Pentax K20D 14.6MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)
by Pentax
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Our Price: $899.99 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $759.00 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Pentax K20D 14.6MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)
Customer Review: Great camera
Summary: 5 Stars
This camera will do everything you need. You can start out with simple auto everything and use the features that make it great as you become a better photographer. I have had mine for a year now and have no desire to upgrade. Don`t let the low price fool you, this is the real deal!Customer Review: Great buy
Summary: 5 Stars
Pentax K20D Digital SLR Camera with Pentax SMC DA 18-55mm AL II Zoom Lens + Tamron 70-300mm Di LD Macro Lens + 8GB SDHC Card + Spare D-LI50 Battery + Case + Cameta Bonus Accessory Kit (Purchased on 02/14/2009)
I received this kit and have been very happy with it *****
The K20D is amazing. Found the build quality to be top-notch, feels solid in the hands. This camera has been very ez to work with and the learning curve has not been to steep. The pictures are beautiful and sharp, have a few that I have had printed out at 24"X30" and they look great. The 18-55 Pentax lens it top notch for a kit lens, very sharp, focuses very well even in low light plus you can always tweak the focus manually. The D-LI50 battery is amazing. 500 shots ez if you use the flash some, 1000 if you don't do a lot of flash. I can't say enough about this camera. Oh... and low light performance is good too, compared to every camera out there. Want less noise, turn the settings up, and all of the reviews have been done with factory default which is NR off.
Now the bad
There are 3 sets of people this camera is not for.
1st. If you like to do a lot of long exposures over 5 min (star gazers). The way the sensor is set up, any exposure over 1 sec or so, the camera hot pixle hunts for a time equal to the exposure time. If you take a 5-minute exposure the camera exposes the sensor for 5 min then closes and hot pixel hunts for another 5 min, effectively locking out the camera for 10 minutes total. This can put a cramp on the number of shots you can take, especially if you like doing 1-hour exposures.
2nd. PROFESSIONAL SPORTS. It's not that you can't take good action shots with this camera, you can. (I have great air show pics from my K1000 film, stopped dead) but the frames per second are too slow for someone making a living at it. You will also spend $1500-$2500 USD more. For having fun with the kid's games or any other than that, you want to get paid for shooting it's fine. Just try to anticipate your shots the way you would a film camera and you will be fine.
3rd. Sadly, if you're the type that likes to run down to the corner camera shop and pick up the latest lens flash or other PENTAX SPECIFIC item FORGET IT. The new owners of Pentax have pretty much dumped all of their smaller retailers so they're not carrying the cameras and lenses. I live in the Dallas area and have been to most of the shops here and I have heard the same story from every one of them. Their reps are gone and they don't do the volume needed to keep the cameras and be competitive. So for the most part, lenses and flashes will have to be gotten on line. Anything not body specific (filters) your fine.
Tamron 70-300mm: This lens came with this bundle. For the price, it's a nice lens with one major flaw, PURPLE FRINGE. If you have the lens wide open and at full mag, its pretty bad and depending on what your shooting it will be impossible to get rid of post process. Keep it at f8 and around 250mm and it does a great job. For a budget zoom, its not bad. Just remember budget. ***
SPARE Battery: D-LI50 battery. This bundle comes from Cameta Camera and the spare battery they are sending is an NP-400. Compared to the D-LI50 it's about 1/3rd to1/2 weaker. As soon as I saw it was not what they stated in the ad. I emailed them and asked about it, thinking it was a mistake. I received this response:
" Hi,
Thanks for contacting us. The battery that you received is the replacement battery for the DL-I50. This battery is made to replace 3 different batteries that are used in 3 different cameras, the Pentax as well. Using the battery will not void your warranty since it will work perfectly in your camera.
If you do not want it than we can take it back for a purchase price refund through Amazon.
If you would please be so kind as to return the battery in its original packaging to the address listed on the top of your invoice, marked to the attention of the "Returns Department," I would be most appreciative. Please be sure to include a copy of your invoice, as well as a brief note describing the reason for the return. Once we do receive said unit back at our facility, we will process the return and refund."
So I opened it up and gave it a shot (TOO LATE NOW) 200 shots 50/50 with flash and this battery is gone. **
Cameta Camera got me the order with in a week, it arrived well packed and with the above exception as promised. I would buy any major item from them any time but for the small stuff I would call and see if they're subbing out 1st. ***
Over all ****
I will put some pics up shortly
Customer Review: Rugged, reliable research camera with outstanding features
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought my K20D to do research photography in rough environments in Cambodia, Thailand and Laos. I'm not a technical equipment expert but I have plenty of experience using cameras as a tool of my trade. This review relates a few tips and personal impressions about this terrific camera.
I actually bought a K10D in January 2007 for a series of research trips in Southeast Asia. I took about 15,000 trouble-free photos with that camera when it was, unfortunately, destroyed in an accident (a fire, incidentally, and I think it would have survived just about anything else).
In November 2008 I bought a K20D as a replacement. I bought my K10D with the standard lens. This time I bought the body and lens separately, which gave me a much better camera for my application. I decided on a Sigma 18-50mm f/2.8 EX DC SLD ELD Aspherical Macro Lens for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras, which I'll review separately.
After my experience with the K10D it was a no-brainer to buy the K20D. Features are similar so there was no learning curve, and all my accessories (Pentax BG2 Battery Grip for Pentax K10D and K20D DSLR Cameras, Tamron AF 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro Zoom Lens for Pentax Digital SLR Cameras, Pentax AF540FGZ Flash for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras (Includes Case)) were compatible. The K20D is an even better camera with higher image resolution, color enhancement and (I think) improved image stabilization.
Battery life is outstanding - Up to 600 shots on one charge, including many with fill in flash and checking each shot in the LCD screen as it's taken. With an extra battery this camera far exceeds my endurance for a day of shooting.
Two boy scout tips will make life better (or at least more relaxed) with this camera:
1. Buy an extra battery and charger - The uncommon format used in this camera makes these items very difficult to find in local camera stores (impossible to find where I go). No battery or no charger = no pix. I got this inexpensive kit with both 2 Replacement Pentax D-LI50 Batteries and Mini Battery Charger for the K10D & K20D Digital SLR Cameras. Good insurance.
2. Take an extra USB cable to download your pix to computer. Like the batteries, the tiny D-shell connection to the K20D body is not a common size. On one trip when I lost this I ended up buying a flashcard USB reader because the cable was nowhere to be found...at least in Cambodia.
November 2008 I shot 7,000 trouble free photos in 9 days. High heat, high humidity and occasional jolts (oops) never slow this rugged piece of equipment down. A great camera that is easy to use in difficult shooting situations.
Customer Review: K20D purchase
Summary: 5 Stars
I upgraded from the K10d and expected just a minor tweak to the hardware. The upgrades are there but I was really surprised by the more saturated colors. I thought my polarizer was at fault...but i wasn't using it! It still underexposes about 1 fstop like the K10D(no biggy). I bought this for a second camera for wedding photography (can't get by with one camera...too dangerous). With 4 megapixels more resolution to play with I can also get by with shooting in horizontal position and doing cropping to vertical format in many cases. Makes life simpler than shooting vertically 1/2 the time. Noise control is way better at 800 ISO too (Good for dark churches). Haven't tried 1600 ISO yet. As always Pentax Rocks!!! I got the cheapest(legitimate!) price I could find anywhere right on Amazon. Beware the cheapo websites they are *not real* prices. Customer Review: What a camera!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've a long history with Pentax and my expectations were satisfied and then some. While there is a bit of a learning curve to this camera, once you have even the basics down this camera performs marvelously. The gimmick features are fine enough, but for me it's the quality of the pictures that counts. That is after what I bought the camera for. They're clear and crisp with excellent color rendition. The fact that I can drag out my Pentax 500mm 4.5 lens and use it again makes the legacy lensing of both my 35mm and 6x7 once again useful. This is a camera for photographers, especially for those who still shoot as though they were using film. You can control your shots precisely as far as exposure is concerned, and require very little in the way of software correction. I especially like the infrared mode of the black and white area. All in all this camera will do what you want for a much more affordable price than it's competitors.