K2000 w/ 18-55 Lens Kit

by Pentax

Product Details

• Item Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• ASIN: B001UGVICC
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,985 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: September 1, 2003

Product Description

Shake Reduction system featuring a 10.2 megapixel CCD is compatible with any PENTAX lens ever made. Dedicated Help button. Advanced Auto Picture mode takes the guesswork out of your pictures. 2.7 inch high resolution LCD. One of the smallest and lightest DSLR cameras available allows one handed operation.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great little camera, July 19, 2009

By 

Dave Duy Le - See all my reviews

This review is from: K2000 w/ 18-55 Lens Kit (Electronics)

The Pentax K-M/K2000 is my very first DSLR camera that I have bought. It is called the K2000 in the US and the K-M in different places of the world.

At first I was worried about limitations and was afraid that the K-M/K2000 would limit my learning ability because it is the most basic DSLR model from Pentax. I soon found out that just because the K2000 is Pentax's most basic DSLR does not mean that the camera itself is basic. The sensor is very advanced and it is the same one used in the more expensive K200D. I was surprised by the amount of things I had to learn from jumping to a DSLR from point-and-shoot, even with the entry-level DSLR from Pentax. The K2000's easy to navigate and use interface is helpful for a newbie like me. I was considering about the K20D and K200D but ultimately decided on the K-M/K2000 to save money as well as it being my first DSLR. Sure the K20D might pack more power but the K-M/K2000 still works like any other DSLR and still requires the same knowledge and technique to work like the K20D.

After playing with my new toy for quite awhile, I realized that there is much more to learn than just the camera itself and any DSLR limits itself based on how you limit your learning. Every DSLR works the same as stated, you'll have to learn F-stops, shutter speed, and ISO. The only true limitation is in the camera body from having less features, but those features have nothing to do with YOU and your knowledge on how to expose and compose the image you want. Every DSLR has the capability to produce a beautiful picture based on your knowledge and your technique. The picture quality also depends heavily on the lenses you use, so it's wise to spend less on a body and invest more on a lens if you're on a budget or if this is your first DSLR. After all, the Pentax K2000 will fit any K-mount lenses. It will fit the same lenses the K20D and K200D will.

The Pentax K-M/K2000 is the lightest Pentax DSLR camera and is non noticeably smaller than the Nikon D40. I was questioning it's size at first because I heard that this is a tiny camera and is smallest in the Pentax line-up. It is small but it's not "tiny", it will fit in my hands fine and I have long fingers. The camera is the lightest from Pentax and is one of the lightest DSLRs out there, but it is slightly heavier than the Rebel XS and the Nikon D60. The body of the K-M/K2000 feels very sturdy. The first time I held this camera I first noticed the quality of this DSLR, it is strong and well made.

The picture quality of the camera is good for a entry-level DSLR, the only problem is the noise levels at higher ISO settings, I never use 3200 because of the noise it produces at that ISO. I have my noise reduction set to weak and shoot only in RAW DNG. I try not to go over 800 ISO but sometimes I will have to go to 1600 ISO to keep the shutter speeds higher at night. 1600 ISO is still acceptable for this camera but I question if they should even add 3200 in the first place.

The kit lens that came with this camera is the Pentax SMC DA L 18-55mm AL. L after DA stands for light because it is light due to the plastic mount. The Pentax K-M/K2000 is the only Pentax DSLR at the moment to come with these "light" kit lenses. Yes it is plastic, but it is better than the original more expensive Pentax SMC DA 18-55mm AL that uses a metal mount. It's better because it uses the same optics as the SMC DA 18-55mm AL II, so it will produce the same image quality as the AL II but without the metal mount. The kit lens also does not come with the lens hood so you would need to buy it if you want some extra glare blocking.

The camera packs a lot of options and has a lot of built-in features so you can post process the image in it, but I never use this so I can't really review it. I use Adobe Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS3 to process my pictures. The auto white balance on this camera works flawlessly and there is no need to adjust them, I just shoot in auto white balance mode for all of my pictures. The auto focus of this camera works fast, faster than the K20D and K200D which is a improvement. The auto focusing in low-light is also improved on this Pentax. The K-M/K2000 has a faster continuous shooting than the K200D, it fires at 3.5 compared to 2.8 in the K200D. Although there is some trade-offs such as 5 auto focus points and non-weather sealed body. The DA WR (weather-sealed) lenses from Pentax are expensive so I would buy the regular DA lenses instead. There's no point of a weather-sealed body if your lenses aren't weather-sealed with it. There is no need for more auto focus points because I found out the best is set to single point center-weighted. Lastly the K2000 has a in-body built in anti-shake so there won't be any need to buy a lens with a image stabilization. Although lenses with image stabilization will work better than the body's anti-shake, it's still good for using older lenses that do not have image stabilization.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Eloquent simplicity, August 24, 2009

By 

PierreLeGrand - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: K2000 w/ 18-55 Lens Kit (Electronics)

I had many digital cameras before this one, 2 of them were DSLR, Pentax k110 and Sony A200.

This Pentax is user friendly, all important factors to achieve a good shot are easily accessible, it is a big camera in a smaller lighter package (try it first if u have real big hands) construction is very good, a bit more plastik than previous Pentax cameras but still solid and decent.

I shall mention also that though one gets focus confirmation while shooting (a beep and a green dot), there is no indication on which point has achieved focus, to remedy this, I select the center point to focus first then recompose.

Battery reading has only 2 steps, so it is not as accurate as the percentage reading on Sony A200, however, this Pentax uses AA battery so you could always have an extra set available.

For those who require live view, the olympus E520 is available for about the same price, for those who require a weather sealed body try the Pentax K200D, for those who need video capture, check Nikon D5000 or Canon 500d, these cameras however will cost more.

Bottom line, this pentax is a well engineered camera, pleasant to use, better deal than most in its category, would make a nice DSLR for ladies too.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I can see clearly now, November 27, 2010

By 

Jazzydivagrrl (Columbia, MO United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: K2000 w/ 18-55 Lens Kit (Electronics)

This is my first DSLR. I found it easy to set up and use right from the box. While it will take some practice to learn manual techniques, the auto mode still allows for more definition and perspective than my compact digital camera. It is bulkier, but I managed fine with it in my tote bag and traveling noticed that lots of people just carry their camera out ready for use. I have a 8gb card, and have enjoyed taking rapid shots and singles. At times the autofucus seems slower that my eye, but I have clearer pictures when time is relaxed. This is a great price to learn more about photography, and a great camera for everyday photos as well as special occasions.