Pentax K20D

Photo answers review

Photo answers rating

Features & handling

If you’re familiar with the Pentax K10D, then you’ll be right at home with its replacement. The design and layout are virtually identical – the only noticeable difference being the slightly bigger LCD screen, which has been enlarged to 2.7in. Any increase in screen size is welcome, but it’s a little disappointing not to find a 3in screen, which is fast becoming the standard.

It’s no secret that Pentax has worked closely with Samsung to jointly develop the K20D and one of the results of this venture is the 14.6MP CMOS sensor. That’s a lot of pixels and to beat it you’ve got to spend more than five times the price on Canon’s full-frame EOS-1Ds Mk III. Full-resolution .PEF RAW files come in at just over 40Mb in size and the K20D can also shoot in Adobe’s .DNG RAW format, plus the usual range of JPEG settings.

The K20D also features Live View with autofocus and a Dust Removal system with a Dust Alarm that lets you see where any dust is lodged. The camera also has Pentax’s built-in Shake Reduction (SR) system to combat camera shake at slow shutter speeds which means you won’t need to use image-stabilised lenses.

The dynamic range can be extended to record more detail in high-contrast scenes, though this is at the expense of the minimum ISO, which can then only be set as low as ISO 200. The K20D’s full ISO range is 100-3200, expanded to 6400.

As for autofocus, there’s an 11-point AF system, with the central nine AF points having a cross-type sensor for more precise performance.

On top of all that, the K20D is well protected from the elements – there are 74 weather and dust seals on the camera.

Performance 

The K20D can rattle through a continuous 17 .DNG RAW files or 13 .PEF RAW files before it runs out of puff – all at 3fps. Surprisingly, JPEGs aren’t dramatically different – shooting a continuous 26 files. This is not as impressive as some other D-SLRs in this price bracket which can shoot at around 5-6fps, although the K20D’s files are larger.

The AF locks-on to subjects quickly, but it’s not as fast or sophisticated as some of its competitors. The Live View system is pretty straightforward, but it doesn’t employ contrast-detect AF, so once the mirror is raised and Live View activated you need to compose your shot and select your point of focus from one of the 11 AF points. To focus, hit the AF button and the mirror will be lowered. Once the K20D has focused, the mirror rises again and you can check you’re happy with the shot before pressing the shutter. It’s actually pretty simple and works nicely.

The K20D’s menu looks rather dated and it’s not as intuitive as we’d like. It can be a bit slow and frustrating to use, and in some cases it’s just not logical – occasionally the Fn button is used instead of OK to confirm settings which doesn’t seem to make sense.    

As you’d expect with a 14.6MP sensor, there’s bags of detail on offer from the K20D, especially at low ISO levels (below 800), allowing you to achieve nice large prints. It’s a shame then that it struggles at higher ISOs, with the image quality deteriorating and suffering from underexposure – not up to the standards set by some of its competitors.

Verdict

At £769 the K20D sits between the cheaper 10MP Canon EOS 40D and Nikon D200, and the more expensive 12MP Sony a700 and Nikon D300. And while on paper its specification sounds like a bargain – especially the 14.6MP sensor, which will be a big draw – this doesn’t quite translate once you pick it up and start shooting. The performance and image quality don’t match its rivals and the other features, while solid, haven’t really moved on that much from the K10D, with the exception of the sensor. That’s not to say the K20D is a bad camera – far from it – but it’s still not top of its class.