RSS Feeds
Cameras
Pentax K20D and K200D Digital SLRs Rumoured
Posted by Charlie White at 1:45 AM on November 28, 2007
Rumours fly about a couple of shiny new Pentax digital SLRs, possibly rolling out January 24th just in time for the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) convention. The Pentax K20D will allegedly replace and look a lot like the $US799 K10D (pictured above) that shipped over a year ago, and the K200D is due to replace the aging K100D. If the rumours are true, this is going to be good.
The K20D is said to have a 14-megapixel CMOS sensor instead of the K10D's 10.2-megapixel sensor, along with a 14-bit RAW A/D Processor and our favourite, a 3-inch live view LCD. There will be improved image stabilisation inside the virtually unchanged camera body, a shake reduction system Pentax has traditionally approached by moving the CCD rather than shifting lens elements.
The K200D will have a 10-megapixel sensor manufactured by Sony, and a PRIME 12-bit image processor. It will be able to crank out three frames per second, and also may have that larger 3-inch LCD.
There was no word about the main weakness of the Pentax line, its uninspiring collection of lenses. And after all, isn't a wide lens selection one of the most enticing attributes of digital SLRs? [Photography Bay]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
chopstickhero
Posted 2:22 PM 27/11/07
Lens selection isn't an issue, but newer lenses are not as common and do not come out as fast as Canon or Nikon. The XTi is a great camera. I have an XT and have captured some beautiful shots. I have since upgraded to a Canon 40D and haven't looked back. If anything, buy used. not only will you save hundreds, but you can use the savings to pick up some lenses.
chopstickhero
Gujustud
Posted 2:02 PM 27/11/07
Am I the only one wondering why they couldn't name it something slightly different than the Canon body lines (10D, 20D, 30D 40D). Seriously, just putting a K infront of it?
Gujustud
junyo
Posted 1:24 PM 27/11/07
The K100D is hardly "aging". a)It's a little more than a year old, and b) it already was replaced by the K100D Super a couple of months ago.
Glad I didn't pull the trigger on a second K10 body; for once the rumors were true.
@jibbly: FF ain't goona happen. All of their new lenses, all of the lenses on the roadmap are sized for the APS-C sized sensor.
junyo
slyseekr
Posted 1:10 PM 27/11/07
Pentax has actually been making some pretty big strides in the dSLR market the past year, to the point that this next generation could possibly easily rival Nikon and Canon for image quality.
Lens selection isn't an issue. Especially once you learn that you've got more than 50 years of lens models to back you up.
slyseekr
spicedham
Posted 11:25 AM 27/11/07
I've just started doing research on jumping into a DSLR. And the K10D seemed to stack up nicely against the D40x from Nikon and the Rebel XTi. I think for a certain target market (people looking to jump from a PS to a DSLR, like me), lack of lenses is less of a concern.
I still need to wait till my birthday in Feb (or my wife will be pissed), but maybe this rumored K20D will be out by then.
spicedham
keyshey
Posted 11:24 AM 27/11/07
I'm still very happy w/ my K100D SUPER, but I like the upgrades on that K200D
keyshey
jibbly
Posted 10:51 AM 27/11/07
Pentax has counted on the huge k-mount film lens back catalog to satiate the frugal SLR enthusiast. I am counting on them to come out with a full frame sensor model so that there won't be a 1.5x crop with all my nice 35mm glass.
Then, and only then, will I be a happy jibbly.
jibbly
Mandatory_Field
Posted 7:21 PM 27/11/07
Awww crap, I just got my K10D...
No, lens selection isn't really an issue at all. "Uninspiring collection of lenses"? Really? Unlike the other (non-Pentax) digital SLRs, the K10D is highly backwardly compatible. Directly, with all K-mount lenses ever made; thread mounts and medium-format with adapters. This consists (according to what I've read elsewhere) of something on the order of 24 Million lenses made. Many of those currently appear to be available on eBay :-). Not to mention people like Sigma, Tamron and too many others to mention also trying to sell you a Pentax-compatible lens. Some old Pentax lenses rank with the finest ever made, rivalling those from Carl Zeiss, Nikon and Canon (the 50mm 1.4 is a good example, as are several of the "Limited" lenses, and quite a few others).
This was precisely the reason that I went with the K10D. It allowed me to preserve the investment that I've made in lenses over the past 30 years or so. The big drawback noted by many reviews, is that you must focus and set the aperture all on your lonesome, without the camera doing it all for you. You therefore only get to use Manual mode and not any of the 50 or so (ok I exaggerate) different program modes. Also if you want to use Shake Reduction with an old lens, you must manually enter the focal length (oh, the humanity!). Huh? What? Hmmm, maybe you're just all spoiled? Heh.
I actually (finally) upgraded from my original SP- and K1000s (I show loyalty to things that just work well, and thereby show loyalty to me), so I'm used to having to do those things for myself anyway. I have one "modern" lens which supports all mod cons, and is also nice and sharp) but I find that I use my old SMC K-Mounts much more often.
Nope, lens selection is not an issue....
Mandatory_Field
Muttonchops
Posted 5:40 PM 28/11/07
There really need to be more full frame digital cameras other than the hugely expensive pro Canons. The poor light capturing capabilities and tiny viewfinders on these scaled down chip cameras totally negate the benefits of small chips. Is a 1:1 chip really that much more expensive?
Muttonchops
Mandatory_Field
Posted 10:51 PM 28/11/07
@Muttonchops: Yes. Much more complex. Multiple exposures during the lithography process, and consequently, much lower yields. Hence, more expensive. I was reading on a photography blog last night, that there is no full-frame (ff) sensor currently in existence that is not classed as a Pro (and therefore expensive) piece. Apparently the extra 5% (beyond a 95% viewfinder) becomes very expensive as well.
But that's right now: Why couldn't image sensors benefit from Moore's Law as well?
Mandatory_Field