PENTAX HAS LONG BEEN THE OPRPHAN CHILD of the photographic fraternity. While the Canons and the Nikons of the world attract all the attention and most of the professional endorsements, it is a largely ignored brand, often quite unfairly so, as they have had some very good products at very reasonable prices.

However, the Pentax K20D, may just be the product that will turn the tide of attention in their favor. It is a scorcher of a camera, and one that will fit as snuggly in the camera bag of a photography enthusiast as it will in the hands of a seasoned professional.

In fact, the K20D, which has been described as an evolution from the acclaimed K10D, has a number of features simply not available from anyone else in the industry.

It headlines with a 14.6 megapixel sensor, which is substantially more than Nikon’s D3 (Pentax even claims that it is higher resolution than traditional 35mm film). The pixels are packed onto a CMOS sensor which has been specifically designed for the camera, allowing it to greatly reduce the noise suffered when shooting in low light.

The K20D also joins industry leaders in incorporating a Live View function, which allows the photographer to look through the lens using the LCD on the back of the camera, rather than by looking through the viewfinder. Photographers new to DSLRs will no doubt be surprised that this is a new feature, as it has been available on compacts for many years. Now that it is here though, it looks set to stay, as it allows the photographer an unprecedented ability to conveniently use unconventionally high or low points of view.

The camera also has an 11 point auto focus and 16 point metering system, which should be more than enough for even the most avid photographer.

Unique in it’s price class, the camera is weather and dust sealed, so you can safely take it out in a thunderstorm, but a word from the wise, don’t drop it in the bath, or you’ll be camera shopping much earlier than you thought.

Shutter/Aperture Priority Mode and Sensitivity Priority Mode

As with most good ideas, we can’t believe anyone hasn’t thought of this before. Most cameras have an Aperture Priority mode, where the user chooses the aperture and sensitivity, while the camera selects the shutter speed, and a Shutter Priority mode, where the users chooses the shutter speed and the sensitivity, with the camera manipulating the aperture, but this is the first camera we’ve seen with a Sensitivity Priority mode, where the user selects the sensitivity and the camera selects the aperture and shutter speed.

The camera goes one further though, and allows the user to set the camera to Shutter/Aperture Priority mode, where you select both the aperture and shutter speed and the camera selects the sensitivity accordingly.

The K20D’s shake reduction system

Most manufacturers now offer some sort of shake reduction system, which aims to reduce camera shake during long exposures, allowing for sharper pictures in low light.

With offerings from Canon and Nikon, the shake reduction takes place inside the lens. This is the most powerful and accurate method, allowing for the greatest amount of stabalization, but it also means that every lens needs to have the function built in. Shake reduction, or vibration reduction lenses are more expensive, and often heavier than their non-stabilized counterparts.

With the K20D, the shake reduction system is situated in the camera body, rather than in individual lenses. This is a hugely attractive feature, as it effectively turns every lens you own into a vibration reduction lens at a fraction of the cost of other systems.

K20D - Perfect for wedding photography

A common problem with digital cameras is that their sensors have a much smaller dynamic range than that available from 35mm film. The dynamic range is basically the range from the darkest shadow to the brightest highlight that can be captured before it disappears into pitch black or pure white.

The K20D has started to address this problem by allowing the photographer to extend the dynamic range by a full stop. This will be of special interest to wedding photographers who have often complained that bright white wedding dresses have a tendency to be lost as washed out highlights on most other digital cameras.

This combined with the shake reduction system, which will allow the photographer to shoot in badly lit churches, may just make it the ideal camera for wedding photography.

The Cons

Being a little bit picky, we did find the menu system slightly confusing, and have almost thought that there was too many functions built in, such as the ability to adjust the color balance of the LCD function, and to apply photoshop-like digital filters to JPEGs in-camera.

Of larger concern is the slow frame rate with a maximum of 3 frames per second at full resolution. There is also a high-speed mode, the user can take up to approximately 115 images at the speed of approximately 21 images per second, but at a maximum of a measly 1.6 megapixels. This will not be good enough for serious (or even not-so-serious) sports or wildlife photographers.

Pentax K20D - Final Verdict

Overall, this is a great camera, and at the price, it may just be able to tempt mid to high-end users away from the big two manufacturers. It sits well in your hands and it feels like a professional product.

Indeed, whether as a professional or amateur, there is lots of mileage to be had from this particular piece of kit. Add to this the exceptional range of lenses and accessories available for the Pentax system, and we will happily give this camera our stamp of approval.