The first pro level digital SLR from Pentax, the K10D has a 10.2 megapixel CCD with the Pentax Shake Reduction system for 2.5 to 4 stops of compensati
The first pro level digital SLR from Pentax, the K10D has a 10.2 megapixel CCD with the Pentax Shake Reduction system for 2.5 to 4 stops of compensation when shooting in low light or with telephoto lenses. The Pentax K10D also has a rugged weather and dust resistant body with a CCD Dust Removal system. Unique Pentax exposure modes, 11-point auto focus system and 16-segment exposure metering also help set the K10D apart from other digital SLRs..
The $1,000 DSLR space is a real heavyweight, boxing ring. Pentax enters the fray with a camera that quietly redefines the fight. How? By assembling a compelling mix of features and capabilities that work like photographers think. The Pentax K10D measures up to its promise on paper with solid performance-it's a serious photographic tool and an exceptional value for the money. But as with all digital cameras, check out the image quality before you make your final judgment.
Pentax K10D Features
The difficult part of writing a review about a camera like this is trying to explain how some feature is or isn’t so great. As a working photographer, I am always looking for a faster, easier way to accomplish my goals. The fact is, there isn’t any one feature in the K10D that stands out as revolutionary, although the unique exposure modes are “innovative”. There isn’t anything here that will stand the
photography world on its head. However, the design of the Pentax K10D reflects a special understanding of flexible photographic thinking. The result is that the K10D achieves a symbiotic mix of features and functionality that simply gets out of the photographer’s way.
To begin, the K10D mixes automatic and manual exposure control with the Hyper-Manual exposure mode. If you’re like me, you want the camera to do everything, except when you want to take control for creative expression. Actually, I hate that expression “creative expression” but hey, you know what it means - make me look like Ansel Adams without my having to try.
When you're shooting a scene where you trust the ambient light to be consistent, you use the manual exposure mode and just make little changes as necessary. When something changes though, you may need to set a completely new exposure. For those times, the "Green Button" (yes, that is the actual name of the feature-I copied it right out of the User's Manual, page 18)
is an innovative short cut (see Green Button photo, four paragraphs down) that resets the manual exposure settings to the current metered values -a quick one button switch to auto exposure just for a moment. There's also a custom setting that controls the Green Button's metering behavior. You can set it to shift exposure in aperture or shutter priority mode. This makes quick work of resetting your exposure. It's like being in aperture priority mode with full-time AE-lock. This is a subtle conceptual change in manual exposure, but the benefits of the Green Button make for faster on-the-fly adjustments.
Photographers argue about the pros and cons of shooting RAW all the time. If you like to switch back and forth between RAW and JPEG, the K10D gives you an easy way to switch whenever you want. Just hit the dedicated RAW button on the left side of the lens mount to switch - fast and simple. The button can be set to switch to RAW capture for one frame only (and then switch back to JPEG), or it can be set to toggle between RAW and JPEG.
White balance fine-tuning is a common feature now. But the K10D implements it better with a Preview function. Simply enter the white balance menu, flick the on/off lever to Preview and the shutter releases displaying the scene (but no image is recorded on the memory card). Then you can use the four-way pad to adjust the white balance. A handy grid helps you make quick refinements as the camera immediately shows you the results with the preview scene. Get all messed up and want to start over? Just tap your good friend, the Green Button, and you're re-centered.
Automatic exposure takes another step toward fully automatic with the user-defined Auto ISO feature. You determine the ISO sensitivity range and the camera chooses the lowest sensitivity (and therefore lowest noise) level suitable for your aperture or shutter speed settings. (Auto ISO is not enabled in manual, bulb, or flash-sync shooting modes.) And in most shooting modes, quick changes to ISO are possible by holding down the OK button in the center of the keypad and turning the front e-dial.
An un-marketed feature of the Pentax K10D is control dial customization. Do you prefer controlling the aperture by the rear dial instead of the front, or vice versa? Choose your preference in the K10D's custom function menu. Just another example of how the K10D gets out of the way to make photography easier for you.
Left: Pentax K10D Green Button Right: Pentax K10D Fn button and Shake Reduction switch
Image stabilization is all the rage these days, and indeed some photographers rage about whether lens-based anti-shake technology is superior to an in-camera design. Practically speaking, I find that this technology works well either way. The advantage with Pentax’s in-camera Shake Reduction system is that Pentax lenses remain smaller and lighter than image-stabilized lenses. The potential disadvantage is one more thing (and a complex thing) in the camera that can break or wear out. Nonetheless, these potential problems are secondary to the fact that all lenses mounted on the K10D will benefit from the Pentax Shake Reduction system. There are times when hand-holding at 1/10th of a second is either a fun experiment or a necessary technique. And image stabilization offers very real benefits to all photographers (Pentax Shake Reduction sample).
Speaking of similar technology, Pentax joins Olympus, Sony, and Canon by adding a dust reduction system to their newest SLR. The K10D's dust removal system "shudders" the sensor to remove dust at start-up. The sensor surface is also coated to discourage dust from sticking. I still recommend that you exercise plenty of caution when changing lenses. Not getting dust on your sensor in the first place is the best way to keep it clean.
Finally, all the usual techno-wizardry is present and accounted for: Multi-point AF? Check. Bright, hi-res LCD? Check. Easy playback, review, and delete menus? Check.
Pentax K10D Design
The Pentax K10D puts all the photographic control at your fingertips. Or in my case - under my thumb. Usability is excellent all-around:
Front and rear command dials are comfortably positioned for quick adjustment. I especially like the rear dial's left/right orientation. In many ways this feels more "sure" than a circular iPod-like dial. It is also less likely for a bump to accidentally change your settings.
Sports shooters who like to separate auto focus from the shutter release button will appreciate the optional AF button on the back. For large-handed folks like me, it's right under your thumb's knuckle. This is a little awkward at first but you get used to it quickly.
On-screen menu layouts are clear and easy to understand.
Solid latches for battery bay and memory card slot won't pop open inadvertently.
Bright, large viewfinder is critical for seeing details while shooting (especially peoples' expressions in a group photo). Large bright, high-resolution LCD also helps for reviewing focus and composition.
Left: Pentax K10D top lcd and controls Right: Pentax K10D pop-up flash
The build quality of the K10D is on par with the Nikon D80, and clearly feels superior to the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTi / 400D. (In terms of fit and finish, keep in mind that all of these cameras are well made.) The K10D feels like the designers paid a lot of attention to how the camera's shape fits in your hands. It has curves and lips on both sides of the body that make it easy to hold. The control buttons on the left of the LCD screen are recessed in a curve that feels like a natural resting place for your left thumb. It's matched by a curve on the front that makes holding the K10D for playback a bit like holding a video game controller. On the right side, your confidence in grasping the camera one-handed is enhanced by little flanges that allow the weight of the camera to rest comfortably between your fingers and the base of your thumb.
One big design advantage the K10D has over its competition is weather resistance. The K10D has rubber seals in the body (and in recently announced lenses). I have heard stories of photographers literally putting their cameras away because a little rain began to fall (here in Seattle, this is a frequent issue!). It is comforting to know that this system won’t wilt at the first sign of water. Of course you always guard against water on the lens, but weather resistance is desirable anywhere water or dust may be present. You never know when you might get splashed.
Camera Experience
Using the K10D in both casual and professional situations over the last two months, I've come to appreciate the little Green Button and the camera's easy white balance tuning. When you stop worrying about white balance or exposure in changing light, you can focus your energy on composition and timing. The in-camera shake reduction allowed me to shoot hand-held as slow as 1/10th of a second, and the body ergonomics made it easy to hold the camera steady while releasing the shutter at slow speeds.
One nice thing about the Pentax system is their lens selection. While the range isn't as vast as some other systems, it has several gems that make using the K10D like shooting with a trusty old manual focus camera-and I mean that in all the good ways. Also, Pentax recently announced two new, fast f/2.8 zoom lenses that cover the most popular focal length ranges.
I evaluated the K10D using two of the Pentax fast digital primes: the 21mm f/3.2 AL and the 70mm f/2.4. It was almost a retro-experience using the K10D in Hyper-manual mode with fast primes, swapping lenses quickly with the camera against my torso. The 70mm, in particular, has beautiful bokeh-a Japanese term denoting the aesthetic quality of the out-of-focus portions of a photo.
It's worth noting that part of what makes using the K10D so satisfying is the large, bright viewfinder. If you've spent any time with cameras such as the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XT (350D), you may have wished your subject was a little larger and brighter in the camera's viewfinder. Photographers who have used (and remember) 35mm film SLRs know how a good viewfinder helps enhance your connection with the subject. It really adds an intangible, positive quality to this photography thing. Accordingly, the K10D uses a glass pentaprism in the viewfinder; most of its competition does not. (Pentaprisms allow more light to pass though the camera to the user's eye, but are more expensive to manufacture than pentamirrors. Pentamirrors are found on most low-end DSLRs.)
Pentax K10D playback with histogram displayed
Pentax K10D playback mode with image info displayed
Pentax K10D main menu
Pentax K10D Fn menu
Image Quality
There is a lot of discussion and information available online about the sensor Pentax is using for the K10D. Personally, I'm interested in a camera's ability to resolve fine detail and how it renders shadow details. I also pay attention to highlight gradients and skin tones. I think they indicate how carefully a camera's engineers tweak their algorithms for the nuances of light. There are some issues with the K10D's JPEG image quality. But shooting RAW allows for much better quality. Of course, RAW also means you have to put in a little more effort doing RAW file conversions.
The K10D's Resolution is very good, but not up to the 10-megapixel standard set by Canon's EOS Digital Rebel XTi / 400D. Looking at sample files online, you can see the K10D is a strong performer with studio shots up close. But when it comes to fine details in the distance, the K10D and 21mm f/3.2 fall short of the Canon XTi and EF-S 18mm f/3.5-5.6. This surprised me given that prime lenses normally trounce zooms in the image quality department. Landscape shooters should evaluate this carefully. As a general rule, but especially for the K10D, one needs to use the RAW format to extract the most resolution from tricky details like foliage in shadows. I sharpened my RAW files using Unsharp Mask in Adobe Photoshop with zero threshold, 0.5 radius, at 200%. The K10D JPEGs tend to smear the fine detail and the edges just don't pop like you'd expect (hope).
Image resolution takes on a totally different character with the 70mm f/2.4 lens. Both JPEG files and converted RAW files (after capture sharpening during RAW conversion) look naturally sharp. While they still weren't as crisp as Canon Digital Rebel XTi / 400D images, the quality is close and even with a large print it would be hard to tell the difference at normal viewing distances.
Color and contrast in Pentax K10D images are excellent and skin tones are captured well, but there is a little bit of red/magenta in naturally lit outdoor photos. Nonetheless, I actually tweaked the K10D color and contrast less than with other cameras. Better contrast is obtainable from RAW files, as usual.
The Pentax K10D resolves highlights well, and gradients appear relatively smooth and natural. Shadows, on the other hand, feel a bit noisy to me. But this is the case with most digital cameras. To minimize shadow noise, you really have to shoot RAW and adjust your shadow levels and contrast properly. Overall I think the K10D balances the tonal extremes nicely, except for a bit of extra noise in the shadows.
Sensor noise is apparent at ISO 1600 and to a lesser degree at ISO 800. Dark regions of sky or other black colors reveal a pattern that isn't exactly appealing. This noise pattern is most noticeable with night photography and is less problematic with moderately lit situations or sports photography. Personally, I would try to keep the Pentax K10D below ISO 1000.
Finally, an unexpected guest to the party was purple fringing. Strong chromatic aberrations appeared when I used the 21mm f/3.2 lens, and some very minor fringing was even seen in high contrast details with the 70mm f/2.4. I was really let down by these distortions as I like to shoot backlit and side-lit scenes where purple fringing is most likely to be a problem. While it doesn't happen all the time, it says something when a built-for-digital prime lens exhibits such a glaring problem. Again, the solution here is to shoot in the RAW format. The crops below are from a frame shot with the 21mm f/3.2 in RAW+JPEG. I adjusted the RAW file using Adobe Photoshop's Camera Raw. Chromatic abberation (under the "Lens" tab) was set as follows: R/C to -32 and B/Y to +32.
Because usability is such an important element of photography for me, it’s a shame the Pentax K10D comes across as a bit soft. I really expected the edge detail in my images to be more crisp. Clearly, the lens plays a big role. Perhaps the K10D is so good it ruthlessly reveals lens flaws?
But, this begs the question, how much is enough? For most prints and online viewing, the detail I’m concerned with is probably too small for anyone to see. I have a 15x27-inch print over my desk made from an 8MP point-and-shoot and it looks great from a normal viewing distance.
Conclusion
For me, the most compelling features of the K10D are its unique exposure modes. These new modes enable you to choose the priority of the camera's automation based on your shooting style and situational requirements. These subtle changes to the basic camera controls offer flexibility that may result in faster, more confident shooting.
Overall, the Pentax K10D has a compelling feature list and competitive specs. With so much going for it, the K10D draws inevitable comparisons to other cameras in its class. It's tempting to obsess over what the K10D lacks versus its competition. And indeed, despite all its virtues the K10D is not a Canon or Nikon-killer. In some ways, I think that kind of comparison misses the point: For many serious photographers, pro and amateur alike, the K10D stands on its own as a well-rounded photographic tool that can be used for many types and styles of photography. While some may take issue with the K10D's image quality, other photographers may not be as trapped by the endless pixel obsession cycle (see Ken Rockwell's "measurbators"). And finally, Pentax has begun to expand its lens arsenal, with dedicated primes that set it apart from other manufacturer's systems.
Who Should Buy The Pentax K10D
The Pentax K10D will appeal to photographers who value a well-built and well-designed camera. People who get their hands on the camera at their local retailer will gain a sense of what I'm describing here. The K10D is suitable for just about anyone except sports shooters/serious birders wanting a variety of fast long lenses or anyone wanting a huge system of lenses to choose from. The K10D also won't please two other types of photographers: Event/wedding shooters who avoid using the RAW format, and those who demand best-in-class resolution.
Everyone else will likely find the K10D to be a very comfortable fit. Existing Pentax owners will be happy stepping up to the K10D's features. People photographers will appreciate the fast handling and fast prime lenses. Travel photographers will appreciate the weather sealing and lens selection. Studio and macro shooters should have no problems setting up the K10D to suit their styles.
If you are looking for an all-around DSLR value, the K10D should be high on your list. The dedicated digital lens selection is growing and the pricing makes high quality available to the masses. And, discovering the K10D's valuable ability to just get out of your way is something you will appreciate over time.
- end -
Contents of the Pentax K10D.
Pentax K10D Digital SLR Body
DA 18-55mm Lens
USB Cable I-USB17 (39233)
Video Cable I-VC28 (39262)
Strap O-ST53 (39323)
Hot Shoe Cover FK (31040)
Eyecup FP (30184)
Body Mount Cover (31016)
Finder Cap for ME (31011)
D-LI50 Lithium-ion Battery (39581)
Software (CD-ROM) S-SW55
Battery Charger D-BC50 (not pictured)
About Laurence Chen Laurence Chen is a freelance editorial, commercial, and wedding photographer based in Seattle, Wash. His clients have included Fortune Magazine, Sunset Magazine, and America 24/7. Visit his portfolio at www.Lchenphoto.com and buy his e-book, "Take Control of Buying a Digital Camera", at http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/buying-digicam.html.
Sample Images
More Products from Pentax
Link to this page
Save This Page
