(Note: The Optio 30 does not have Audio/Video out capabilities, so we are showing screen captures from the Optio 33L. Some menus and options may vary).

This is the screen display when in the Program mode with the shutter release half-pressed. The green AF target marks in the center indicate a good autofocus lock, they turn red when the auto focus fails. The shutter speed and aperture are displayed as well as the battery level icon.

You can enable a real time histogram display in record mode.

Record menu:

Resolution - 2048x1536, 1600x1200, 1024x768 or 640x480
Quality Level - Three (Best), Two (Better) or One (Good) "stars"
White Balance - Auto, Sunny, Shade, Incandescent, Fluorescent
Focusing Area - Wide (default) or Spot
AE Metering - Matrix, Center-weighted or Spot
Sensitivity - Auto or fixed at 50, 100, 200, 400

Digital Zoom - On or Off
Instant Review - 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 secs or Off Memory - Memorize settings between power on and off
Sharpness - Settings for minus, normal, plus
Saturation - Settings for minus, normal, plus
Contrast - Settings for minus, normal, plus

Press the Focus mode button 3 times to enter the Manual Focus mode. A sliding scale is shown on the LCD. While you are adjusting the distance the display is enlarged so you can visually "see" the focus change.

You can record motion video at 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 (15fps), the length is limited only by the capacity of the media. Movie clips are stored as standard Windows AVI format video files. There is no microphone so the Optio 30 does not have the ability to record audio with movies.

The Optio 30 has a very respectable macro focus range (0.79 in. to 1.97 ft), the actual focus range is dependant on the setting of the zoom which is fully useable while in macro mode.

The Setup menu (same in record and play) lets you format the CF card, enable or disable the beep sounds when buttons are pushed, set the date style, change the date and or time, set the world time zone, change the menu language and change the display mode to: information (normal), no information, live histogram or add a grid.

Page two of the Setup menu lets you set screen effects, background color, set the Sleep timeout value (90s, 1m, 2m), LCD brightness or Reset to factory defaults.