Customer Reviews

Pentax K20D 14.6MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction and DA 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 AL II Lens

5 star:		(100)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If Pentax were a bit more serious about increasing the sales of their cameras to first-time Pentax buyers, they'd be making some changes to their marketing strategy. It's unfortunate that with most consumer/professional camera reviews, the Pentax products get dinged in relation to their competitors when they shouldn't have to be. You can see this in the Consumer Reports review of DSLRs and other reviews such as PopPhoto. The problem is that these reviews are performed with tested cameras at their default settings, and Pentax chooses to "compromise" the performance of their cameras by requiring custom adjustments to bring about the true potential of the product. The K10D took a hit with its lower-contrast, soft and dark pictures when in default mode. Change the settings and you have a camera every bit in step with its competition at the time. Now the K20D suffers the same fate with the decision to make Noise Reduction-OFF the default setting. The PopPhoto test of the K20D actually resulted in higher noise levels than the K10D. Indeed, when I first compared the two cameras, I found them both the same at ISO 1600 for the amount of visible noise. Obviously, this is a shocker when you consider that the K20 uses the new CMOS sensor as opposed to the K10's CCD. Although the detail was higher in the K20, the noise was no better. That is, until I set noise reduction to "weak." What a difference! Comparing shots taken at the same settings between the two cameras (K10 default has noise reduction on) but with the K20 at the full 14.6 mp setting and highest JPEG quality with noise reduction at "weak," and the K20's image is strikingly cleaner and sharper. There's no doubt the resolution of the K20's image is hands-down superior to the K10. But you won't read about this in any review unless they choose to turn on noise reduction. There is a very slight loss of detail with NR on, but the resolution of the K20's sensor is so good anyway that the loss is negligible (especially with the Pentax DA* 50-135 lens). Certainly experienced photographers could argue the Pentax reasoning behind the default setting issue, but from a marketing perspective, subjective reviews and objective lab results based on lesser picture performance of default settings can only hurt potential sales when a buyer sees that the 40D or the D300 has clearly better performance in the noise level competition. When you're going up against the giants, you need to exploit the maximum potential of your product, and I believe Pentax has failed to do that.

Having a K10 and a number of Pentax lenses already, I couldn't quite justify jumping ship for the excellent Canon 40D or Nikon D300. But in the end, the price of the K20 was well-justified. The first feature that sold me on the camera is one that only true professional cameras have and isn't even mentioned in the K20 pitch - the ability to fine-tune the auto focus system so that if a lens is front or back-focusing, you can correct for it. This allows you to change the relationship between the point you focus on to the front-to-back area around that object that is also in focus known as the depth of field. This feature could save you a lot of heartache with poorly calibrated lenses that would otherwise be useless. The second feature of this camera that sold me is the improved sensor with its 14.6 MP rating and increased resolution. ISO 1600 shots are now a non-issue compared to the K10. Overall, the K20's pictures tend to be a tad bit warmer than the K10's, but I've also found them to better handle high-contrast transitions between bright and dark with less blown-out bright areas. This was evident in sunset shots where the brightest areas of the orange clouds went yellow in the K10 but kept their detail and color with the K20 (shooting in JPEG). No longer is there an issue with under-exposed shots as with the K10, and normal settings are set close to sharpness/contrast ideals, I've found. But of course, it's all adjustable to just about any result you could want. Just be prepared to deal with some pretty big file sizes on the highest quality JPEG setting - about 11MB. Shoot in RAW and it's almost twice that size. 4GB SD cards suddenly seem puny.

After several thousand shots with the K20, there are a few things that I would consider a bit of a deficit with this camera's performance. First and foremost is the burst rate of 3 frames per second. This is perfectly fine for just about all shooting situations except sports. If you plan to do sports photography, this is not the camera for you. Way too much action happens between frames at that slow rate. The other area where performance lags a bit is with the auto focus system: it's just too slow at the very times you need it to work faster than it can. The issue remains a nuisance from kit lenses to the DA* SDM lenses in low-light or with moving objects. Live-View was not something I cared much about, but since it's there it has come in handy at times for inconspicuous pointing of the camera at non-moving objects or confirming focus when in manual focus mode. My only complaint is that its not as refined in its operation as I'd prefer, and it makes odd clunky-clattery noises when its in use. Another feature that could use some improvement is the Auto ISO setting where the camera selects the ISO between a range you specify. The problem is that it defaults to the lowest ISO which could result in a shutter speed as low as 1/80. This is too slow for anything moving, and I've lost opportunities to blurred pictures because of this. More expensive cameras have the ability to specify a minimum shutter speed as the secondary setting to this feature. Perhaps Pentax has it somewhere, but I just haven't found it. The last nit pick I have is with the shutter sound. It's a little bit sharper and quieter than the K10, but I really don't care for the sound on either camera - too "squeaky/clangy."

In the balance, however, there are a multitude of plusses to this camera that make it great such as the quality of the photos, the flexibility to custom adjust just about anything connected to the picture image and capture (too many to mention), the RAW file handling, in-camera image stability system, the auto focus adjustment feature, weather sealing, the ergonomics/handling and solid feel of the camera. The dust mapping and removal is nifty, too. The dust mapping lets you see a representation of where exactly the dust is on the sensor rather than having to study pictures and transpose the positioning to what you see when looking straight at the sensor from the front. It's also quite sensitive. It showed the presence of dust when I had a very had time even detecting the dust in photos of blue sky taken with a high f-stop. Interestingly, the dust shake-off feature of the sensor has never worked for me on either the K10 or the K20. What always works is to use a manual blower to shoot a few burst of air at the sensor at the right locations.

If you want a truly fine camera that lets you stand out from the Canon/Nikon masses without feeling second-rate (so long as you stay out of sports arenas), this camera is a worthy purchase that will get you great results. I'm surprised at the looks and questions I get from even professional photographers when they see me shooting with the K20 and a DA* lens attached. If you aspire to professional levels of photography without the typical high accessory costs incurred by Nikon/Canon shooters, this is probably one of the best mid-level cameras going. And Pentax is continuing to introduce more professional lenses on par with those from Canon and Nikkor at significantly lower cost.

I have been a Pentax owner since the 1950's when the first Heiland Pentax SLR was introduced to the market. This is my 3rd Pentax digital SLR, the first two being the 6 megapixel 1stDS and the 10 megapixel K10D. This new model is a significant upgrade from the K10D, and at 14.6 megapixels, provides significantly more resolution in the crops I make from the original images. What this allows is for me to go to smaller crops (increased area enlargement) and still maintain excellent resolution. Another significant feature is the new imaging device from Samsung, producing, for me, low noise excellent quality photos at sensitivities as high as 1600 ISO.
To me, one of the most significant features of this camera, also found on my earlier K10D, is the RAW button on the left side of the camera body. This enables me to shoot most of my photos in JPEG, but allows me to go to RAW for a single image that I really want to get the most out of. This feature really conserves memory card space, but allows shooting of intermittent RAW images when they are really needed. This is a feature that I believe is unique to Pentax. At the highest quality (least compression) JPEG setting, the camera produces 10 megabyte images, which provide plenty of detail and excellent color.
The quality of the shake reduction capability seems, to me, to be improved over the K10D. I have been able to shoot sharp photos at F3.5 at a 30th of a second at a focal length of 250 mm.
The camera is extremely well built and, for this reason, is slightly heavier than other brands of comparable size. But the small extra weight and the fact that the camera feels well in the hand makes for really steady shots.
A new feature is live image production on the 2.7 inch rear screen, which is somewhat larger than that on the K10D. Being a long time SLR user, I don't use this feature very much. But it seems to be the up and coming thing on new digital SLR's.
The internal software of the camera has really been upgraded and includes an in camera capability to convert RAW images to TIFF or JPEG, a really neat feature if one is on the road and doesn't have access to the computer software necessary to process RAW images but yet wants to view them on other portable imaging devices.
I bought my camera without a lens and separately purchased the new 18-250 F 3.5-6.3 Pentax zoom lens and the 50 mm F 1.4 Pentax lens, which serves as a very short telephoto, wonderful for taking pictures of people. This is the combination I would recommend. The 18-250 appears to be manufactured for Pentax by TAMRON and is an excellent lens in my opinion. It is also quite versatile, giving a 28 mm field of view at wide angle and 375 mm at full telephoto. The 50mm F 1.4 is really inexpensive, at about $199 from reputable internet dealers, and is one of the sharpest lenses ever produced by Pentax. This lens is a real "sleeper" and should be owned by any Pentax DSLR owner for low light and portrait photography.
At about $1250-1299 street price for the body alone, the camera is not cheap. But it is a prosumer model and priced somewhat below comparable Canon and Nikon models. It is providing me with wonderful performance and I highly recommend it.

Dr. James E. Maynard

I had a pleasure to use this Pentax's baby for three days. This camera takes photography as far as it never was before under $8.000 price tag. The image quality is stunning. I especially like this rich tremendous color rendition that looks like mid format color slide of 6x9. The tone gradations are simply endless. If you take picture of sunset it will be the best sunset you ever seen.
I will not describe endless technical data details but I must stress how smart, convenient and relevant all the menus! You have a photography tools in your hands, not the computerized toy for browsing menus. The controls placement is the best I ever seen in any brand. Everything is under your fingers, everything is assignable. The camera reacts in the way you expect, it feels solid, complete.
It is pleasure to hold it, the balance is very good. This camera's software allows remote shooting (just like k10d) and if used in studio may be entirely controlled by computer. The ability to use the internal flash as a controller is very nice! The ability to store preview is very nice! The shift preview on shutter is super cool! The viewfinder is nice, clear and bright!If you had experience with K10D, you will find these awesome Pentax invented modes related to auto ISO settings.
The image quality is second to none. While there are many good cameras are around, this one of the league on itself. The tonality, sharpness, expressiveness of this cam is outstanding. What is even more outstanding is the combination of shooting experiences that end up in the final image. You feel that you control it to any degree you wish. The final image may be whatever you tune it to be. Make a profile and get it over sharpened as Canon, oversaturated as Sony or over contrasted as Nikon. Mix is in any way you pleased. You have any number of cameras inside. I personally enjoyed portraits and nature shots I made with it. With awesome tonal variations, countless gradations in shadows, natural and lifelike skin tones. This camera does equally good job on dark skins as well. And it looks real, photographically rich and not exaggerated.
In short, my three days of hands on experience with this camera I walked off very impressed. Hugely impressed.

I've only shot about 1700 images so far, so I haven't fully explored all the new features on this camera. This is my first impression and I'll update this review as I become more familiar with it.

I've used the K10D since it came out, and the K20D is a strong addition to the line. The new sensor is amazing. Live View is very handy when you're reaching to get the camera into an awkward position. I haven't needed the Dust Alert feature yet, but since I shoot in less than clean conditions, I'm guessing it will come in handy.

One of the features of the K10D that they've kept, and the primary reason I switched to Pentax in the first place, is the construction of the body with 72 seals to keep water and dust out. I've used the K10D in the pouring rain, in sea spray, and in smoky or dusty, windy conditions, and never had a problem. I've started to expose the K20D to the same conditions, and I expect the same performance.

The Shake Reduction is also fantastic, especially for my shaky hands. It doesn't replace a tripod, but it does allow me to shoot handheld in lower lighting than I ordinarily could. Since I have several lenses, it's also a money saving feature for me.

5/26/08 update: Three additional comments:

I've used this camera in both pouring rain and windy dusty conditions (not at the same time, obviously.) Since the body construction didn't seem dramatically different from the K10D, I expected it to survive my abuse, and so far it has.

Live View with a tripod and a wireless remote is heaven in awkward positions! No more contorting my body to squeeze into difficult spaces! (Well, ok, I do that for long enough to focus, then stand comfortably and switch to Live View. You can use the AF button to focus while using Live View, but I guess I'm a little old fashioned, and I like seeing my subject in focus in the viewfinder.)

It can be frustrating waiting for the images to write to the card, especially when you shoot in Continuous Shooting mode and shoot six or eight images at a time. But since part of that is due to the speed of the card and part of it is due to the size of the images, I can't complain about the camera here. If you are shooting multiple large raw files quickly, BUY FAST CARDS.

I've just scanned the manual and didn't notice the maximum capacity, but I'm using 8GB SDHC cards.

Now that I've spent a little time using it, I love this camera even more.

This was quite an upgrade from the Samsung GX-1S (clone of *ist DS2) I used previously . Pentax have always put out nice products but haven't really been pushing the envelope until now.

The bad:

Auto white balance is still pretty poor. This has been the case with the other Pentax DSLRs. Certainly not a huge concern--especially if you shoot RAW--but a little annoying considering other manufacturers seem to manage it much better.

It has a tendency to underexpose. Normally I find myself shooting with +0.7EV compensation and rarely do I run into situations where it blows out the highlights with that setting.


The good:

Absolutely outstanding image quality. I have shot everything from 110 to large format in film, and the first thing that struck me looking at some of the K20D shots was that it looks like medium format film: the ultra-smooth gradations and gorgeous tones.

The lens focus adjustment! Both my Pentax SMCPDA 16-45mm Zoom f/4.0 ED/AL Lens for Pentax and Samsung Digital SLR Cameras and Sigma 70-300mm f/4-5.6 DG Macro Telephoto Zoom Lens for Pentax and Samsung SLR Cameras required some adjustments to compensate for slight front and back focusing. Without this feature I would have been stuck with lenses that would not focus perfectly wide open.

The viewfinder. Large, bright, clear.

TAv mode. I spend 90% of my time shooting in this; Pentax treats ISO like a third variable in addition to shutter speed and aperture. Simple and brilliant. You just adjust the shutter speed and aperture with the wheels and it tells you the ISO so you can make a judgment call on a good compromise between all three.

Clever battery grip design that lets you store a spare SD card and remote.

Nice high ISO performance. I have shots at 5000 that look good, though 6400 is pretty noisy.

Hands-off noise reduction. Default is OFF, which lets you control it entirely in post-processing. Much rather have that than the water color paintings other cameras prefer to output.

Again, AMAZING image quality. I was worried that they were pushing the sensor too far with 14.6mp but they manage to control noise and retain wonderful detail. It does require good optics to get the most out of it, so I would recommend looking at some high quality glass. The 16-45/4 is one of the bargains out there; tack sharp, great color and contrast, and just around $300 new.

If Pentax could do a little better on the white balance and metering it would be absolutely perfect for me. As it stands, it is still an incredible bargain though!

I have been really happy with this Pentax K20d, and I am impressed with the 16-45 f.4 lens that I bought to go with it. I initially upgraded from a Canon Rebel 300D to a Canon 40D, it was a nice upgrade but the new Canon wasn't bringing me enough enjoyment to be worth the near thousand dollars I paid for it, and I knew it would lead me to buying lenses that would be too heavy and expensive. I sent it back and a moth later decided to buy the K20d. I was impressed with the low price and low weight of Pentax's mid-range lenses. I honestly thought that the camera itself wouldn't be as good as the 40D but I decided to follow the mantra that lenses are what matter and thought I could sell my Canon lenses and get some great Pentax prime lenses, and a wide zoom lens.

I have had the K20d for a over a month, and it is a great camera. It takes the pictures that I want it to take. This is the first digital camera I've been really excited about using and I think it is because it allows me to get the exact exposure I want. The metering won't produce as many decent pictures on full auto as a Canon, because it will always preserve bright highlights. The reviews say that it underexposes, because if you take a picture of a person with the sky behind them, it will consistently keep the sky from blowing out - making the person too dark. At first this means more missed and underexposed shots, but it exposes the same way all the time, and after a week with the camera I found that I always knew how the camera was metering and I now get the exact exposure I want on the first shot far more often than I used to.

The camera also makes manual mode far more useable. I like finding a good exposure for the light and then sticking to that as long as I know I am in similar light. If my photos are looking a little bright or a little dark on the histogram, I change the shutter speed or aperture a click. With the green button, I can be in manual mode but have an automatic resetting any time the light changes, from full sun to shade. Anytime I know that there is a big change in light I hit the green button and get the automatic exposure setting, instead of having to spin the dials.

I like the ability to change what the dials and buttons do in many of the modes. I can customize what the control wheels do in each picture mode. Also note that many reviews say the K20d does not show ISO in the viewfinder (which was a big detractor for me since it was one feature I really liked about the 40D upgrade) but actually you can customize this and show ISO in the viewfinder instead of the number of remaining shots. You can also change ISO in any mode by holding OK while turning the finger wheel.

Negatives: The K20d does produce more noise over ISO 800 than the Canon, but I like that it keeps more detail and I like the grain of the noise far better. However sometimes in very high ISO shots there can be too much chroma noise (colored noise) to do anything but convert to BW, and in two or three pictures I have seen banding in high ISO pictures when I try to push them a stop in my raw converter. Also the auto-focus sometimes hunts in single shot mode in light that the 40D would handle, although I have found that if I put it on AF-Continuous (AI Servo in Canon) it usually finds focus. My understanding is that the Pentax AF system attempts to be more exact, and I think I have noticed that when I am in good light I have less missed pictures due to focus than with the Canon.

Pentax K20D 14.6MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)

We are amateur photo shooters and have a 5 year old digital Kodak - which was okay for snap shooting -

Now for the PENTAX K20D 14.6MP Digital Camera we offer this review.

It is the TRUE amateur's friend. It is in a completely different class to the old technology, including 35mm film format. It is way ahead in the performance field for its class of digital camera. We are glad to be back in the SLR type of camera too.

Right after arrival of our new K20D camera we did a PROM photo session on our patio with 5 couples - what a pleasure to shoot when you have the time right - what is the right time? - a series of shots 2, 3, 4 or 5 with each setting and this camera is so fast you can outshoot the point and shoots by a mile - and great results too - Our daughter was assisting with her PENTAX K10D and both of these DIGITAL CAMERA'S are recommended highly by us. We experienced a number of comments from others sharing in this event, what kind of camera is that? It must be nice to be able to take so many shots and capture all of these special moments! They are right - we have over 300 perfect shots to brag about from this session, and two cameras captured those images.

The camera settings are easy to study and learn. You can adjust so many different ways in just seconds and get the perfect results you desire, snap a test shot, view - then capture images of one of a kind, ones that you can truly enjoy viewing plus brag on after a shooting session.

We use the SanDisk 4 GB Extreme III SDHC Card and the write speed is awesome for this camera. We bought a Metz 58 AF-1 TTL Shoe Mount Flash for Pentax & Samsung SLR Cameras for our camera and makes a great match with the Pentax DA 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 ED AL IF Lens.

This K20D is the camera for the money as we see it, study the features, it's loaded with them and you will see this is a fine camera that will deliver what you want in the photographic world - We highly recommended this product from PENTAX.

I came from Nikon, which does offer great products. I am now however, a full-fledged Pentax evangelist. I can't say enough about their products. I now own a K20D and two lenses: the DA* 16-50 f/2.8 and the DA* 50-135 f/2.8. The combination of these two lenses and the K20D offers some of the best semi-pro quality available for the money.

There are 4 main features that made me buy this camera:

1) Price. Hands down, it is in my opinion, the most value for your money.
2) Weather proofing. 72 weather proofing seals on the camera body and coatings on their DA series lenses make this camera ideal for travel.
3) Top-side LCD panel. This is a must-have feature for anyone serious about photography.
4) Front AND Rear dials. This allows for quick modifications of various camera settings and are customizable for each exposure mode.

Regarding image quality - the camera is somewhat important as we're now dealing with sensors instead of film, but the glass (lenses) are without a doubt the most important element of the equation. So - that said, you should seriously consider replacing the kit lens with a DA* or Limited series lens as soon as possible. The kit lens is very good (compared especially to competitor kit lenses). However, the DA* lenses are phenomenal.

Regarding comfort - the camera is very comfortable to hold. I have trouble putting it down. It literally goes everywhere with me.

Buy it. Don't hesitate. You won't regret it.

First, a quick disclaimer - I'm not a pro but probably fall into the serious amateur category after falling in love with my old Minolta Maxxum 7000 over 20 years ago. I'm the person behind the camera at all the parties and occassionally get the exceptional shot worthy of a few "oooh and ahhhs". I've also been holding out on buying anything more than a simple toss around digital until the cost and quality of dslr's were to my liking. As the price and quality of 10+ mp dslr's are now in the comfort range I decided to chuck the point and shoot junk I've been making do with and began shopping in earnest. After testing the Canon the speed seemed nice but I wasn't impressed so I narrowed it down to the Nikon 300 - it seemed to have everything I was searching for in a versatile camera. After adding decent quality lenses, storage, a few extras etc the price was going to come in at roughly $3,500 on sale...not bad but enough to make me take one last look around. On spur of the moment my better half said take a look at Pentax - they have been around forever and are known for making above average lens.

So, the K20D pops up with a 14+ mp on sale for $800 or 1/2 the Nikon...so far so good but I was a bit nervous about ordering it despite the good reviews. I spent the better part of the day researching the camera and decided to give it a shot [sorry - bad pun].

Ordered the K20D ($800), 8 gb card ($35), battery grip ($120), extra battery pack ($20), remote ($20) tripod ($18 on special), camera strap (free promo) and the Pentax 18-250 mm lense ($350). For $1350 I now have a very versatile camera for almost a 1/3 of the price of the Nikon....suffice to say based on price alone I'm one happy shopper. UPDATE: also added the Tamron 90mm Macro with 1:1 for another $365 after rebate. Good additional lens with a few issues (see my review on it separately). Between the two - have a nice 1:1 macro and portrait lens with a terrific "all around" lens...also added several filters [uv, polarizing, close up] an inexpensive tripod and another inexpensive monopod plus some excellent books...all for less than the cost of the Nikon with one lens!

Now, for the performance, look feel etc. The 14+ mp really make a difference - resolution is excellent and compares favorable to film. For the first time I don't feel like I'm missing anything major. This camera takes some beautiful shots even with my own limited testing.

The weight and feel are very nice - everything is ergonomically correct at least for my hands, intuitive access on all controls, solid and best of all - sealed! Screen size is adequte and I really appreciate the ability to set colors, font size and other adaptations to fit my needs. Diopter is also adjustable. The lens is reviewed apart but was a great all around choice - responsive and adequate although I intend to purchase additional dedicated/primary lens options soon. One thing I REALLY like about this Pentax is the backward compatibility - Pentax DSLR's allow the use of older Pentax lens so eBay and other options become a great way to find a quality lens at an affordable price. Since my old pricey Minolta lens' are no longer of any use that is a big bonus at least until Sony puts something decent on the market. In the meantime, this was a good starter lense [18-250 mm] that works well with the camera.

The menu and pre-sets are easy to use and versatile although I quickly found myself preferring manual - that is just a personal bias however. Preview was easy to use. There are a lot of negative mention regarding the Live screen option...having been playing with slr's for 20+ years I've never used the screen to take photos with but tested it for a few minutes and found it easy enough to use - just not sensitive to take a quality photo. It is possible to zoom in the live preview mode (contrary to what a few have mentioned) but all in all - it's not a feature I use enough to make a valid statement about.

The only other "flaw" that makes the camera less than perfect is the 3fps - it is substantially slower than other DSLR's on the market. Since I rarely shoot sports or have need for speed - it isn't a major consideration for me however, I would have gone with the Nikon if it were. This camera is able to shoot rapid series of shots in low quality settings of up to 21 fps - a fun little addition for playing around with but with a quality so low it isn't going to give more than email quality.

A few things I REALLY liked about the camera - other than price, resolutoin and intuitive design were several of the upgraded features. In addition to sealing both the camera and battery pack, the ability to take shots in raw and jpeg format at the same time is a great option. Likewise, this is fully compatible with adobe format so saves need for changing formats or fooling around with various options - just set on dual use and go. The battery pack with an extended memory card expand this to a considerable level. I was able to get about 750 pictures off just one battery using a flash part of the time and high resolution settings. The battery pack is very ergonomic, adds a battery back-up that is easy to switch and also allows storage for an additional card and remote control. When fully charged I expect to put at least 1500 photos on the card and battery before changing out - easily.

The camera comes with battery and charger, inexpensive camera strap - neigther were mentioned when I was buying so I ordered a battery charger that had to return.

One additional note - in addition to 10% off the price of a decent/versatile lens - be sure to register before the end of the year. Pentax is offeringa FREE upgrade to 3 year warranty on this purhcase!!! That beats all others hands-down. In addition to the pentax 18-250 mm lens, I also purchased the Tamron 90 mm macro which has a $90 rebate AND 6 year warranty right now. Good stuff! Good deals - even if Amazon has lowered the price $35 since I bought this a week ago [argh] and offers a free camera case that I missed [double argh]. Still very pleased.


Will try to review again after having owned/used but so far REALLY pleased with price, performance and resolution of the camera.

UPDATE: I've now owned this for several week and had a couple opportunities to use it in different settings - outdoor shots, inside with a little "mini studio" for portraits, some macro work etc... although the "user" [myself] is rusty and still learning all this camera is capable of doing - the results are consistently great....even when I thought they would be inferior. The range of this camera is pretty amazing especially in low light settings or shadows where other camera's begin to show extreme noise. Side by side comparison to a more expensive Canon model - this took more clear shots hands down...in fact, this can actually allow ISO settings up to 6400 {although not great quality at that level] whereas the Canon can't even attempt it. At more modest levels, this handles photos with ease while the Canon has already started showing serious noise distortion.

In fact, the one issue I've run into while taking portraits was "too true to life". This camera shows every detail - much to the dismay of at least one or two aging family members. Of course, that is easy to correct in a good program but if resolution is what you are searching for this one has it!

Another great feature is the bracketing. I'm interested in pursuing a bit of High Dynamic Range photography - something new that is made possible by the digital format. I've not had an opportunity to delve into this much yet but the resolution of this camera combined with the bracketing feature make it a LOT easier to get started in this creative endeavor. After purchasing several books on the topic I was a little worried about the complexity - no need. This camera makes it relatively simple to try out this fun and creative new method. While it isn't something I plan to use all the time, it IS a fun and exciting area that expands the entire photography field beyond what was ever possible with film.

Finally, for those that appreciate black and white photos - I can report this provides a very nice redition. This was originally another area of concern for me since so many digital pictures seem to have either a yellow or reddish cast rather than true black and white/greyscale. While much will depend upon who you use for printing the pictures, at least you will find a responsive greyscale with this camera. VERY little to No need for modification in Photoshop - nearly all were excellent straight from the camera setting.

Cannot say enough good things - combined with the extended 3 year warranty currently offer [and the big price reduction offered by Amazon...argh] this is a no-brainer. Buy it - you will like it!

I've just had the K20D for about 2 weeks and have really enjoyed it. Having to decide between Canon, Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, and Sony was difficult after reading so many reviews. I took a chance on the Pentax based on forums & reviews. I couldn't find the camera in any stores around my home other than the other brands mentioned. The Pentax does feel the best in my hands and when I first held it, it is definitely better built than the others. I bought the 18-55mm AL II kit lens and it does excellent and will purchase the 18-250mm in the future. I have taken the same type shots with my Minolta film camera from the early 80's and this camera surpasses it in quality. I was stubborn for a long time to switch to digital after having the money invested in the Minolta lenses and other equipment.
I personally think all the major cameras are good and I picked Pentax on a leap of faith. It was the best camera for the money and future lenses and accessories won't break the bank. I have not much use yet for the live view feature but many of the features are usable and intuitive. I really like the idea and flexibility of the front and rear e-dials. I can adjust the aperture with the rear dial and the shutter speed with the front dial. If I could change anything I would make the ISO a dedicated button and maybe the white balance. At least they are at the beginning of the Fn(function) menu button and only requires one extra button to push.
I would highly recommend this camera unless you shoot alot of sports which the 3 frames per second burst rate doesn't cut it for you. The picture quality is A-1 and the cropping in on some shots I've taken are just great since I don't have a strong zoom lense yet. They don't pixelate on the computer and that has to be the 14.1 megapixels at work with the CMOS sensor. It is a big difference and I'm glad I have purchased the K20D over the K10D if just for the sensor only.