Image quality dpreview.com says pentax k10d image quality is not as good as canon xti, nikon d80 even sony alpha 100 - any comments?
1230943
This was one of the worst blunders of DPReview (ignoring the "Bright" mode). They obviously did not care to read the manual when testing the K10D. They also did test the shake reduction out-of-spec, meaning on a very short distance, something the manual explicitly discourages.
1230944
Serious photographers shoot RAW, but most people just use JPEG because it is much easier, no post processing. I am glad to hear of the bright mode (in automatic I always shoot JPEG, in manual modes I always shoot RAW or lossless compressed pics).Overall the comments in this thread ease my fears of dpreview's complaint about JPEG quality. This is definitely my next camera.
1230945
Has anyone else tried the "bright" mode trick? Any comments on the difference...
1230946
I am using the bright mode exclusively on my Samsung GX10 (identical to Pentax K10D) and I am having a very hard time to achieve a similarly good sharpness and detail from DNG files in Lightroom or Bibble (only RawTherapee provides a significant improvement). In my experience there is absolutely nothing wrong with these JPEGs. This story is a quite unfortunate hoax.The one thing slightly distracting about the GX10 is that the light metering gets easily distracted by small bright spots requiring to check the exposure often ( the images are easily rescued in RAW on the other hand). I am using the bright mode exclusively on my Samsung GX10 (identical to Pentax K10D) and I am having a very hard time to achieve a similarly good sharpness and detail from DNG files in Lightroom or Bibble (only RawTherapee provides a significant improvement). In my experience there is absolutely nothing wrong with these JPEGs. This story is a quite unfortunate hoax.The one thing slightly distracting about the GX10 is that the light metering gets easily distracted by small bright spots requiring to check the exposure often ( the images are easily rescued in RAW on the other hand).
1230947
Dpreview.com is making those comments based on JPEG files only. Nobody shoots JPEG anymore. RAW files are where its at and the K10D is every bit as good as my Nikon D200 or similar cameras.
1230948
I know I'm joining this discussion late, however the Digital Camera Resource Page (DCRP) review dated March 2007 and updated in September, addresses this issue, specifically mentioning the "Bright" mode, and recommending that the user adjust the sharpness (to +2) and contrast (to +1). Once you've tweaked the settings, the reviewer (Jeff Keller) notes that the image quality is on a par with the best digital slrs in this general category. Happy shooting.
1230949
This is a great recommendation. I tried it in many outdoor lighting conditions and found the JPEG quality greatly enhanced. I don't have a problem post-processing a little...I use Picasa2 and the results are good enough to add a tad more sharpness and contrast. I'm still experimenting with low light, no flash conditions and getting moderately mixed results. I'd appreciate any guidance in this area. Other than this, I'm most pleased with the performance of the K10d. I've tried most of the shooting modes and found them to be as advertised. I'm a competent amateur, who desires to shoot quality pictures without having to tweak the settings with every shot. This camera is a quality piece of gear. This is a great recommendation. I tried it in many outdoor lighting conditions and found the JPEG quality greatly enhanced. I don't have a problem post-processing a little...I use Picasa2 and the results are good enough to add a tad more sharpness and contrast. I'm still experimenting with low light, no flash conditions and getting moderately mixed results. I'd appreciate any guidance in this area. Other than this, I'm most pleased with the performance of the K10d. I've tried most of the shooting modes and found them to be as advertised. I'm a competent amateur, who desires to shoot quality... » Read More This is a great recommendation. I tried it in many outdoor lighting conditions and found the JPEG quality greatly enhanced. I don't have a problem post-processing a little...I use Picasa2 and the results are good enough to add a tad more sharpness and contrast. I'm still experimenting with low light, no flash conditions and getting moderately mixed results. I'd appreciate any guidance in this area. Other than this, I'm most pleased with the performance of the K10d. I've tried most of the shooting modes and found them to be as advertised. I'm a competent amateur, who desires to shoot quality pictures without having to tweak the settings with every shot. This camera is a quality piece of gear. « Show Less
792321
I haven't used the K-50. I can say the K5 is wonderful and that the K5 iis is even better. Overall image quality and low light abilities are excellent. I understand that the K50 has some better video features, (I almost never shoot video). In either case you have a huge choice of great Pentax K lenses. Guess it depends on your intended use.
398734
I looked at all in this range:Pentax K20DSony A300Sony A350Pentax K200DCanon Rebel XSiNikon D60Nikon D80Nikon D90Panasonic DMC-G1Olympus E-520After research, I determined that these were the important features for me:Image Stabilization (either lens or body)The more AF points the better (it can select from more points of the image to focus on)Live View (which actually isn't very important after I got the Sony A350)10MP or more (I wanted to be able to join Webshots.com Pro Shots)
568372
Pentax K-7 is in the same class as a Nikon D300. Most people would cringe at the idea of comparing the K7 with the D90. If AF is your concern then that is not pentax's strongest spot, but almost everything else on par with the competition (D300, 7D). I would suggest that you check this out: http://www.dpreview.com/previews/pentaxk7/
1023490
I am very happy with the Pentax K50, I bought it because it was in my budget. It works very well and has excellent performance. The K3 is better, faster and more resolution, but with the K50 have enough for what I want. If you have the money for the K3, buy, worth it.
2205906
I have had a Pentax K-x, a K-30 and now a K-5 II, and any of them are excellent for low light pictures including documents. I have done it myself several times and always had good results. Of course you get can better results with a brighter lens (f2.8, f2.0, f1.7, ...), but the kit lens is good enough.
1298995
The K-3 is an upgrade from a K-x, which I'd had for three years. I've been very happy with it. I had considered the K-5IIs, but the improved features of the K-3 swayed me. I'm using the kit lenses that came with my K-x, plus a 50mm 1.4 FA that I already had, though I recently purchased an 18-55mm DA WR so I could gift my K-x with the kit short zoom to my son. I have no immediate plans to purchase more lenses. In fact, having purchased LightRoom at the same time I got the K-3, the quality of images I'm getting from my budget lenses is amazing. The K-3 has wonderful shadow detail which LightRoom pulls out very well. The K-3 is an upgrade from a K-x, which I'd had for three years. I've been very happy with it. I had considered the K-5IIs, but the improved features of the K-3 swayed me. I'm using the kit lenses that came with my K-x, plus a 50mm 1.4 FA that I already had, though I recently purchased an 18-55mm DA WR so I could gift my K-x with the kit short zoom to my son. I have no immediate plans to purchase more lenses. In fact, having purchased LightRoom at the same time I got the K-3, the quality of images I'm getting from my budget lenses is amazing. The K-3 has wonderful shadow detail which... » Read More The K-3 is an upgrade from a K-x, which I'd had for three years. I've been very happy with it. I had considered the K-5IIs, but the improved features of the K-3 swayed me. I'm using the kit lenses that came with my K-x, plus a 50mm 1.4 FA that I already had, though I recently purchased an 18-55mm DA WR so I could gift my K-x with the kit short zoom to my son. I have no immediate plans to purchase more lenses. In fact, having purchased LightRoom at the same time I got the K-3, the quality of images I'm getting from my budget lenses is amazing. The K-3 has wonderful shadow detail which LightRoom pulls out very well. « Show Less
26492
I was also looking at Pentax 10D pre-production reviews. Looks like pentax has similar features including dust cleaning like canon and Image Stabilization like sony. I was planing to buy Canon since it is $200 cheaper but now probably will wait till i get to read Pentax reviews .. any idea about the avaliability of lenses for Pentax??
1244269
Dear friends. I am biased Pentax because I really love this camera. I bought the kit from Pentax K30 with a 18-55 and a 70-200. The set is sensational. I have taken many pictures in my trips to Portugal. Obviously there are better lenses and more optical resources, however this 70-200 mm in the kit fulfills its role.
2024381
I don't have both for a one on one comparison of the image quality, but the 35mm f2.8 macro generally has slightly better ratings. Check out the reviews on the Pentax Forums web site. The main reason I purchased it was for the macro capability. It also has metal vs plastic housing which may or may not be an issue depending on how you use it.
331506
DA is f1.8, FA opens up to f1.4 (so you can only compare from f1.8) From 1.8 the sharpness is very similar but FA has smoother bokeh (much better in my opinion) FA also is compatible with full frame (which Pentax is releasing soon). I own K-5iis and have FA copy and have tried DA copy as well. Hope that helps.
462704
More bang for your buck will be the XTi, since it is cheaper and you honestly won't get much better photos from the 40D. However, if you can swing the money, I wholeheartedly recommend the 40D. I recently upgraded from the XT to the 40D. The additional controls make it so much easier to change settings, the larger size feels more balanced, etc etc. However, the XTi is a great camera, and don't feel bad about buying that either! It's a nice upgrade from my XT, which I loved for 2 years. You honestly can't go wrong with either one. Go to a store and handle each and see if one feels better in your hands than the other. More bang for your buck will be the XTi, since it is cheaper and you honestly won't get much better photos from the 40D. However, if you can swing the money, I wholeheartedly recommend the 40D. I recently upgraded from the XT to the 40D. The additional controls make it so much easier to change settings, the larger size feels more balanced, etc etc. However, the XTi is a great camera, and don't feel bad about buying that either! It's a nice upgrade from my XT, which I loved for 2 years. You honestly can't go wrong with either one. Go to a store and handle each and see if one feels better in... » Read More More bang for your buck will be the XTi, since it is cheaper and you honestly won't get much better photos from the 40D. However, if you can swing the money, I wholeheartedly recommend the 40D. I recently upgraded from the XT to the 40D. The additional controls make it so much easier to change settings, the larger size feels more balanced, etc etc. However, the XTi is a great camera, and don't feel bad about buying that either! It's a nice upgrade from my XT, which I loved for 2 years. You honestly can't go wrong with either one. Go to a store and handle each and see if one feels better in your hands than the other. « Show Less
1634146
Pentax K-5II autofocus is excellent. I locked myself in a dark closet to see how good it was and I was able to focus and shoot pretty fast. I moved from a Pentax K20D and had the same issue with the camera... loved the pics but the autofocus sucked. I know people who have moved from the Nikon 60D and Cannon 5D to the Pentax K-5ii impressed by the AF speed. Hope this helps. Good luck!
847993
I have a 720 mju and I love it. I was also looking at the Pentax WP10... but I went with the 720mju for several reasons-There's a higher ISO sensativity.-Digital image stabilization(this feature is niiiice... no accidental blurry photos!)-Overall build quality. It just feels rock-solid which is good for me because I do lots of hiking/climbing and stuff. I know I'll manage to drop this thing on the ground eventually... the shock-proof feature is nice.I personally don't have a problem with the button sizing. It seems a bit small, but they're spaced far enough apart so you don't hit things accidently.Cheers. I have a 720 mju and I love it. I was also looking at the Pentax WP10... but I went with the 720mju for several reasons-There's a higher ISO sensativity.-Digital image stabilization(this feature is niiiice... no accidental blurry photos!)-Overall build quality. It just feels rock-solid which is good for me because I do lots of hiking/climbing and stuff. I know I'll manage to drop this thing on the ground eventually... the shock-proof feature is nice.I personally don't have a problem with the button sizing. It seems a bit small, but they're spaced far enough... » Read More I have a 720 mju and I love it. I was also looking at the Pentax WP10... but I went with the 720mju for several reasons-There's a higher ISO sensativity.-Digital image stabilization(this feature is niiiice... no accidental blurry photos!)-Overall build quality. It just feels rock-solid which is good for me because I do lots of hiking/climbing and stuff. I know I'll manage to drop this thing on the ground eventually... the shock-proof feature is nice.I personally don't have a problem with the button sizing. It seems a bit small, but they're spaced far enough apart so you don't hit things accidently.Cheers. « Show Less
1442809
more importantly, how will the image quality be and will it be worth owning? reviews of the P80 were not kind. I'm hoping they have fixed this issue.
1298996
I upgraded from the K-5 to the K-3. Both are excellent cameras, but the K-3 is definitely superior. Regarding lenses - I have 30 year old Pentax lens that work on the K-3 (manual mode only) as well well as more recent Pentax and Sigma lenses that work in either manual or automatic modes.
1359577
Recommend going here: http://www.dpreview.com/products/compare/cameras. You can compare the K5, K5II, K5IIs and K30 all side by side in all areas. Hope this helps.