|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
Technical Details
- New CMOS sensor with an impressive resolution of 14.6 megapixels,delivering extremely finely resolved, brilliant photos
- Disturbing picture noise is reduced to a minimum
- The PENTAX Dynamic Range Enlargement (DRE) provides an expanded contrast range of the photos
- PENTAX Shake Reduction: the special advantage is that it is integrated into the camera body so it is always available and usable with any lens
- Along with the pentaprism finder the K20D offers Live View, permitting perfect picture control directly on the wide angle (160° viewing angle) monitor. This permits easy composition from difficult camera angles
- Reliable system against dust on the sensor:
- Seals prevent dust contamination,
- coating of the Low Pass filter prevents adhesion of dust particles
- Vibration eliminates dust from the sensor, an adhesive
Product details
|
Related Items
- Most Popular
- SD Cards
- Camera Bags & Cases
Product Description
Manufacturer's Description
The K20D offers a completely new camera concept that clearly raises the standard for this class of digital SLR. With superb image quality, an array of advanced features, and outstanding reliability and operability to meet the specialized and exacting demands of the most advanced photographer
The new CMOS image sensor, exclusively developed for K20D, is designed to optimize the performance of PENTAX interchangeable lenses. Featuring approximately 14.6 effective megapixels and the latest noise-reduction technology, it assures superb image quality a step above its predecessors
The K20D also offers an array of advanced features and user-friendly functions, including: a new Custom Image function that lets the user select or adjust the image's finishing touches to their preference; an upgraded, more reliable SR (Shake Reduction) system; a comprehensive Dust Removal system; a multi-mode exposure system for faithful reproduction of the photographer's creative intentions; and a dependable dust-proof, water-resistant body construction. As a result, the K20D easily meets the diversified, exacting demands of discerning photographers
The K20D also incorporates the PENTAX-original PRIME (PENTAX Real Image Engine) as its imaging engine. Designed exclusively for PENTAX digital SLR cameras, it assures well-balanced, true-to-life images
The new Live view function allows the user to view the image on the large 2.7" LCD monitor on the camera's back panel during shooting. This comes handy when the photographer must move his or her eye from the viewfinder in specialized applications, such as low- and high-angle compositions. The K20D has added a dynamic-range expansion function, which allows the user to expand a dynamic range (or a range of gradation reproduction) while retaining the proper contrast to avoid white-washed areas. With an approximately 1EV expansion effect, it assures beautiful, rich-gradation images. Also its luminous sensitivity operates over an extended range of ISO 100 to ISO 640
Due to demand by photographers and the trade the K20D is equipped with finer compression stages. Now 4 JPEG compression levels are available providing for more highly detailed pictures. Most relevant for those in the know, the camera can store files as JPEG or as RAW or, depending upon user preference, simultaneously as both JPEG and RAW. The RAW selection may be either the Pentax "PEF" standard or the Adobe Photoshop "DNG" format. By pressing the RAW button the file format can easily be changed and the sequence individually specified
Additionally the K20D works with a precision 11-point autofocus system with 9 cross sensors (SAFOX VIII) and the AF is freely adjustable. With the "AF Adjustment" function the focal point can be uniquely optimized for each lens, or, when desired, for all lenses around a freely adjustable, correction factor. Front or back focus problems are now a thing of the past. The list of functions available on the K20D goes on, all with one aim in mind which is to generate the highest quality image possible
This K20D is accompanied with an 18-55mm II and 50-200mm Lens Kit
The 18-55mm II Lens has new optics specifically adapted for high quality DSLR's. This versatile standard zooms lens is suitable for numerous applications. With a zoom range of approx 28-85mm its always ready to go. It also has SP "Super Protect" coating technology makes it dirt resistant along with a "Quick Shift Focus System". The 55-200mm Lens
Product Description
- Disturbing picture noise is reduced to a minimum
- The PENTAX Dynamic Range Enlargement (DRE) provides an expanded contrast range of the photos
- PENTAX Shake Reduction: the special advantage is that it is integrated into the camera body so it is always available and usable with any lens
- Along with the pentaprism finder the K20D offers Live View, permitting perfect picture control directly on the wide angle (160° viewing angle) monitor. This permits easy composition from difficult camera angles
- Reliable system against dust on the sensor:
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
I'm a professional photographer and use the K20D for a wide range of photography including: products, landscapes, events, portraits and glamour. Event photography can challenge any camera because you are having to deal with constantly changing conditions. The settings you need quick access to are instantly available on dedicated buttons - so no hunting through the menus. Things like focusing modes, exposure compensation and shake reduction are all instantly to hand.
Functions you need less often have their own fast-access menu through the FN button.
So - for a professional who needs to get the camera in the right mode quickly, this is hard to beat.
Image quality is superb. With over 14Mp to play with, you still have the option to crop to the detail without losing quality. You can produce huge prints so even posters pose no problem.
The publicity boasts of the camera being sealed against the elements. It works. I recently took it to shoot at a waterfall where the air was full of dense mist. The camera got soaked but never showed any sign of suffering from it. Other camera owners were running for cover.
I use this camera just about every day and wouldn't be without it.
Functions you need less often have their own fast-access menu through the FN button.
So - for a professional who needs to get the camera in the right mode quickly, this is hard to beat.
Image quality is superb. With over 14Mp to play with, you still have the option to crop to the detail without losing quality. You can produce huge prints so even posters pose no problem.
The publicity boasts of the camera being sealed against the elements. It works. I recently took it to shoot at a waterfall where the air was full of dense mist. The camera got soaked but never showed any sign of suffering from it. Other camera owners were running for cover.
I use this camera just about every day and wouldn't be without it.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful
The 14.6 MB and good lens resolution enables this camera to often capture detail that is simply not visible with the naked eye. The sensitivity setting at 3200 iso also has revealed interior detail (Italian church frescos) using only low levels of natural light better than I could actually see! - and the grain can be adjusted.
The large lcd screen and zoom by the rear dial enables quick review of images to check success or otherwise.
I upgraded to this camera from a Milota 6.5 MB digital (no longer produced) which performed well and had features in common. At first I wondered if I had done the right thing. I have now used the K20D for architectural photography and 2 weeks of snapping on holiday and I have no doubts - this camera is robust, intuitive in its menue layouts with button short cuts (you do need to learn these) and full of functionality (this makes it semi-professional - there is a lot you can do).
So far on enlargement of images I have seen no significant halo or interference along edges and colours appear natural.
The software and cable link to a laptop enables the camera to be drive remotely (useful for architectural photography).
A great bit of kit!
Niggles - not many -
It is rather heavy to carry around but I didn't want to be without it,
Sv on the function dial dosn't mean shutter priority but sensitivity (shutter priority is Tv I suppose this is best remembered as exposure time)
Live view nice idea but never use it.
It might be my camera but I have set exposure compensation to +0.5 or otherwise images are rather dark
The linked software for use on laptop dosn't enable zooming in on images to check focus etc.
The large lcd screen and zoom by the rear dial enables quick review of images to check success or otherwise.
I upgraded to this camera from a Milota 6.5 MB digital (no longer produced) which performed well and had features in common. At first I wondered if I had done the right thing. I have now used the K20D for architectural photography and 2 weeks of snapping on holiday and I have no doubts - this camera is robust, intuitive in its menue layouts with button short cuts (you do need to learn these) and full of functionality (this makes it semi-professional - there is a lot you can do).
So far on enlargement of images I have seen no significant halo or interference along edges and colours appear natural.
The software and cable link to a laptop enables the camera to be drive remotely (useful for architectural photography).
A great bit of kit!
Niggles - not many -
It is rather heavy to carry around but I didn't want to be without it,
Sv on the function dial dosn't mean shutter priority but sensitivity (shutter priority is Tv I suppose this is best remembered as exposure time)
Live view nice idea but never use it.
It might be my camera but I have set exposure compensation to +0.5 or otherwise images are rather dark
The linked software for use on laptop dosn't enable zooming in on images to check focus etc.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Let me open this review with a simple statement: the Pentax K20D is one of the best consumer digital SLRs by any manufacturer.
The 'headline feature' is the weather sealing - competing products such as the Canon EOS 450D must be covered with a plastic bag if (or, in the west of Scotland, _when_) it rains. The K20D, on the other hand, laughs in the face of inclement weather - though the sealing is not 100% complete without a weather sealed DA* lens. The build quality - for which Pentax have a well-deserved reputation - is incredible. The camera is built like a tank, and the weather-sealing process no doubt contributes to this (since tighter tolerances are required).
If the camera has a weakness, it is perhaps the autofocus system. It is not the quickest (especially if it has to hunt), and indoors it can front-focus if given the opportunity. As a landscape photographer (with occasional forays indoors) this does not hinder me, but if you are a bird or sports photographer it might well do.
The inbuilt shake reduction is very useful indeed. There are perennial arguments between fans of the various DSLR brands as to whether in-lens stabilisation (Canon, Nikon) is superior to in-camera stabilisation (Pentax, Sony). I will leave those arguments to forum trolls, but the K20D's SR is certainly sufficient for my needs. It enables shots at shutter speeds which have no right to produce a coherent image. It has the added attraction of working with any lens you fit to the camera, whether one of the new DA 'pancake' lenses or a legendary Takumar from the 1970s. Other manufacturers will happily sell you a £1000 lens which has no stabilisation whatsoever.
This brings me on to what is arguably the most important consideration when choosing a DSLR: the camera system. When you buy a Digital SLR body, you are in truth not just buying that camera but are also buying into the manufacturer's system. If you buy a Pentax DSLR for example, you cannot buy a Sony DSLR next time without having to replace all of your lenses and accessories. You therefore need to be sure when you buy a DSLR that the camera system is right for you not just now, but in five and ten years' time too. Pentax does not have the widest range of lenses (nothing 'longer' than 300mm), nor does it offer much in the way of a budget range (it does not have the 'cheap and cheerful' primes of Canon's 35mm f2/50mm f1.8 and Nikon's 35mm f1.8/50mm f1.8). However the lenses it does have are in many cases peerless. There are the professional-grade DA* lenses, which are fully weather sealed and offer great image quality, but the real reason to buy into a Pentax system is its 'Limited' series of prime lenses. Search for "DA 35 optical paragon" to see what I mean!
To summarise, like any camera this has strengths and weaknesses. The latter are not grave enough to prevent the K20D getting five stars: it may not be suitable for fast-action sports or wildlife photography, but then it wasn't intended to be. Pentax designed this to be a real "photographer's camera": the menus are logical and well-designed, and the camera is not remotely fazed by the situations in which the average photographer might find himself. Definitely one of the greats.
The 'headline feature' is the weather sealing - competing products such as the Canon EOS 450D must be covered with a plastic bag if (or, in the west of Scotland, _when_) it rains. The K20D, on the other hand, laughs in the face of inclement weather - though the sealing is not 100% complete without a weather sealed DA* lens. The build quality - for which Pentax have a well-deserved reputation - is incredible. The camera is built like a tank, and the weather-sealing process no doubt contributes to this (since tighter tolerances are required).
If the camera has a weakness, it is perhaps the autofocus system. It is not the quickest (especially if it has to hunt), and indoors it can front-focus if given the opportunity. As a landscape photographer (with occasional forays indoors) this does not hinder me, but if you are a bird or sports photographer it might well do.
The inbuilt shake reduction is very useful indeed. There are perennial arguments between fans of the various DSLR brands as to whether in-lens stabilisation (Canon, Nikon) is superior to in-camera stabilisation (Pentax, Sony). I will leave those arguments to forum trolls, but the K20D's SR is certainly sufficient for my needs. It enables shots at shutter speeds which have no right to produce a coherent image. It has the added attraction of working with any lens you fit to the camera, whether one of the new DA 'pancake' lenses or a legendary Takumar from the 1970s. Other manufacturers will happily sell you a £1000 lens which has no stabilisation whatsoever.
This brings me on to what is arguably the most important consideration when choosing a DSLR: the camera system. When you buy a Digital SLR body, you are in truth not just buying that camera but are also buying into the manufacturer's system. If you buy a Pentax DSLR for example, you cannot buy a Sony DSLR next time without having to replace all of your lenses and accessories. You therefore need to be sure when you buy a DSLR that the camera system is right for you not just now, but in five and ten years' time too. Pentax does not have the widest range of lenses (nothing 'longer' than 300mm), nor does it offer much in the way of a budget range (it does not have the 'cheap and cheerful' primes of Canon's 35mm f2/50mm f1.8 and Nikon's 35mm f1.8/50mm f1.8). However the lenses it does have are in many cases peerless. There are the professional-grade DA* lenses, which are fully weather sealed and offer great image quality, but the real reason to buy into a Pentax system is its 'Limited' series of prime lenses. Search for "DA 35 optical paragon" to see what I mean!
To summarise, like any camera this has strengths and weaknesses. The latter are not grave enough to prevent the K20D getting five stars: it may not be suitable for fast-action sports or wildlife photography, but then it wasn't intended to be. Pentax designed this to be a real "photographer's camera": the menus are logical and well-designed, and the camera is not remotely fazed by the situations in which the average photographer might find himself. Definitely one of the greats.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Pentax K20d review
After frustratingly searching for many weeks to buy the Cannon 50D - I finally gave up the ghost as I began to assume that general stock had dried up. Read more
Published on 26 Oct 2009 by Mr. M. Cooper
I like Pentax
After waiting for the K7 to arrive, I decided that the K20 at less than half the price is the Pentax upgrage for me. Read more
Published on 27 Jun 2009 by PS
Pentax K20D
Having been using Pentax since 1964 (spotmatic - still have it!) I am probably biased but this camera is the best I have had so far. Read more
Published on 5 May 2009 by Robert Dick
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
