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Pentax K10D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only) by Pentax
Digital product summary informationManufacturer: Pentax Release 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
Accessories:
Digital camera reviews of Pentax K10D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)Digital camera Review: Two Years On... Summary: 4 StarsPentax K10D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction and 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens I purchased this camera in December of 2007. I have waited two years before reviewing the performance of this camera in order to use it under a wide variety of conditions. I am happy to report that it has performed perfectly in a wide range of conditions over the past two years. The camera body is extremely well made, (even though final assembly for the bodies of Pentax DSLR's occurs in the Philippines and the Pentax lenses are assembled in Vietnam). The quality of the lens is equally good, while also being extremely light.
One reason for the design of DSLR's is to duplicate the "What you see in the viewfinder is what you get in the image" feature of traditional 35mm and some medium-format film cameras prior to the arrival of digital cameras. The K10D accomplishes this very well. I find myself framing, composing and shooting the same way I used to with my film cameras. This is accomplished with the traditional reflex mirror SLR design used in the K10D. This does however create a drawback in that the K10D cannot display the through-the lens CCD image on the 2.5" LCD display. In order to see the image the camera sees on the LCD display, you must utilize the preview feature which allows you to capture the CCD image in the LCD display without the captured image actually being saved to the removable memory card.
The image quality is outstanding, and the K10D offers a wide range of options for manual control. In addition to the fully automatic Green setting, which allows "point and shoot" capability in a wide range of conditions, there are priority settings for shutter speed, aperture, EV (ISO "film speed") value as well as a unique feature which allows for both aperture and shutter speed values based on a continuously variable ISO value, something impossible in film cameras. The built in metering system works well in most regular lighting conditions. Extreme low light shooting requires use of the system's built in spot and area metering system, which allows you to set which of four quadrants within the frame are to be read by the CCD for rendering exposure settings. The built in pop-up flash unit works well within its limited capacity as a fixed angle straight on un-diffused blue xenon electronic flash. I recommend getting either one of two available dedicated flash units, Pentax AF 360 FGZ or the AF-200FG if you plan on doing a lot of flash photography. As with virtually all Pentax cameras, the K-mount lenses will mount to this camera, even lenses used on my old K-1000 film SLR. Although the formatting is not 1:1 between the 35mm and the CCD format, conversion is easy. Although auto focus does not work with the older lenses, the K10D still beeps when the subject is properly focused manually with an older lens. Diaphragm automation in older lenses depends on how old the lenses are, so this varies depending on the individual lens.
The included and proprietary lithium battery pack has good charge life and holds its charge well when not in use. However, I've noticed that the threshold between fully charged and fully discharged is narrow and abrupt, so you can suddenly find yourself with discharged battery and a shut down camera fairly quickly. Carrying a spare battery pack, easily available for about $50 is another worthwhile accessory. The included and dedicated charger charges the battery pack fully within about two hours. Overall, an excellent camera. One that is as of this writing no longer in production, having been replaced by cameras that have been refined designs of this camera. I can say that any of these newer machines would be an excellent choice because the K10D is such an outstanding camera.
Summary of Pentax K10D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)The PENTAX K10D digital SLR features an array of PENTAX innovations including 10.2 effective megapixels and a PENTAX-developed Shake Reduction (SR) system that effectively offers a 2.5 to 4 stop advantage for sharp, blur-free images even under difficult shooting conditions, such as macro and telephoto photography or low light settings without a flash. Also featured is a newly developed Pentax Real IMage Engine (PRIME) designed exclusively for PENTAX digital SLR cameras to produce well-balanced, true-to-life images. PENTAX also incorporated a new high performance 22-bit A/D converter to quickly transfer images with accurate color tones and richer gradation from the CCD to the imaging engine. The new Dust Removal (DR) system incorporating PENTAX-original Special Protect (SP) coating helps keep the CCD surface dust-free, and adds a shift mechanism to shake dust off the CCD. All this is housed in a dependable dust-proof, weather-resistant body construction featuring 72 seals throughout the camera to allow photographers to continue shooting even in dusty or rainy environments.
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