The competition
Image:Nikon D5100
Like the Nikon D5100, the K-30 features a 16-million-pixel, APS-C sensor that can also be found in models higher up in each respective DSLR range. The Sony Alpha 57 also features the same imaging sensor, although the camera has a fixed translucent mirror in front of it, which results in less light reaching the sensor and so the camera cannot quite compete with the D5100 and K-30 in its low-light performance.
Image: Sony Alpha 57
Both the D5100 and Alpha 57 feature an articulated LCD screen, whereas the K-30’s is fixed. However, the optical viewfinder of the Pentax model has a 100% field of view, whereas the D5100 only offers a 95% view and the Alpha 57 has a 1.44-million-dot electronic viewfinder instead.
All the cameras are made from polycarbonate, but the K-30 has weather-sealed joints. For the photographer, the general handling of the K-30 has the edge.
