Pentax K200D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens by Pentax
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Digital camera reviews of Pentax K200D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
Digital camera Review: A great choice
Summary: 5 Stars
My Pentax K200D arrived over 3 weeks ago and I have taken several hundred pictures. I am a dentist and I use this camera to take portrait and close-up photos almost every day. My K200D is combined with a ring flash and a Sigma 105 macro lens. I also bought the 18-55mm lens in case I want to use it outside the office.
It is easy to use and takes beautiful, high resolution pictures that you can crop and enlarge with great results.
I chose this camera over the Sony, Nikon, Canon and Olympus SLR's for several reasons.
I need to take photos quickly and I need to take them all now. I can't wait for a dead battery to recharge. The K200D uses AA batteries. If the rechargeable AA NiMH batteries are dead, I can take them out and temporarily replace them with standard batteries quickly.
The K200D uses an SD card as well as some of my other digital cameras, digital storage devices and my camcorder. My computer has a built-in SD slot so this simplifies my data storage needs.
Since I hand-hold my camera I wanted a camera with image-stabilizing. The K200D has this feature built into the body, not the lens, so the number of lenses available is greater and the cost of lenses is less and I always have this feature available.
If you read reviews on Amazon or other Web pages you may see criticism regarding brightness or color issues with the K200D. I haven't found this to be a problem. If you don't agree with the engineers at Pentax who calibrated the camera you should be aware there are many simple adjustments available to change the brightness or color settings from the Fn menu, Custom Image options and you can have photos "Your Way" from then on.
Since I shoot in M or Manual mode I use the Auto Bracketing feature all the time. All I have to do is push the Shutter button 3 times and one of the exposures will work. The first shot is what I think should work, the 2nd is darker and the 3rd is lighter.
The K200D can take excellent photos for beginners in the simplest mode and can be highly adjustable for the demanding seasoned photographer. I use the camera for work because it is a fine tool and has the features I need, but all digital SLRs are big and heavy for me. I am no longer interested going on vacation carrying 3 or 4 lbs of camera, batteries and lens over my shoulder waiting for that Kodak moment. For travel and vacation I want small cameras that fit in a purse or pocket. My 2 favorites that I have used for years are the Nikon 8400, and when I may take pictures in water, the Pentax W30. Both cameras take video with sound.
Be sure to avoid shady camera websites with prices significantly below Amazon. For the highest confidence I use Amazon.
Digital camera Review: Another good Pentax camera
Summary: 4 Stars
The only thing this camera does not have that I wish it did was a live preview. It is backwards compatible with my older Pentax lens, so I would rather have that than a live preview. Also, and almost as important to me, it uses AA batteries. I will not buy any product that uses a "special" battery...they are overpriced and you have to have at least two to have a spare. I have 24 NiMH rechargeables and a charger analyzer that keeps them in good shape. I thank Pentax for those two features. By the way, the picture quality is excellent. The colors are vivid and well saturated with and without the flash. The flash works well up close (3 feet) unlike most others. The pictures are sharp and well defined from edge to edge. I would have given it 5 stars if it had a live preview. I had looked at two companies who said they were in stock for immediate shipment, but when I ordered the camera and did not buy an expensive Li-Ion battery and large "extremely fast" memory card they were all of a sudden out of stock. Both of them NYC Broadway camera companies. I ordered from Amazon, which cost a little more, but had the camera in two days with no shipping cost. Thanks Amazon for being there again. I should have never wandered away.Digital camera Review: Great camera with everything you might need.
Summary: 5 Stars
Hello fellow Amazon.com shoppers,
As there are many reviews about this camera I will keep this one short.
Pros:
-Great PQ
-Lots of user settings, but auto settings work as good, it picks up the correct scene every time in auto mode. You will quickly understand the menu UI and different settings as they are very good described both visualy and as text on the screen.
-Good VR, you don't hear or feel a buzz, which is good.
-I was able to use my old ('87) 35-70 and 70-210 Pentax lenses. Autofocus works as it should razor sharp and exposure is correctly calculated.
-I really like the kit lens, it is of far better quality than other brands kit lenses. It comes with lens hood and has a professional look to it. Very fast AF (way faster than Nikon!)
Cons:
-The included lithium batteries (AA-size) gave me 750 images instead of the 1200 images as advertised on the box. (12MP JPEG, 10%flash,little screen use).
The next set were Alkaline batteries and gave me 200 shots. So stay away from Alkaline's. Make sure to get the battery grip BG3 and 2 sets of high capacity NIMH's. The camera is quite compact compared to Nikon's but slightly larger than comparable Canon's. I have large hands as I'm 6'6" and I really need the battery grip to have a good feel on the camera. I guess the body is the right size for normal people :)
-The power consumption was higher with the 8GB SDHC card I used at first. Now I get about 900 images with a normal 2GB SD card and one set NiMh's GP 2700mA. I think the SDHC cards use more power, stay away from them if you don't need the capacity.
All in all, very satisfied Pentax customer and feel happy everytime I go out and use it. I noticed I take the camera with me more often than I used to because it is so intuitive to operate. You are always fast enough to get that 'drive by shot' in the city :)
Digital camera Review: Excellent Camera
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an amazing camera.
I began my search for a camera with the Nikon and Canon products. I had been a Canon S3 IS user for several years and wanted to stick with that brand. However, I was very unhappy to discover that neither Nikon or Canon offered products that ran from AA batteries. Carrying camera gear is issue enough without also having to carry all the extra stuff that goes with rechargeable batteries. When I searched for DSLR devices that ran from AA's, I discovered the Pentax. I am SO glad I made this purchase. Not only did I get AA as a power source, but the camera is FAR more solid feeling than any of the other DSLRs that I looked at. It is rugged, weatherproof (to some degree), and sports a feature set that lets you work in full automatic mode to full manual mode. You are likely to find, as I did, that the camera invites you to experiment with all the manual options to provides for some incredible levels of creativity. My photography has profoundly improved with this Pentax in my hands.
Digital camera Review: Love it!
Summary: 5 Stars
I absolutely love this camera. It gives me the chance to learn and be creative while also using it as a "point and shoot" camera. The shake reduction that is built into the Pentax K200 is awesome. It's extremely difficult to take a bad shot. :) I've taken over 500 shots with the included Engergizer Lithium batteries and still have a full charge. Now I'm addicted to buying lenses for it. You can't go wrong with this camera. I always aspired to buy a Cannon Rebel, but I can't imagine a camera being any better than this one especially for the price. The feel to the camera is fantastic. I thought I would miss the "live view" that I had with my other "point and shoot" cameras, but I'm adjusting well. As other reviewers have said, the Pentax lenses are much more affordable since you don't have to pay for the shake reduction in the lens. I'm giddy and having a blast taking great blurry free shots!