difference between the K30 and the K5, here are some more pics:

Where's the focus point select switch on the K30?

It doesn't have one, you can select the focus point by holding the middle OK button. Or to change the focus mode, you can go into the rear control panel by pressing INFO and then setting the AF Active Area.

If it was your money and you could buy one or the other, which would it be?

If I had a camera that I was currently using and happy with, I'd probably wait to see what happens at Photokina Not that I know anything, but it's fairly common for everyone to announce new things at it.

Have you not got a camera then?

I think he's hinting that (unless you urgently need a camera) it might be better to wait and see whether the new 'flagship' would be worth stretching to, which will probably be announced at Photokina (not far off now)...

That comment would result in 100 pages of FF speculation on the US forum....

I very rarely buy cameras, as Im normally testing cameras on loan all the time, so if I do have a camera it rarely gets used. However at the moment I have a Nex-3, and an Olympus OMD. WHAT I meant by the comment was that the K5 and Kr are a couple of years old, so very likely to be updated. Without knowing whats going to be announced at Photokina its very difficult to make an informed decision. Id say if you have 600 quid and Pentax lenses then the K30 is a great camera. If you have 700 quid and Pentax lenses and arent bothered about video (and dont want to wait for Photokina), then get the K5.

I think Joshua makes a fair point. The K5 is a bargain just now and I guess any new model at Photokina (if it happens) will be £1200 plus for a while after release given history of such things.