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 Photo Product Details
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
- Adobe Photoshop CS4 Upgrade
- PENTAX DA 50-200mm f/4-5.6 ED Weather Resistant Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras
- Adobe Photoshop Elements & Premiere Elements 7 [OLD VERSION]
- Adobe Photoshop Elements 7 [OLD VERSION]
- Corel Photo Album 7 Deluxe
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Pentax K10D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)
Customer Review: Full manual controls, great personality, enjoys walks on beach.
Summary: 5 Stars
I love my Pentax K10D. The newer models (K20D, K-7) are certainly evolutions on this platform, but they don't really add enough new features to justify the cost. I guess that's another way of saying that there isn't really much missing from my K10D.
What do I love? I love all the buttons and dials. I love being able to throw a switch to change the metering mode or to turn on exposure bracketing. I use those features -- a lot. I *love* the little green button that quickly adjusts the shutter speed to correct exposure when in Manual mode. That makes it extremely easy to set a reference exposure and then fine-tune or re-compose the shot, etc. That feature is something that I think I would miss greatly if I didn't have it (and I haven't found that feature in any Canon or Nikon body). I also love having dedicated wheels for aperature and shutterspeed and the lever on the side near the lens for flipping between the various focus modes (manual, AF-S and AF-C).
In case it's not obvious, I'm a big fan of Pentax ergonomics. This is a solid camera and fits great in larger hands. My *ist DS before that was solid too -- but a lot smaller. Compared to other brands, the Pentax just felt like I was getting my money's worth. I'm also a big fan of the weather sealing. I don't stand out in the rain, but I'm not concerned about it getting splashed, etc. Maybe it's just psychological, since I haven't really put it to the test, but it feels like a rugged camera.
And features like anti-shake are great; I use that all the time. And the sensor clean seems to be working really well. I had dust issues with my previous Pentax camera (*ist DS), but have had no problems with dust on my K10D sensor.
Now, it's not all puppy dog tails; there are some ways that the K10D is inferior and some ways that just owning a Pentax is a little more work.
For one thing, choosing Pentax does mean that you will have to settle for a narrower selection of lenses and lens accessories (especially if you're not interested in using older lenses). For a long time after buying my K10D, there wasn't a single fast, long lens (70-200 f/2.8) in production. Now there is a Tamron, Sigma, and a couple of Pentax models in this general area. And now I'm a little disappointed to be going through something similar with a long (180mm-200mm) macro lens. I'm also bummed that Kenko extension tubes don't seem to be available anymore for Pentax mount; maybe that's a temporary thing. Yeah, it'd be simpler to own a Canon or Nikon, but then I wouldn't own a Pentax. :) To be fair, though, one of the strengths of the Pentax DSLR bodies is that you can use basically any Pentax mount lens ever produced. This means that you can buy used lenses to fill the gaps; they just don't come with as many acronyms tacked on -- or that new fancy, fast-focus system (SDM).
And the menu system is pretty rough. The basic shooting functions (flash, WB, etc.) are simple & intuitive, but you should avoid pressing the "Menu" button if there are children or clergy nearby: the idiosyncratic interpretation of how you accept/change/cancel settings will likely end with explitives. Once you get used to it, you'll be fine navigating the depths of the camera's configuration -- but then probably unable to operate your microwave.
And finally, there are some things that I am waiting for before I upgrade the camera again. I don't think these are problems, but they are things that I'd like to see improved:
(1) mirror lockup (MLU). Currently there is a 2-second timer that serves much the same purpose, but other cameras support this MLU feature without requiring a 2-second delay (that would be useful to me for macro work).
(2) Better control of noise. I'm happy with a 10 or 12MP camera. I'm fairly convinced by the claim that the lens is the limiting factor at this point anyway. I'd rather Pentax focus on low-noise at high ISO. Sure, I can shoot at 800 without really losing quality, but I want to shoot at 1600 without noticing it. If my wife can do that on her Canon 40D, why can't I? Pentax needs to step up their game in this area.
So, despite a few niggles and qualifications, I think the Pentax K10D is a phenomenal camera. I've periodically looked at other systems (and I use my wife's Canon 40D from time to time), but at the end of the day, I really like the Pentax. It's got a lot of character, really suits my propensities for manual controls, and its rugged & weather-proof body makes me imagine that I could trek through the jungle with this camera ... even if the closest I usually get is lying on mulch to photograph Snow Drops in the Spring.
More Pentax K10D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only) reviews:
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Description 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.Digital SLRs
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