Pentax K20D 14.6MP SLR Digital Camera with 18-55mm Lens

Ridiculously detailed review of the camera: Pentax K20D Review: Digital Photography Review (Very non-detailed conclusion: “Highly Recommended”)

Less ridiculous, yet still quite detailed review of the lens: Pentax DA 18-55mm 1:3.5-5.6 AL review: Digital Photography Review (Very non-detailed conclusion: “Recommended”)

I picked up the Pentax K100D from Woot a while ago, I’ve been extremely happy with it, especially since you can use all the old Pentax 35mm lenses on it.

All K20D’s have shake resistance. It’s built into the body, so you’ve got it in every lens rather than having to purchase it on a per-lens basis.

Does it record HD video? Or any video, for that matter?

That’s the only thing keeping me out of the SLR market.

Interested in this because I just bought a Pentax to replace my Canon. Went with the new K-x. Granted, the K-x does not have some of the features (or the durable body) this does, but it does have HD Video. Just food for thought, great deal on a nice camera though. I agree woot should put more real camera gear up.

This site, http://pentaxlife.com/ has some information, as well as comparison of an earlier model of Pentax with other comparable d-SLR.

A good photography site for reviews on cameras.
dpreview.com review of Pentax K20D Highly recommended

K20D does NOT do video. If you want video, consider the K7, which replaces the K20 in the current Pentax lineup. But be prepared to pay much more than this woot!

Fantastic camera. I paid $629 for the body only and I was happy to get that.

  • For the price range, Pentax blows away Canon and Nikon in terms of functionality. Try finding anything comparable with a top LCD and in-camera stabilization.

  • DSLRs are all about the glass. This little fella can use just about any Pentax lens ever made, and with a $30 screwmount adapter, you can use lenses dating back to the 40’s. The included lens is a fantastic starter lens and quite sharp.

  • The UI is hit-or-miss, and imho quite non-intuitive, but the more you use it, the more it makes sense. After a few weeks with it, changing settings was completely natural and I could switch ISO/exposure/aperture/RAW mode without looking up from the viewfinder.

  • Pentaxforums.com is where you want to be to find out more about this.

I can’t believe I’m seeing this camera here! (sob)

I bought this camera new, upgrading from the K10D. It is fantastic. If it doesn’t take perfect photos, the problem in this case is the operator, not the camera.

I also primarily use this kit lens. I’ve got other lenses that are better for specialized use, but this one is lightweight and more than good enough for about 95% of what I do.

The camera has image stabilization. This means that you get IS with every lens that you use, rather than having to buy lenses with image stabilization. With IS I can pick up about a whole stop handheld in a fairly dark environment. I keep a tripod with me, but I don’t use it as much as I used to.

It’s solidly built, and well sealed against harsh environments. I’ve used both this and the K10D in pouring rain, blowing dust, sea spray, and wildfires, and never had any problems. (Obviously, don’t change lenses in these situations!) I’ve dropped it from about four feet (well, I had help,) and it still works.

I know it takes SDHC cards. The largest I’ve got is 8GB, so I don’t know if it takes larger cards.

More comments and photos to follow… I’ve got to go cry a little and burn a candle to the Woot gods to send me one in a BOC so that I’ve got a spare when shooting weddings and other events.

I’ve got the K100D from when woot was selling them last year. I can take nice pictures from time to time, but since I still haven’t read the manual or practiced, it’s all based on luck. That 18-55mm isn’t a bad lens either. The K20D itself is a slick camera, and if it is built anything like the K100D, it’s a tank.

If you’re like me and want a selection of cheap-ass lenses of various sizes just to mess around with, which will get you hungry for the higher quality stuff later on, I recommend buying the old m42 screwmount lenses and an adapter to fit them to your camera. The adapter (make sure to grab a genuine Pentax one … which Pentax doesn’t even sell anymore, the bastards, but I was able to find one on eBay new anyway) costs about $30, and I got a 150mm Vivitar manual focus for $25.

Again, this is gear to play with. You’ll want to buy higher quality auto-focus stuff later, but at a much, much higher cost. $25 in comparison is pennies.

Pentax seems to get drowned out by all the reviews for Canons and Nikons. I guess my question would be, is this a better camera than a Canon XSi/TSi or Nikon D5000?

There is no SLR camera out there that would record any considerable quality video… For that matter, p&s videos are even worse… Those p&s that do take decent videos, the still images are not so good, because the makers had to compromise for it to be video-friendly.

You see, cameras, they are made for taking still images, and their innards are just not meant for the video recording. They have camcorders for that - these take great videos as compared to best of still cameras, and pretty crappy photographs, if they have that function…

There are a few SLRs out there that have video feature, but none are really outstanding. So if you want to bite the bullet and grab it - just do it! And get yourself a cheap camcorder for the money you save by getting it on WOOT!

Here’s a VERY detailed review and technical summary from Steve’s Digicams. Gets great marks.

Can this be used for HDR?

Cameralabs.com’s review:

http://www.walmart.com/Pentax-K20D-Slr-Kit/ip/9606113

At walmart for 699.00 $ With lens

I got a K110D with kit lens for $270 at Meijer. I want to upgrade, but I don’t have the money now. Crap crap crap! K20 is an awesome camera. Yeah, I’d love to have a K7 or a K-x in Olive color (via Japan). But crap, really good deal. BTW, how much are the batteries for this cam?

love, Love, LOVE this camera!!! Had it since October. Bought an additional Tamron 75-300mm lens for $140 on Amazon…great price since it was an older K adapter lens. That’s one reason I wanted a Pentax.

Have taken inside and out pics…and my outdoor college football pics from November erased every ounce of buyers remorse I had. The image stabilization works great. It is beefy - and heavy - so be warned.

Have to say one thing: it has LOT of options. I’ve been taking photos practically all of my life, have over 33,000 pics on Flickr, have had about every version of camera that has came out in the last 25 years and usually carry at least two with me everywhere I go…meaning, while I’m no pro, I’m not a newb. I turned this on for the first time and it looked like there were 200 options all blinking and glowing at the same time…a little overwhelming. It’s definitely an intermediate and up camera. I can turn it on and take decent pics but I know there is going to be so much more I can do with this camera in the future…and I can’t wait.

When it comes to photography (and I mean photography, not snapshooting) - it is far more important what’s behind the camera, than the camera itself (hint: in most cases behind the camera is an eye of a photographer followed by their head).

Canon and Nikon dominate the market, and have the most support. They are better choice for professional shooters, who need armies of accessories and very specifically designated lenses and many more things that Canon and Nikon offer aplenty. For a beginner to intermediate photographer - it is really not a factor. This camera has the features you need - the manual shooting modes, the real through the lens viewfinder, the interchangeable lenses and the sensor that is huge as compared to p&s cameras, to give you enough image quality for what you do (unless you shoot in dim rooms with no flash - but then we talk about bodies that cost in thousands alone).

Personally - I shoot Nikon, and would not give it up for anything (including Canon). But to someone who wants to try to learn photography with an SLR - this is a very solid choice.

Just to summarize - this camera is going to be about on par with the above Canons and Nikons as it is. If you are going to go MUCH further, you may hit a few blocks, but at the entry level, this is as much of a camera as the bigger names.

Subjective question. I’d match the K20 against either of those entry-level DSLRs, but it really depends on several things:

  • Do you already have glass in one of the other mounts? If so, consider a body to match your mount.

  • Do you intend to buy third party lenses? The Pentax range is good quality, but it’s real spendy, lacking some of the longer teles and zooms. Third party support is pretty poor.

  • Does anyone else you know shoot with a Canon or Nikon? Having other people to trade/share equipment with can be useful.