Focusing Speed: K200D vs K20D

by Miserere


Ever wondered which camera focused faster? Josh Emmons did. But instead of pondering the deep philosophical implications that different autofocus speeds would have on the evolution of one's inner self, he simply took his K200D and K20D and did some testing. Props to Josh! He even tested whether battery charge affects AF speed on the K20D. Want to know the results? Then check out Josh's blog.

You might be thinking that Josh is just a couch photographer who has nothing better to do than measure AF speeds, but he has been known to go out and take some pictures from time to time.

©2008 Josh Emmons

©2008 Josh Emmons

Thank you to Josh for taking the time to carry out these tests. And thank you for reading.

Miserere

"Pentax Photography" Blog, administered by my good cyber friend Bruce Robbins, is going to Nikon D700.

Hi Pentaxian friends,

Yesterday, I logged on my cyber friend, Bruce Robbins' blog site, as I do every day. His blog is one that inspired me into starting my blog. Bruce started his blog as a Pentax K10D blog, then it mutated to Pentax Photography blog, and now, well...It will hopefully be Photography with a Pentax K10D and a Nikon D700 and other miscellaneous cameras blog.

Will his views and articles about photography in general change? I don't think so or at least I hope not. Here's a quote from Bruce's blog site: "And with a bit of luck and some sound financial planning (whatever that means) the purchase of the D700 shouldn't mean that I'll have to abandon Pentax entirely. I'm hoping to hang onto the K10D and the three DA Limited lenses I have. For portability, that outfit has the Nikon soundly beaten".

Bruce is upgrading to the Nikon D700 because of many reasons mentioned on his blogsite, but mainly because it is a full frame camera. It's a much more expensive ptoposition than the K10D or the K20D for that matter. Nikon got many people upset a few days ago by introducing the new D3X @ 24+MP at an astounding $8,000.00 price tag. Nikon fans have been asking for that for a while, and yet, as soon as it was announced, they all became angry at Nikon and complains came from all over the world. Just check a Nikon forum. Be careful for what you're asking for! Sony already introduced their 24+MP camera a little while back, and the CMOS used in the D3X is apparently the same Sony CMOS sensor.

As for me, I cannot imagine having a camera with a better value for my hard earned money than the Pentax K20D. It don't need to shoot like a machine gun, so the high count of frames/second is not that important to me. I'd rather shoot less photos of the same subject but think about my composition carefully. You know, there was excellent photography before the digital cameras. No matter what, you were limited to 36 consecutive shots with a 35mm film canister.

The K20D already has more pixels than what I will ever need, the image quality surpasses any of the 35mm SLR cameras I previously owned, and the ISO equivalent is higher than it was ever possible with film cameras. It may not be the cameras that need improvements as much as the users. Obviously, that's not the case with Bruce as he is an accomplished photographer. It may be the case for thousands of photographers, entry-level to some Professionals included. Hone your skills before you want to upgrade. Do you know your current camera capabilities fully? The new Nikon D700 or all the new costly DSLRs introduced lately will not make you a better photographer, it will just make you a photographer with the most expensive gadgets or it will make your badly composed pictures better exposed. Twenty-four Mega Pixels RAW files will kill your computer.

That also reminds me that we all have been wishing for Pentax to go full frame or to go ahead with the Medium Format Digital camera. Would we be ready for it? Would we be ready to pay thousands more for more pixels and a slight improvement of the image quality? Would our current computer equipment be able to handle it? We better watch what we are asking for. Are we ready for it?

As for Bruce's blog, I hope Bruce will continue writing about his Pentax DSLR and lenses from time to time.

Thank you for reading,

Yvon Bourque

Currently, the perfect Pentax DSLR would be the K20D mechanism fitted in the K200D body.

Hi Pentaxian friends,

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE...OUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT!
My name is Yvon Bourque and I approved this message! :)

I love my K20D. It's by far the best camera I have ever owned. There is a lot of talk on forums across the world about full frame and medium format DSLRs these days. Everyone has a wish list for what they want or "must have" on the next generation of DSLRs. The next generation time keeps getting shorter and shorter.

What would be the fun in having every imaginable gadgets on a DSLR? Where would be the art form and what would be the pleasure of meticulously composing a shot? If a DSLR does all the work for you, don't buy a DSLR, buy a print instead. All that "give me more" will have to stop someday, I hope. Photography is a hobby, an art form, a living for some of us, and the MOST POPULAR HOBBY in the world.

I have been in photography all my life and never had a camera as good as the K20D. Of course, there are some more expensive DSLRs on the market and I agree that Professional Photographers doing sport, or reporting, need the best that is available. Their mission is to get that moment in time, and report that to the public. It's rarely about the IQ, it's mostly about the moment frozen in time for them.

Everyone else, should be just fine with the technology already existing today. With the K20D, you can take beautiful pictures and enlarge them enough for display in any art gallery. It's wonderful to live in this era.

However, If I could be granted a wish at this time, I would wish that the K20D mechanism could be fitted inside of a K200D body. At one time or another, I've owned each model of DSLR that Pentax produced. I did like the *istD for it's compactness, but it was just a little too small for my hands, and not technologically adequate to replace film cameras. The K20D is a great looking camera and very comfortable to handle. I use the battery grip and it feels solid. Of course, the K10D is the same body, but the sensor is obviously not as powerful. The K200D is, in my opinion, the best designed DSLR in the Pentax line. If fact, I was at Costco and Circuit City today, and held every Nikon, Canon, Sony and Olympus they had. (Why don't they have Pentax?) Anyway, I think that all other makers' DSLRs feel too much like plastic and are cheaply built. When used with the battery grip, the K200D is easy to hold, is comfortable and not too heavy. I can haul the K200D all day long.

So there you go...I'm happy as I can be with the K20D and the 14.6 MP CMOS sensor, and if I could increase my exhilaration, I'd love to have it in a K200D body.

Thank you for reading,

Yvon Bourque

New Pentax K20D and K200D

New.......Here is Pentax's official pamphlet for the K20D and the K200D. It's very impressive. Also check most of the Forums and Blogs listed to the right of this blog site, most contain news about the K20D, the K200D or the five new lenses introduced.

http://www.pentaximaging.com/files/product/k20.k200brochure.spread.pdf

Pentax K20D specifications

• New 15.5 megapixel with an effective 14.6-megapixel CMOS sensor with Dust Reduction.

• Shake Reduction (SR) up to 4 Exposure Levels
• 11-point AF with 9 cross sensors

• Sensitivity to ISO 100 - 6400

• Pentax KAF2-Lens

• Adjustable white balance with bracketing function

• 14 bit analog/digital converter

• File formats: JPEG , RAW ( DNG or PEF)

• Preview features: realtime view, and Optical Digital Preview

• Optional battery grip

• SD and SDHC Memory Cards

• Dimensions: 141.5 (W) x 101 (H) x 70 (T) mm, Weight: 715 grams (without battery and SD memory card)

• EUR 1299, - with 18-55mm lens kit II.

• Available March 2008.

• 2.7''monitor with a resolution of 230,000 Dots

• Live View

• Sensitivity ISO 100 6400.

• Custom image with 4 color profiles.

• 36 programmable custom functions.

• Flash sync terminal for studio flash systems. 180th second

• Image burst mode @ 20 images per second - 1.6 MP JEPG.

• Finer gradations in JPEG format.

• Series with white balance function.

Here are some pictures of the K20D:

The K200D will still be an entry level camera with the same CCD as the K10D, and most of the features found on the current K10D. A new battery grip will be available and the LCD will also be at 2.7". It will be available in February 2008.

Here are some pictures of the K200D:

Thank you for reading.

Note that PENTAXDSLRS.com will have new K20D and K200D Books on each of the new cameras as soon as March 2008.

I encourage you to leave comments below by simply clicking on "Comments" or you can send me emails directly at yvon@k10dbook.com Your comments and feedbacks help us posting what you like.