Pentax K10D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)
by Pentax
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Category: Digital Camera
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Digital product summary information
Manufacturer: PentaxRelease Date: 2006-11-17
Model: 19091
Product features:
- 10.2-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 18 x 24-inch prints
- 2.5-inch LCD display; body only--no lens included
- In-camera Shake Reduction (SR) and Dust Reduction (DR) systems; dust-proof, weather-resistant body
- Continuous shooting at approximately three images per second
- Stores images on SD or SDHC memory cards; powered by lithium-ion battey D-LI50 (battery and charger included
- Serif PhotoPlus X3
- Adobe Photoshop CS4 Upgrade [OLD VERSION]
- Aperture 3
- Pentax 21870 DA 50-200mm F/4-5.6 AL Weather Resistant Lens
- MADE Products CA-2001-BLK Seattle Sling Waterproof Bag (Black)
Digital camera reviews of Pentax K10D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)
Digital camera Review: A very good semi-pro digital SLR for legacy 24x36 Pentax lenses
Summary: 4 Stars
First, let me state that I just received this camera and only took a few hundred pictures to test it. Second, given how little choice one has in Pentax lenses nowadays, the only reason I can conceive for buying this camera today is to use discontinued Pentax lenses. In my particular case, I had a 28-70 f2.8, an 80-200 f2.8 and a 28-200 f3.8-5.6, all of them for 35mm SLRs. I consider the 28-70 and the 80-200 by Pentax second to none in their respective categories in terms of pure image quality, although they are heavier than their Nikon and Canon counterparts, and they are superbly built. By all means, should you come upon a perfectly kept used one, do consider seriously buying it! (just know that the power zoom function will work, but not the auto zoom).
As for the 28-200, it is the ideal lens for an expedition, because it is extremely compact and fits all your needs in terms of focal range, although you end up paying for that in terms of sharpness.
Of course, as for all lenses designed for 24x36 film SLRs, they exceed the requirements for APS-format digital SLRs. The only inconvenience is the you end up a little short ond the wide-angle side, on the other hand you now have a super-tele zoom at 300mm 24x36 equivalent.
Going back to the K10D, I must stress again that it would be a waste to use it with the cheap lenses available in Pentax's current line-up. The upside on this unfortunate state of affairs is that Pentax has to price this camera very aggressively compared to Nikon or Canon (the recently launched Nikon D80 costs around 100$ more than the K10 and is inferior to it both in terms of construction and features).
A second caveat is that if you are going to shoot in RAW format -and you should-, Adobe does not support yet the PEF format for this camera. Luckily you have the choice of using DNG, which works wonderfully. Picasa users will have to wait to view their RAW pictures, though, since Picasa doesn't support the RAW PEF or DNG files created by the 10 MP sensor on the K10. I have to make an update about this: if you shoot RAW DNG and import your files through Adobe, the imported DNG files(weighing around 21 MB as opposed to 16.5 MB before importing) are viewable on Picasa.
Function customization is outstanding and the most used functions are accessible through dedicated buttons. Both displays are excellent and the camera really is weather-proof in that all the keys use o-rings as well as all the compartments, which close very tightly.
I have a second update to make, and it concerns the sensor-based image stabilization: I was a little skeptical about it in the beginning, but when I took some pictures with a focal length of 105 to 135 mm(24x36) at speeds of 1/40 to 1/50 I was amazed by the results. Although I was at least 2 stops too slow, more than half the pictures were excellent and only about 10% were unacceptable. I take a lot of wildlife pictures and I look forward to trying this image stabilization system when following a moving subject: what happens to the background? (with lens-based VR systems, it is best to turn them off in this situation).
More Pentax K10D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only) reviews:
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Summary of Pentax K10D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)
Image resolution up to 3872 x 2592PictBridge compatibleISO 1600 technology reduces camera shake and improves low-light photos9-point AiAF ensure focus accuracyVibrating CCD sensor provides built-in Dust Reduction for improved image qualitySophisticated 16-segment multi-pattern metering determines the optimal exposure settings4" W x 5 3/5" H x 2 4/5" DUses SD or SDHC memory cardIncludes USB cable video cable wrist strap hot shoe cover FK eyecup FP body mount cover finder cap for ME lithium-ion battery software battery chargerDigital SLRs
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