Editors' Choice 2013: Pentax K-30 DSLR Camera

With the chops to nail a cover shot for this magazine and the armor to do it in a driving monsoon, this camera raises the bar for adventurers who want to shoot pro-quality pics wherever the trail leads. With a snappy autofocus, it can capture six high-quality, 16-megapixel images per second and full 1080-pixel HD video. But while many pro-amateur crossover cameras stop after sealing the battery and memory card doors, the K-30 goes the distance with seals for every single button, portal, and seam on the entire camera.

One of our testers even took the K-30 on a whitewater rafting trip down Colorado’s Arkansas River: “After a few sideways glances from the guides, we launched off for half a day of rapids. Many buckets of water later, the K-30 was still taking vivid shots of the splashy action.” To complete the package, pair the K-30 with one of Pentax’s budget-friendly WR lenses (weather resistant; starting at $199) or the O-GPS1, a geotagging unit that attaches to the flash mount ($249). Bonus: The K-30 comes in black, white, and bright blue. $799 (with 18-55mm lens); 2 lbs. 1 oz. (with lens); pentaximaging.com