Pentax K20D Review

Pentax K20D digital system camera
I have put the bar quite high for the Pentax K20D. It should surpass the K10D, a camera that I like a lot. Luckily Pentax have not let me down. The best of the K10D has been preserved, and Pentax have added some nice extras. The basic concept is outstanding; a solid, weatherproof, affordable DSLR camera offering possibilities and specifications that also meet the requirements of the demanding photographer.

Pentax K20D incorporates a 14 Megapixel CMOS sensor
14 Megapixels suffice greatly to print large prints full of details. I don't care so much about the extra pixels; even the 10MP of the K10D will get you quite far. The sensor used this time is a CMOS type sensor, which is gradually becoming more common. However, considering the experiences with other CMOS sensors and the quality Pentax got out of the last CCD, the quality is somewhat disappointing this time. The good news is that as far as noise is concerned, it did not diminish compared to its predecessor, even with more pixels on the sensor. However, the quality hasn't increased either and that is a real pity. Pentax are definitely exceeded by several other brands.

Dynamic range and Sensitivity of the Pentax K20D
Maybe I put the bar too high. The Pentax K20D does deliver outstanding pictures. I have no remarks up to and including ISO 400, higher than ISO 400 noise plays a bigger role. The dynamic range is beautiful, colour reproduction is pleasant and a lot can be gained using RAW. If there's any criticism at all on the K20D, it is the structure of the buttons and the menu. It is too disorderly and too opaque in my opinion. Unfortunately Pentax left it untouched compared to the K10D. Hopefully, it will be better next time. And if they're working on that, they might as well take a second look at Live View. The way Pentax implemented it, doesn't work that well.

Mark Peters

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