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*January 22, 2007 *– Pentax added the mid-level Optio M30 to its point-and-shoot arsenal today. The redesigned 7.1- megapixel camera comes in a slimmer body and adds higher ISO sensitivity over its predecessor, the M20. It will sell at a suggested retail price of $199.95 when it becomes available in March.
The new Pentax Optio M30 is thinner than the M20 that was introduced in August for the same introductory price. The M30 takes on the slimmer look of the Optio T30 which was also introduced today. Built from an aluminum alloy, the redesigned camera measures 0.7 inches thick and loses its slight side handgrip. It also houses an ultra-thin battery and miniaturized circuit board.
Aside from the new body, the Optio M30 shares many of its predecessor’s features. Like the M20, the new camera has a 3x optical zoom lens, 2.5-inch LCD screen with 115,000 resolution, and captures videos at 640 x 480 resolution at 30fps in its movie mode.
The Pentax M30 adds a higher ISO sensitivity at 3200 ISO, which is up from the maximum ISO 1600 on its older counterpart. The camera comes with Pentax's Digital Shake Reduction, Face Recognition for Auto Focus and Auto Exposure, and an Auto-Macro mode that allows users to photograph subjects within 4 inches in Auto Macro or as close as 2 inches in Super Macro mode.
The Pentax M30 also has the standard Mode Palette with 15 shooting modes and accepts SD and SDHC memory cards.