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April 03, 2008
[ REVIEW—PENTAX K200D DSLR, Pentax 18-55mm lens ]
Price: $1200
Still keeps the others honest
The low-down: This is a 10 megapixel evolution from the K100D Super with many of the same features – sensor-shift image stabilisation, dust removal, rugged construction and good ergonomics. No essential features have been removed to keep price down. In fact there are a couple not seen on more expensive cameras, such as the brilliant mirror lock-up when using time delay; the RAW button that switches instantly from JPEG to RAW; the ability to save in Adobe’s universal RAW format, DNG; an image preview function. Pentax has kept the status LCD on the body top and uses a metal, rather than plastic, mount for the Pentax lens. Compatibility with legacy Pentax lenses and a selection of third party optics is a bonus, as is the frugal use of rechargeable AA Ni-MH batteries. There is a mirror rather than prism viewfinder, so it is a little small and dim but on a par with the competition. Memory is on SD cards.
Like: The combination of Pentax body and Pentax lens works well. The lens is well made, focuses quickly and reasonably quietly and has a useable manual focus ring. A little more friction would be better, but it is OK. Images are sharp. Saturation and contrast are too high, straight from the box, but that is easily corrected. Skin tones are particularly fine when these adjustments have been made.
Dislike: It is almost impossible to extract the SD card without dropping it! This is the most annoying card slot we have ever encountered.
Verdict: This really is a fine camera. Comparing it with more expensive Nikon and Canon 10mp DSLRs shows just how good the image quality is. The lens, unlike most of the competition, doesn’t feel cheap. Pentax are to be congratulated for keeping the zoom range realistic at 18-55mm – 27-83mm in film terms. The camera is responsive and is only compromised by very slow write-to-memory times. Using the Adobe universal DNG format as well as Pentax’s own PEF RAW format is a bonus. As we said about the K100D this camera would be highly recommended even if it cost more.
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Posted by terry at April 3, 2008 11:20 PM
Worth Checking Out
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Comments
I have the K100D - the only annoying thing for me is the menu system. It has an odd way of abbreviating eg. Mag to Strt Zm Plybck
Have they fixed this at least with the new K200D? What about issuing a new firmware to use a smaller font so the full phrase can be displayed?
Anyway, it is the only blemish for me for such a fine camera.
Posted by: richmond at April 7, 2008 12:46 PM
Hi Terry,
I am looking at moving on from my good old olympus OM2 setup and into the digital SLR age. The Pentax models seem to offer the best bang for buck at present and I have narrowed the considerations down to the Pentax K10D (approx $1,000), K200D (approx $1,000) and Samsung GX-10 (approx $800). Apart from the lack of pentaprism in the K200 (K200 has mirror which is reportedly less bright in the viewfinder), are there any other significant issues between these models? What benefits do you see in choosing one over another? Thanks
Posted by: Scott at April 14, 2008 06:49 AM
Scott: I would prefer the Pentax K10D even over the newer K200D. The K20D is better yet, but the bargain to be had on the excellent K10D are irresistible. I also went from OM2 to digital, but I did it via Nikon.
Incidentally the new Canon 450D is worth a look before you finally make up your mind. As is the Olympus E400/500 range. There is a new Oly E420 that I have had a chance to handle for a short time and it is very good indeed. The Olympus kit lenses are a bit better than any others. TL
Posted by: Terry at April 15, 2008 12:30 AM
Thanks Terry, your comment regards Oly glass reminded me of why I went that way with the OM2 - the glass was (is) good. I think the E510 is probably a closer comparison to the K10D but will look over them again along with 450D. Which Nikon fits in that group from a price/quality compromise perspective?
One concern I have WRT canon/nikon is the price of lens options in future - especially when looking at stabilisation. The Pentax K10/20/200D and Oly E510 include stabilisation in the body, so similar lens of a given performance cost less.
Posted by: Scott at April 15, 2008 01:43 PM