Pentax K20D Digital SLR Review
Posted on 03/13/2009
The Pentax K20D earns this reviewer's highest recommendation, presenting a strong and affordable alternative to SLR titans like Canon and Nikon. By Joseph Ben Keough
Pentax K20D Pros
- Wonderful image quality in RAW and when JPEG settings are adjusted
- Incredible high-ISO performance; good up to ISO 3200
- Strong build quality w/ weather sealing
- Very good range of contemporary lenses, especially primes
- Unsurpassed wealth of older, reverse-compatible lenses
- Excellent customizability of controls and image settings
- Unique and innovative shooting modes
- World's first color-adjustable dSLR LCD monitor
Pentax K20D Cons
- Default JPEG settings are less than optimal for most users
- No AF-assist lamp; uses strobing on-board flash instead
- Slow continuous shooting; small buffer
- Poor auto white balance under incandescent light
- Relative lack of fast, long, pro-quality zooms
- Weak live view mode
Pentax K20D Photos
Once an industry titan with its legendary Spotmatic, K1000, and LX models, Pentax stands in the 21st Century as a bit player in the dSLR field. With Canon and Nikon each controlling roughly 40% of the market, Pentax is a distant fifth in the sales charts with a paltry 2%, behind both Olympus and an ascendant and big-spending Sony. Still, the brand has a devoted following, and has been steadily forging its own path through the dSLR jungle. While the big two focus on autofocus speed, powerful zoom lenses, and professional-grade equipment, Pentax caters to entry-level photographers and to advanced amateurs who primarily shoot landscapes and portrait photos.
The K20D is the newest and most powerful camera in Pentax's dSLR line, replacing the earlier K10D. A serious amateur camera, it is equipped with a 14.6-megapixel CMOS sensor co-developed with the company's partner Samsung, who have released a near-identical camera in their GX-20. With a street price hovering around US$700, it is an enticing entry into the same market segment dominated by the Canon 40D and Nikon D300. In this review I'll take you through the K20D's highs and lows, and attempt to place it in context with the competition.
Body and Styling
This is a handsome, heavy camera, with a solid build quality more reminiscent of cameras in the pro realm than its direct competitors. With the battery installed, the camera weighs roughly 1.7 pounds. It's pleasantly chunky as well, with good ergonomics and a well-balanced heft. An optional battery grip provides even better balancing, and, as you would expect, significantly extends battery life. This is not a lightweight camera a la the Nikon D40, or Pentax's own K2000/K-m, and potential buyers should take this into account when considering it; as always, try to get your hands on an in-store model before making your choice.
The layout of the K20D will be instantly familiar to users of past Pentax dSLRs, with a few added bells and whistles. The front of the camera is largely clean, with the lens-release button at the lower left of the mount. On the right-hand side of the lens housing is a three-way switch that controls the camera's focus mode, allowing the user to select AF.S (one-time autofocus), AF.C (continuous autofocus), or MF (manual focus). This switch works for all K-mount AF lenses, though some newer lenses may also have an on-lens AF/MF override switch. Just above the focus control switch is a RAW button, which is user-configurable to switch between JPEG, RAW, and RAW+JPEG recording.
At the top left of the camera you'll find the shooting mode selector dial, which offers options for Green (aka full-automatic), Program, Sv (sensitivity priority), Tv (shutter priority), Av (aperture priority), TAv (shutter and aperture priority), Manual, Bulb, Flash-sync, and User-programmable modes. The Sv and TAv modes are unique to Pentax, and offer interesting methods for shooting. Sv mode allows the user to set the ISO and allow the camera to control the rest of the exposure settings. TAv mode combines user-defined shutter and aperture settings with camera-controlled ISO. Below the mode selector dial is a selector ring for the camera's metering options, allowing the user to choose between Multi-segment, Center-weighted Average, and Spot-meter.
The in-body pop-up flash, flash release button, and hotshoe occupy the top center portion of the camera. On the right is the power switch, which surrounds the shutter release. The power switch may be turned past the ON position to activate a depth-of-field preview, which can be done either optically (in the viewfinder) or using the camera's live-view mode, on the rear LCD. On the front of the camera, just below the power switch, is the front dial, which controls various settings in the various modes (usually the shutter speed). To the left of the power switch is the "green button," familiar from many Pentax SLRs. Pressing the green button will auto-set the exposure settings for the current light conditions, which is handy when using a full-manual lens in the camera's manual mode. A large top-mounted and backlit LCD gives a real-time readout of current camera settings, including most of the vital information you'd need at a quick glance.
The back of the camera is positively packed with controls. To the left of the viewfinder is a toggle button controlling single/continuous shooting. Lining the left side of the LCD screen are four buttons: Menu, Trash, INFO (which toggles histogram and shot information overlays when in playback mode and brings up a more detailed settings display when in shooting mode), and Playback. On the right side is the rear dial, which, like the front dial, controls various settings in various modes. In Manual, Program, Av, and TAv modes, it controls the aperture; in playback it controls the zoom level. Joining it on the right rear are an AE-Lock button, an exposure compensation button (which also illuminates the top LCD display's backlight), and an AF button. By default, the AF button activates autofocus, just as a half-press of the shutter release does; the button can alternatively be configured to disable autofocus.
Below these buttons, a four-way control dial surrounds an OK button; these are used to navigate through the camera's various menus. Surrounding this four-way dial is a ring that allows the user to choose between three autofocus modes, including center-point, user-selected single-point (from 11 available), or automatic (which chooses the most applicable of the 11). Finally, below this ring are a Function button, which accesses vital shooting-related options including white balance and ISO, and the on-off switch for the camera's in-body shake-reduction (SR) system, comparable to Canon's in-lens image stabilization (IS) and Nikon's in-lens vibration reduction (VR).
The camera's 2.7-inch, 230,000-pixel rear display features adjustable brightness, 32x zoom in image playback, and the ability to color-correct. In general, it's a fine display that is well-matched to the abilities of the camera, but there are others in the market that outclass it. The viewfinder, on the other hand, cannot be outclassed. Its glass pentaprism is a class-leader, with a big and bright display that covers 95% of the recorded image. The viewfinder also includes the standard status bar indicators, which convey important information like shutter speed, aperture, ISO, focus mode, and so on.
Significant Features
With 36 options in its custom control menu, the K20D has no shortage of features and settings for the enthusiast to dabble with. These settings allow the user to customize nearly every setting on the camera, including exposure compensation step size, ISO sensitivity step size, white balance range, and so on. These options also allow the user to configure the function of several on-body buttons, tailoring the controls to suit his or her shooting style.
Image controls allow the user to specify saturation, hue, contrast, sharpness, and "fine sharpness" levels. Six pre-defined color settings can be chosen, including Bright, Natural, Portrait, Landscape, Vibrant, and Monochrome, each tailored to provide a certain look in a certain setting. Further, the user can alter the five configurable settings in each of these modes to suit their tastes. Pentax dSLRs tend to play it safe with factory default settings, using low sharpening, contrast, and saturation in comparison to their competitors. While this is ideal for more advanced users who plan to shoot in RAW mode and post-process their images, for casual shooters it can mean soft JPEGs with lower-than-normal contrast and saturation. New users are encouraged to play with the settings to find the configuration that suits them best. Additionally, the K20D features the world's first color-adjustable LCD display, meaning that the user can ensure a display free of color bias; very important when using the custom white balance setting.
The implementation of live-view on the K20D is a first for Pentax, and it leaves much to be desired in comparison with the current offerings from Olympus and Sony, feeling tacked on as a marketing gimmick. But it does provide a basic live preview and live-capture mode using the big and bright rear LCD.
In-body shake-reduction is one of the Pentax dSLR line's biggest selling points, and for good reason. With in-body stabilization, all lenses mounted to the camera are functionally stabilized lenses. Paired with the K20D's legendary reverse-compatibility, this means that a range of thousands of K-mount lenses stretching back to the 1960s can be used natively on the body, with full stabilization. Further, M42 and Leica M39-mount glass from the 1950s can be used, with the use of special mount adapters. When a manual-focus lens is mounted to the camera, the LCD will prompt the user to select the lens's focal length in order to calibrate the shake-reduction. For autofocus lenses, this procedure is invisible and automatic. An additional advantage of in-body SR over in-lens stabilization is that it means lenses can be smaller and lighter, as well as substantially cheaper. Of course, the actual effect of the shake-reduction system is that you can shoot at substantially lower shutter speeds or substantially tighter apertures (some have reported up to 4 stops of difference) without worrying about motion blur. This is wonderful for low-light shooting.
One major and notable feature of the K20D's body design is its dust and weather sealing, which is evidenced by its rubber o-ring-sealed battery and SDHC card compartments, which are closed behind locking hatches. In addition, various lenses in the Pentax lineup include lens-based dust and weather sealing, making the K20D one of the best options on the market for all-weather shooting. The camera's sensor can also be configured to shake upon camera start-up, reducing or eliminating on-sensor dust.
The K20D allows the user to select between JPEG and RAW recording, or to use a combined RAW+JPEG setting. In JPEG mode, the camera can record at its native 14.6 megapixels, or can be downscaled to 10, 6, or 2 megapixels, if you need to conserve memory card space. There are four JPEG quality settings, which determine the amount of compression used on the images. Transitioning over from the K10D are Good (*), Better (**), and Best (***), and new with the K20D is Premium (****). The Premium setting records with a minimal compression ratio (1:2.8), which results in extremely large file sizes (approximately 12mb per JPEG). These files, however, are dwarfed by the two RAW recording modes. Users can choose between Pentax's own PEF RAW recording, or the universal Adobe DNG RAW format. DNGs are the largest recordable images from the K20D, weighing in at a hefty 22.3mb per. The Pentax PEF files are significantly smaller, weighing in at half that size, but at a sacrifice of compatibility across image editing programs.
One truly professional feature of the K20D is the ability to manually compensate for lens front or back-focusing (autofocus that is consistently slightly in front of or behind the subject), on a lens-by-lens basis. This is a known issue on many manufacturer's bodies and lenses, and it's wonderful to see that Pentax has made it easy to compensate for it. To activate this option, the user should simply go to option 35 on the custom menu.
A last neat little addition is Dynamic Range Expansion, which works to prevent "highlight clipping," also known as blown-out areas in whites and other bright areas. Without affecting the shutter speed or other exposure settings, it works to selectively decrease the exposure in bright areas and increase it in lighter areas; a sort of HDR-lite option.
Shooting Performance and Image Quality
Pentax dSLRs are traditionally a mixed bag in terms of performance. While they can produce stunning image quality, sometimes getting there can be a bit of an ordeal. Most importantly, the Pentax autofocus system is known to be notoriously slow compared to that of the big two. This, along with aggressive advertising from Canon and Nikon, has led the majority of pro photographers to choose their products over Pentax's and the other dSLR also-rans, especially when it comes to sports and wildlife photography. However, while the K20D doesn't clear all of the brand's hereditary hurdles, I am glad to say that it is a joy to shoot with.
Part of the reason for the slower autofocus on Pentax dSLRs is that very few Pentax lenses use in-lens autofocus motors. Instead, the vast majority rely on a slotted screw-drive motor housed in the camera body. While this does ensure that all AF lenses ever made for the K-mount work with Pentax dSLRs, it is not as quick as in-lens AF. Recent Pentax and third-party lenses, however, have introduced SDM technology using a supersonic in-lens motor. Users have also found that on older non-SDM lenses autofocus speed can be increased by using center-point AF rather than automatic autofocus mode. Finally, a "trap-focus" mode has been added to the K20D, which avoids the sometimes-annoying "focus check" that is a trademark of Pentax AF cameras. With all of this said, the K20D is never distractingly slow in AF terms, even in AF.C; it's simply not as quick as the competition.
Like most dSLRs, the K20D has near-instant startup times, and zero shutter lag when pre-focused. The dual-dial system makes manual shooting a breeze, especially when paired with the green button's auto-exposure functionality, which essentially functions as an aperture priority mode for full manual lenses. The control layout on the camera is near-ideal for most shooting situations, with the buttons laid out just where you need them, and with the ability to customize their functions to your tastes.
As in other Pentax dSLRs, the continuous shooting rate is subpar by market/class standards. The K20D gets 3 frames per second when shooting at full resolution, with a 14-image RAW buffer or a 38-image JPEG buffer. Other cameras in this class offer upwards of 5fps, with a larger buffer, but it seems unlikely that the majority of the K20D's users will notice the difference.
The built-in flash is not especially powerful, but produces wonderful flesh tones in dim-environment close-ups, and has little to no recharge time. Unfortunately, like other Pentax dSLRs before it, the K20D lacks an AF-assist lamp, and instead uses the pop-up flash as a strobe to illuminate the scene and lock on with the AF system. This works quite well, but it has the unfortunate side effect of blinding your subjects if they're human, and can lead to many squinty-eyed photos. Pentax offers a nice range of hotshoe flashes of varying power and customizability, and they are quite affordable. Moreover, the K20D includes a flash sync socket, which is ideal for studio photographers using slave strobes.
One of the finest improvements made with the K20D is in the realm of high-ISO performance as it relates to image noise. Shooting at ISO 1600 with the camera is a revelation, as it produces hardly any noticeable image noise while retaining a very good degree of detail. Even at ISO 3200 the image quality is quite good. At ISO 6400 (which must be enabled via the custom settings menu) things begin to get a little grim, but as a former K100D owner, I can say that ISO 6400 on the K20D is roughly equivalent to ISO 1600 on the older model. This is quite an achievement, and could even be called a triumph when considering that the K20D boasts a sensor that packs in more than double the older camera's pixel count.
As discussed above, the camera's default settings can lead to soft, under-saturated JPEG images, even at the highest JPEG quality levels. With that out of the way, I'm glad to report that with a little tinkering the camera can produce JPEGs on-par with the best of the cameras in its class. Moreover, shots developed from RAW indicate that the K20D's IQ, independent of the lens used, is easily on par with, and possibly even a few steps above, competing brands models.
The kit lens included with the K20D is the SMC Pentax-DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II, the successor to the kit lens used on the *ist DS through the K10D. It was developed because Pentax felt the new sensor in the K20D was outmatching the old kit lens's resolving power, and so it features improved optics and lens coatings. In general, it produces very good image quality throughout its range. As is usual with lower-end zooms, it is somewhat softer at either extreme end of its zoom range, but it is a capable walk-around lens with a nice film-equivalent range of coverage (approximately 27 to 83mm, or moderate wide angle to moderate telephoto). Moreover, it is easily among the top kit lenses offered by any of the major dSLR manufacturers; really quite a steal.
Another Important Consideration: The Lens System
Speaking of lenses… an important thing to consider when choosing a dSLR is the lens system you're buying into. Since nearly all dSLR manufacturers use their own proprietary lens mount, once you buy a digital SLR body, you are locked into buying the lenses made for that mount. Consumers often have several third-party manufacturers to choose from as well (such as Sigma, Tamron, and Tokina), and these companies often produce fantastic glass, but they tend to look to the first-party manufacturer for inspiration and guidance as to the sort of lenses they will produce for a given system.
As mentioned in the performance section of this review, the Pentax system is often derided for its lack of fast (meaning low-light-capable) AF zoom lenses in comparison to the Canon and Nikon systems. However, the company has a strong tradition of producing fast prime (fixed-focal length) lenses, which are ideal for landscape, street, and portrait photography, and are the envy of other systems. In recent years the Pentax lens system has expanded substantially, bringing in a large number of semi-pro or pro lenses in the FA*, DA*, and Limited lines.
Pentax's DA (APS-C/digital-only) Limited lenses boast all-metal construction and superior optical quality, and take the APS-C digital system's 1.5x crop factor into account, using odd focal lengths including 15mm, 21mm, 35mm (macro), 40mm, and 70mm to produce an ideal focal length distribution in 35mm film focal length terms. This is a lens lineup that cannot be matched by any other manufacturer. Indeed, no other manufacturer at the moment seems interested in focusing on prime lenses, which is perhaps a wise decision in a market where the average consumer doesn't ever buy more than one additional lens, almost always a zoom.
However, Pentax appears dedicated to their chosen path, and this is a boon for those customers who enjoy the superior optical quality of prime lenses. In addition, the company has recently produced a number of DA* lenses, which are marketed as professional-grade glass and offer exceptionally wide apertures with extremely high-quality optics. This line includes both prime and zoom lenses, and follows in the footsteps of the successful and much-revered FA* line (for full-frame film SLRs, but also usable on Pentax dSLRs).
In short, and at the risk of repeating myself one time too many, you must understand what you're buying into when you buy a dSLR. While one manufacturer may excel at quick autofocus and long zooms, another may specialize in fast prime lenses that are ideal for portraiture. The savvy consumer will consider the type of shooting he or she does most, and which lens system suits those pursuits best.
Conclusion
The K20D is a very impressive advanced amateur dSLR, especially considering its price point and the relatively low cost-of-ownership for a typical Pentax system (body, lenses, accessories). Its image quality, particularly when the default JPEG settings are adjusted or the user chooses to shoot in RAW mode, are stellar; easily the equal of its direct competitors. High-ISO performance is a revelation, allowing worry-free shooting up to ISO 1600 and getting quite usable results even at ISO 3200. While the selection of new top-end lenses may not approach that available to Nikon or Canon shooters, the wealth of natively-mountable older glass is unmatched, and a serious consideration for a shooter on a budget. Finally, the camera features an incredibly in-depth array of custom settings, allowing the user to essentially reconfigure many of the controls and design a layout that best suits his or her needs.
Despite all of these plusses, the K20D does have a few weak spots that need to be addressed. While obviously not essential for portrait or landscape shooting, an improved autofocus system and a larger continuous shooting buffer would make the camera much more appealing to users who are interested in shooting moving objects. The camera's in-body flash is pretty good, but the lack of an AF-assist lamp is a silly oversight by the engineers at Pentax. One issue not noted in the above sections is the continued poor auto-white balance performance under incandescent light. While this is an admittedly tricky problem to solve, the camera's designers have had five or six generations to get it right and they're still off by a country mile. This is easily correctable in post-processing, especially when shooting in RAW, but it's annoying nevertheless. Finally, the camera's live view is more a marketing gimmick than a truly useful feature (though in this reviewer's opinion, live view is antithetical to the idea of an SLR to begin with).
All in all, this is in my opinion easily the best value for your dollar in its class, and a great tool for honing your photographic craft. The build quality is dependably solid, the image quality is fantastic, and the possibilities are endless. With the above-noted caveats, I give the K20D my highest recommendation.
Pentax K20D Comments & Questions (write your own!)
This camera takes 3 fps in JPEG mode and 2.3 fps when shooting in RAW mode.
Andrew
Alan.
This camera is terrific, but there are others out there. The Nikon D40x ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is one of the best values out there right now. It is a great entry level dSLR that works with some great lenses. If you're looking for a favorite by professionals and your budget isn't that much of a question, you might try the Canon 40D ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) with advanced light metering and custom settings that you might like for winter sports photography.
In any case, lenses and filters are going to be key for the specific photography you are looking for. I would get a polarized filter to reduce glare. To avoid blue hues in your photos (often seen from glare on snow), I would get an 85B filter to adjust the light accordingly. As for lenses, I would invest in a good 70-300mm lens. Since you can't get up close and personal with the athletes, the greater magnification will help you fill the frame better.
I hope this helps.
Andrew
I'm glad we could help. Please come back with any questions or issues.
Andrew
I have a couple different lens types that I use. What camera are you going to go with?
Andrew
Angus
Tamron ( tamron.com/ ) actually makes some decent lenses for both Nikon and Canon. I would recommend their 18-250mm lens for versatility. I'm not really sure where you heard the Canon wasn't good for snow or why. I wouldn't have a problem using it there. In either case, I would definitely get a lens with at least 200mm capability if not more.
Andrew
do you need a slr ? they are quite advanced cameras.
a better option for you would be the panasonic tz3
it is light, easy to use and has great automatic options
have a look at luke kurtis's safari photo set on fllickr to see what this camera can do.
flickr.com/photos/lukekurti...
Steve McCall: stop recommending that camera to anyone. It is a good camera, but if someone is asking something seriously, and you don't want to answer... don't say anything.
Aditya D: Pentax lenses not quite good as Canon, Nikon or Sony??? hahahahahahahahaahahahaha
Really... you make me laugh. Pentax has the best AF lenses ever made... want to discuss that??? You are funny.
Sony has the worst lenses out there in the lower end, and the good ones, are way too expensive. Doesn't even match the Nikon ones... so please, leave Sony out of the question. Canon and Nikon: we are talking about a camera for a Safari, where someone can have lots of different weather conditions in one day. So... you he's asking for a well built camera, and weather sealing... he's not going to use live view, and ALSO he's trying to get into the telephoto range. This two brands... doesn't offer a weathersealed body until the D300 for the Nikon (and D200, but is out of market already) and the EOS 1D (no weather sealing in any other cameras... neither the 5D) of Canon. Also... if he wants to get a good telephoto lens with image stabilization, he will have to pay a premium for Canon and Nikon, since it comes with the lens... and not in the camera, like Pentax or Olympus.
I'd go for the K20, and buy good fast glass. Once you have something like that camera, every other camera in that segment will feel like a 2 year old toy.
Alan Schamber.
Will the lenses be compatible with the K20D camera?
This has answered my question.
With some old lenses, you will need to use the green button to meter... but that's fine. But ALL lenses will work, and will also have Shake Reduction....
Alan.
Do as Nancy Cavender-Garcia says.
"With some old lenses, you will need to use the green button to meter"
That's for lenses that are not A (automatic). Such as M or K lenses. The FA and A lenses, can be used both ways... with the aperture ring, and also with the dials, when it's in A position.
Secondly, you need to set the focus length for the anti-shake to work properly with these lenses. The K20D promts you to do this when opened up with such lenses fitted.
How to set exposure:
A LENSES: with the aperture ring set to A, they work just like modern DA lenses, and you can use all exposure modes the normal way.The only difference is that AF obviously has to be done manually, and for this the focus confirm beep/light is a great help.
K LENSES: These are a bit more complicated. To use them, you must set custom setting 36:Using Aperture Ring, to 2:permitted (likewise if you want to use the aperture ring on A lenses). Mode dial must be set to M, but this does not mean that the exposure actually has to be set manually. You can either set the aperture and press the green button. This causes the camera to stop down momentarily, take a measuring, and then set the appropriate shutter speed. This way you have aperture priority automatic operation.
The other option is to do your own manual setting. This requires you to set custom setting 30: Preview Method, to 2: optical preview. Holding the on-off button to the right in its preview position stops down the lens, and you may now set the aperture ring to the proper value according to the light measuring bar in the viewfinder. You may want to change the shutter speed instead, but in that case you should make sure to shift shutter speed change in manual to the rear wheel, unless you have extremely flexible fingers!
Thank you,
Paulie
I'm not familiar with Kimwipes, can you tell me where I can purchase them.
Thank's for your help,
Paulie
amazon.com/Kimberly-Clark-K...
They're a little bit pricey but their quality is very good, and plus they last for a long time because you would probably rarely use them. They're useful for anything delicate that you really don't want to scratch.
Thank you for such a quick response. I already had Read Right cpoier glass cleaning pads on hand. They are made by a division of The Texwipe Company. They did the job. It's so nice and bright making it much easier to focus.
Thank you,
Paulie
I will most definitely be taking your advise. I didn't expect to get that great of an answer from anybody, but I found that piece to be extremely helpful.
And I don't feel nearly as confused about making my selection anymore. Once again, thank you for your time.
~Taylor
James... you know what??? No one ever made AF lenses like Pentax, and YOU KNOW THAT. There is simply no lens that even matches the Pentax limited edition, so please: shut the hell up!
For the last answer: yes, old lenses are manual focus only, but you've got Shake Reduction with ALL of them for free, while Nikon and Canon cannot offer you that, Olympus doesn't even have old lenses (since they now use the 4/3s system).
Something else... the Canon XSi is simply not even near the performance and quality of the K20. I own it... and you cannot get even near as bang for the buck. And to follow, you cannot get professional lenses as cheap in the Nikon and Canon line up, like in the Pentax. I've got the DA* 16-50, and is an awesome lens, and is 35% cheaper than the 17-55 of Canon, and even 45% cheaper than the Nikon one.
Conclusion... bang for the buck??? Pentax.
Alan Schamber.
Yes... I am biased... but in my own experience. I use Nikon at work (Nikon D3), and it's the best (with the Leica M8 I've used a couple of times... but still, cannot afford a Leica hole system: it's around 20 thousand dollars, to start talking), but still I choose Pentax for my own system.
So... what's your experience??? Why you recommend only Canon or Nikon, and claim that they have better glass that Pentax and Olympus???
Alan Schamber.
I didn't say buy first tier Canon or Nikon lenses, btw. I'm on record here at DHQ as saying that 2nd tier lens makers like SIGMA are giving Canon and Nikon a run for their money with comparable quality for less price. I've sourced Photography magazine on that.
And not to sound arrogant or anything, but I think I have a few more points than you. Those are my bonafides. Now, should I "shut the hell up" again or are you satisfied?
I like Nikon... and I dislike Canon. And... Nikon makes better cameras than Pentax... but Pentax make better cameras, for the money.
And... Canon has the best telephoto lenses in the world right now. Nikon has the best wide angle lenses in the world right now (at least in DSRL). But... I will have to disagree: is well known that Pentax FA limited lenses, are the best autofocus lenses ever made... specially the FA 31 ltd and 77 ltd, both f1,8. Those lenses are rated to be as good as any other lenses wide open. Go... try them, and then try to say again that Canon or Nikon have better lenses. Oh... and did you try the DA limited edition??? Really good glass... and small as any other lenses out there. And never talk about the FA*85 f1,4, or the FA 43 limited, or the FA* 28-70, or the FA*24, or the FA 50 1,4 (which is rated to be, taking ALL into account... sharpness, contrast, bokeh, vignetting... the very best autofocus 50 f1,4 lens)... and the legendary FA*200 f4 macro...
And all this... without even taking into account all those manual lenses out there, that will ALSO have image stabilization, no matter that they don't have AF... like the A 50 f1,2... which is rated OVER most 50 primes ever made.
So... is Pentax really making glass not even near Canon and Nikon??? New glass like the DA*200, the DA limited edition, the DA*16-50, the DA 35 macro limited... and other lenses, show that's not true.
Enough??? Or you want another round?
Alan Schamber.
Nowadays Nikon is far better than Canon, and it's not because of long lenses, but because of ultrawide lenses. Are those really used in sports??? No... so... why do professionals still use Nikon for that???
Alan.
And I never said that "Pentax really making glass not even near Canon and Nikon" I said that Pentax makes fine lenses. Did you even bother to read where I said my first camera was a Pentax? I loved that camera. I said that Nikon and Canon are making the best at the moment. That's what I said.
OK... let's go to the higher end:
24-70s: the Canon L design, is no even near the performance of the Sony's, and even less than the Nikon. The Sigma is even challenging the Canon's IQ.
16-35: Nowadays for wide angle, the Nikon 14-24 is considered to be the best ever made...
70-200: Ok.. in this one Canon strikes back, with that lens being the best 70-200 of all... at least, the ones that are in production right now.
Primes??? Let's see:
14: is no way even near the performance of the 14-24...
24: that Canon is no even near the performance of the Pentax FA*24...
28: Compare ANY of those to the Pentax 31 Ltd, and you would be ashamed.
35: again... compare it to the 31 or the 43 Ltd...
50: the 50L is faster, but no way near the performance of Pentax wide open, and never talking about Voightlander or Carl Zeiss.
85: first compare it with the Nikon 85... and if you think the Canon L is better, compare it to the Pentax 77 Ltd, and with the FA*85.
Tired of doing this... conclusion: Canon is no way making the best glass nowadays. Nikon? Probably... but don't add Canon just because.
Alan.
And to finish... Sigma is not challenging Canon, since Canon almost own them. And also... the coatings in Sigma lenses are no way near the Nikon, Pentax and Canon coatings. So... no, they are not challenging. Maybe for the price... but not in performance.
Alan.
Sigma is challenging Canon. Unless you claim to know more than Photography magazine now. The thing is, the main lenses have superior coatings, I agree. But in value vs. quality, Sigma has really improved. But I'm still a Canon/Nikon fan. You can't get much better.
What facts are there for you to claim that? Olympus is making the sharpest lenses???
Fact is that most people don't need Canon or Nikon. Nikon is the best? Yes. Everyone should go Nikon, then??? NO!!! That's a huge NO. Is Ferrari the best? Probably. Should everyone go for Ferrari, when people won't get the car even to 120 miles per hour??? The answer then, is NO. For the ones that will go that fast, yes... Ferrari is probably the best choice (I know... I'm just trying to make a point, and I don't want to discuss about car brands... Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, and all the others... I know them, but they are not for THIS discussion). But what about people who doesn't need a car that goes up to 200 miles per hour??? Shouldn't they buy the best they can, within their budget??? And THAT is what I'm talking about. And for that... Pentax and Olympus are KINGS.
Alan Schamber.
As for whether most people need either Nikon or Canon and the Ferrari example. Apples and oranges. If I had said they need a Canon 5D or a Nikon D3, you'd have a point. But that isn't the case, is it? In fact, I mentioned ENTRY LEVEL DSLRs.
Want facts???
OK:
www.dpreview.com
www.luminous-landscape.com
www.amazon.com
In the first one you will find technical consideration of cameras. In the second one, you will find professional photographer's point of view (look for the things I say) and in the third one... you will find prices.
Facts are that no other brand gives you bang for the buck as Pentax does. Compare... decide... take those pages and your cameras for a trip... have an anal masturbation with your kit lens, or whatever you may prefer. But facts are there, if you look for them.
The K10 was bang for the buck, and that is well known... and now the better K20...
Have a nice day...
And again, being obscene and abusive only makes your credibility suspect, not mine.
Whenever you want :p
Alan.
Have you noticed that nowadays the best image quality from an APS-C size sensor is currently the K20?
Really... look everywhere.
The output is noisy. Yes. But there is detail that no other brand can get close at ISO 1600 and when the files are correctly processed, it's just above everything (correctly processed... little curves, only chroma noise reduction, and little sharpening).
Yes... you can look in the web for comparisons, and even... try to figure out what happened with the Canon 50D, which is actually worse than the 40D in the image quality side...
Alan.
Alan.
- Pretty decent argument we have here, but as time passes the K20D keeps creeping up in the standings.
It is still one of the best cameras out there, and sells for 650 dollars, at least for IQ... specially in high ISO.
The K7 nowadays is a great camera... with better AF system, more fps, better viewfinder, smaller body, better materials used, better LCD, with video... for 1050 dollars, and is also weathersealed.
A similar offering from Canon or Nikon is more than 1500 dollars, and with more fps, and maybe a faster AF system (but less accurate).
Oh, sure... Canon and Nikon are soooooooooo much better. But at a 50% more price, they SHOULD be. But the question is... is that difference in price worth for only 7fps vs 5fps?
Don't think so.
First of all... battery life. All the cameras but the K200 use lithium batteries... and all of them can fire at least 500 shots with one charge, but the K200 use AA batteries, that will allow you to shoot up to 1400 photos, and you can always have some extra AA you can buy anywhere for emergencies. You can't with the other ones, unless you buy another 40 dollars battery.
About image quality. Nowadays the best cameras are the Pentax K20 and the Nikon D90. That doesn't mean that the other cameras are bad, but it means that they are a tad worse. Don't decide just because image quality, because there's little difference, specially if you shoot RAW (as I assume since you would be shooting landscapes and wildlife). From a sharpness point of view, you will love the K20's 14 megapixels, as I do. But in normal printing situations, they are useless. High ISO... difficult to say. The Canon 40D is quite good... but it's only better than the Pentax K200 (which is the worst... but by a very low margin). In third place, it come the Canon 450D... it's not that it has a lot of noise, but that it loses colors when reaching ISO 1600... while the Nikon D90 and Pentax K20 do not. I cannot say which one is the best of those two... but still, there is not much difference even between all of them.
The important thing here... is the strong body. The Canon 450 is a toy... move on. The other ones, are more or less the same. The Canon 40D is made out of magnesium... but it has only seals in the battery door. The Nikon D90 is not weather sealed... and the Pentax K20 and K200 are both weather sealed. The last three are made of high quality plastics, and trust me... you wouldn't tell the difference between this plastics and the Canon 40D (if you can... go to a store and feel the quality materials). But... for a fully weather sealed body, you will have to buy a weather sealed lens... if not, sand, dust or water can enter via the mount. But, if you don't... it still gives you more protection.
Hope this is helpful,
Alan Schamber.
The Pentax K20 is nowadays between the two best cameras in it's class and price range, while the Sony A350 is one of the worst taking into account image quality, body construction, high ISO noise, features, etc...
But... if Live view is SO important to you............
Alan.
The K20 is a good improvement over the K10, as far as everyone say. I shoot with the K20 for my own shooting... vacations, family, etc... with my most used lens, also the DA*16-50.
The only thing I wish Pentax could improve, it's the AF algorithms a little more, and the AF-540 flash (I mean... it's excellent, but I wish it was weathersealed).
Maybe the K20 is not a good investment if you shoot only landscapes in RAW... but for everything else, buy it.
Alan.
If budget is not a constrain, then there is no harm looking into all possibilities, including buying ' a whole new body/lens system '. Otherwise to solve your immediate problem, you can look into the Manual mode and explore what you can do using manual control of the Shutter Speed, Higher ISOs, Wider Apertures and buying more powerful Flashguns.
These are what people do in the old days to shoot indoor pictures, where low light and movement make it a challenge to get the pictures right, except that during that time, people don't have the luxury of high ISOs.
Alternatively, you might want to go into multiple flash systems and use the commander mode of your camera or the main flash to control each of the flash.
This will keep you busy for quite a while and lead you to a completely new horizon, if you haven't tried them before.
You will find that there is no end to buying cameras as every year there will be a couple of new and better cameras appearing in the market.
It's often quoted that ' better cameras only makes you the proud owner. ', but for those who can afford, I wouldn't discourage them from buying better cameras.
I shoot only RAW, and use Capture One.
I set the luminous noise reduction to 5 or 10, depends on the ISO used, and let Capture One get rid of the chroma noise. The results are excellent, and I've used them professionally also (my main camera at work is the Nikon D3, but also shoot with Nikon D300 and Hasselblad H2 with P25 back (we rent the P45 when needed).
I don't like photoshop, as it has too many features that I would NEVER use in my life, and I prefer Capture One for batch processor.
Try with a different software. People say that the best for the Pentax K20 is the Silkypix...
Alan Schamber.
However, for people who reads this question, and answers, the point that K10D has ' unacceptable noise at ISO >400 ' will linger long in the mind, including how to deal with it.
It is for these people, that I searched and found 3 related information, and there are plenty more if one Google for it.
a. <a href="luminous-landscape.com/revi... Pentax 10D- A Hands On Report </a> particularly the section on High ISO noise and Banding. Of special interest is the mention of software noise reduction with Noise Ninja, my favorite.
b. <a href="photo.net/pentax-camera-for... Hockey games captured by Pentax K10D using ISO1250 </a> where the writer goes well beyond ISO 400 to capture Hockey games in action.
c. <a href="forums.dpreview.com/forums/... dPreview forum on K10D high ISO revealed </a>
The last is a long thread showing many were interested in the subject, way back in 2006. 3 years have gone by, and the thread has since ended without any new posts, does that mean ............
Alan.
The issue you mentioned does not arise as readers can see that the statement was actually found in Adam's response on 21 Jan 9.11am.
I need to clear it to make the picture more complete, that people have used ISO 1250 with K10D and yet produced reasonably good pictures, so K10D owners are encouraged to give it a try instead of giving it up so easily.
In fact reports that I have found indicate K10D should have no problem up to ISO 800
K20D on the other hand , will do better with the slightly larger Samsung CMOS sensor instead of the Sony CCD of K10D.
<a href="theonlinephotographer.typep... This report comparing K10D and K20D </a> gives more insight on the differences based on sensor alone, while potential buyer can also take into consideration the live view feature of K20D.
For those who can afford, no harm upgrading to K20D. For others, K10D can still satisfy the average users.
For noise reduction in the very same software, I prefer the Capture One output rather than photoshop...
But well... it's all about if you want to try it out.
Alan.
It's not about megapixels or iQ... it is about controls. How can a PRO afford to enter the menus to change something that's really important for him for that photo, like metering, or type of AF?
That's funny... because there are no pro cameras. But there are cameras that doesn't limit that much the photographer. And that's what pros look for. In the IQ department... even a D40x would do the job. But... what about everything else? Is it cool to have an only 3 points AF, with no high precision sensors? Is it fine for you to cannot use lenses like the Nikor 50 primes, because of the lack of screw drive AF?
That's what pro cameras are about: make the limit the photographer, and not the camera.
And for that... with the controls that the K20 has, with the lenses that Pentax offers, and with the weather sealing... the K20 is up to the job. In the IQ department... so far it's the best APS-C camera that I've tried between sensitivities 400 and 1600. AF is improved, but in low light its a little slower than Canon or Nikon, due to a double check algorithm... (it doesn't fire until it checks twice that it's in focus, so actually it's more reliable... but still slower).
And the benefit is that with Pentax you can use all the lenses Pentax ever made, with stop down metering that it's the simplest of every manufacturer (just push the green button), also very old non K mount lenses, via adapter... and the real benefit... is that you can have Shake Reduction with ALL those lenses... as well as new ones... and is as effective with a 45 years old takumar, as a DA*300 F4.
Alan.
I tried to take picts through my live view screen and they won't auto focus like it should and let me.
When I turn my camera on sometimes and take a picture is showes it on my screen and then says image not saved and deletes it.
I have my flash set on auto flash and it won't pop up when I need it like in dark areas and when I pop it up my flash will flash a few times and won't let me take the picture.
Any help would be wonderful. Thank you
Through Live View, the K20's AF only works via the AF button, and it flips the mirror, AF, and then go back to live view. Not the best way... but in my case, I've used Live View only a couple times in the 13000 photos I've taken.
Unless you don't have a memory card in the camera, OR... you are using the digital preview, a photo should be saved. The thing is, that if you are using Live View, then it seems that you are not using digital preview, and I guess you are not shooting without a card, so I don't really know what's going on. But... just asking, did you upgrade to 1.03 version of the camera? It may have corrected a bug...
And flash... the K20 is not like the K200, or K100, that have an electronic way of raising the onboard flash. You have to do it manually, only. Why it doesn't let you take the picture, I can't really tell... unless it doesn't get a point in focus at all, that doesn't make sense.
Hope this is helpful,
Alan.
Thank you for your help and have fun taking all those pictures, I KNOW I DO AND LOVE , LOVE MY CAMERA!!
LAURIE
And about the unsaved photo... take the camera to a store, or wherever, just to make sure that it is working fine.
Enjoy your camera, and hope you suffer from LBA as I am now (Lens Buying Addiction).
Alan.
But the nice thing about digital is that you can experiment with different values and if you don't like how it comes out, you just hit delete and start over. But even if you have the right values entered, 400mm is still a challenge for camera shake and you should consider adding a monopod at the very least, especially when using that 3xTC which will magnify camera shake as well - even with IS, which can only do so much.