Oustanding camera for a budding photographer to an advanced user. It has simple picture modes on the top wheel to assist the beginner along with more detailed scene modes available, right on up to fully manual settings for advanced users. This baby even has three frame auto bracketing with adjustable exposure compensation for wonderful HDR composite shots. Rugged camera and build quality is first rate! From the first time you pick it up you know that this is no toy, but a real photographic tool designed for demanding enthusiasts. Stainless steel lens mount and all metal internal frame insures reliable operation for a lifetime. Weather sealing at this price is unheard of and an excellent bonus feature. Image quality with the included AL II lens is outstanding for a kit lens and excellent by any other measure. I put the mode wheel to 'P', set the custom image profile to 'Natural', and bump the sharpness up by one to get superb results; natural, sharp, pleasing pictures. If I need more depth of field or faster shutter speeds, I simply spin the thumb wheel. EASY! I've noted that many of todays digital SLR cameras are capable of technically excellent images, but they often seem 'flat'. The images from this kit are crisp and almost 3 dimensional by comparison. I can't say enough good things about it! The shake reduction is in-body, so if you own or have access to some of the old superb Pentax manual focus primes, they will instantly have shake reduction available. Turn the camera on & it prompts for a focal length. EASY! Even the ancient M42 threaded lenses from the 1950s will work with shake reduction. Pentax is really looking out for their loyal customer base. Another great feature is the fact that this camera does NOT use a proprietary battery system, so if you ever run outa juice you're not outa luck. Simply stop at any convenient location and pick up four AA batteries - alkalines will run fine, lithiums are a fantastic compliment to this camera, and the old favorite rechargables will work just fine too - NiCAD, NiMH, it doesn't matter. I've even borrowed some from a TV remote and my own external flash unit! Beginners looking to get serious about photography, or pros needing a backup kit will all be happy with this camera.Read full review
Excellent camera. Nice balance. Light weight. Had Pentax MX film cameras for years, and can use all my old lenses on this new digital. The picture quality is awsome with great control of exposure. I chose this one for the AA battery capability. No special battery pack to buy, especially looking ahead to future years. Rechargable batteries don't last forever, but I'm sure AAs will be here to stay. One sad thing I found is that I can't use my Vivitar 283 flash. That's a great unit, but the trigger voltage is too high for the camera.
I have had my camera less than 1 month and I cant say enough about how pleased I am with it. I am rough on all my equipment and because of the dustproof housing this thing has I dont worry at all about getting it out in dusty conditions or putting it on the ground. The k200D is built solid and it feels perfect in my hands. It is light weight, quiet, and the picture quality is great. I have yet to unleash it true potential and have primarily only used the automatic setting but I plan to learn more about the manuel settings in the future. You will not go wrong with this camera. I had initially started looking at Nikons 3000/3100 for my first DSLR but came across this Pentax and I am so happy I did because I feel like I got just as good of quality and was able to save a few hundred dollars buying it and not a Nikon. Pentax has totally made a very good impression on me. Other great features include: - ability to scan the sensor and show you on the display exactly where any dust might be - vibrating sensor to help knock dust off the sensor Con: (The only thing I wish this thing had) - No HD video recording featureRead full review
from Camera Lab's review: http://www.cameralabs.com/reviews/Pentax_K200D/index.shtml The Pentax K200D is an affordable 10 Megapixel DSLR with built-in Shake Reduction that provides stabilisation facilities with any lens you attach. Announced alongside the K20D in January 2008, the K200D may be over-shadowed by the feature-packed 14 Megapixel flagship model, but it boasts an unprecedented degree of strength and weather-proofing for a body of its class. The K200D may be priced at a similar level to models like the Nikon D60, Olympus E-520 and Sony Alpha A300, but is weather-resistant with 60 environmental seals. That’s something you’d normally only find on pricier semi-pro models. Beyond tougher build, the K200D also sports a number of advanced features. There’s an upper LCD information screen, support for both Pentax’s own PEF and Adobe’s DNG Raw formats, along with optional in-camera RAW processing and even a dedicated RAW button on the side. The K200D additionally supports top-end Pentax lenses with quick and quiet SDM focusing and offers Pentax’s unique Sensitivity Priority mode which allows you to select the desired sensitivity and let the K200D work out the appropriate shutter and aperture. Numerically-speaking, the K200D may be the successor to the K100D, but it’s clearly much more than simply an enhanced version of this earlier body. Indeed the K200D actually shares much more in common with the company’s former flagship, the K10D. So while the K200D doesn’t boast the K10D’s penta-prism viewfinder, dual control dials, interchangeable focusing screens nor match its continuous shooting capabilities, it does employ the same sensor, same Shake Reduction and same PRIME image processor, along with the K10D’s Sensitivity Priority ‘Sv’ shooting mode and a number of its menu options. And in one small respect, the K200D is actually a little better: its screen measures 2.7in to the K10D’s 2.5in. One major difference between the K200D and the K10D though, not to mention the vast majority of other DSLRs, is its power source. Rather than using a proprietary rechargeable Lithium Ion pack, the K200D employs four standard AA batteries. Fit the K200D with Lithium AA batteries and you could shoot up to 1100 images, and if that’s not enough, Pentax has developed a brand new battery grip for it. For some people, the opportunity to operate on AA batteries is a serious advantage – certainly even if you run out of power in unusual or remote locations, a spare set should be relatively easy to find. The K200D may not feature Live View, but it does offer a unique combination of dust and weather-proofing along with several advanced features at an affordable price. So is it a bargain version of a former flagship, or a cut-down compromise which lacks the latest features? Find out in our Pentax K200D full review where we’ll weigh-up its features against other Pentax DSLRs and crucially compare the image quality against contemporary rivals including the Canon EOS 450D / XSi and Olympus E-520. And as always, for a demonstration of its highlights, check out our Pentax K200D video tour.Read full review
This turned out to be a really great camera. I use it for skydiving so I needed a camera that can use a remote, has shake reduction, light weight, and durable. This camera is all of those things and also weater proof so I do not have to worry about moisture getting into the camera or the lens even if I fall through a thick, wet cloud. Picture quality is really nice but noisy at high zoom. Many great options and well worth every penny.
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