Pentax K20D DSLR: Review
The Pentax K20D DSLR sports a 14.6-megapixel sensor, Live View and a host of other extras. It’s a DSLR that will do an advanced amateur proud, but being sealed against dust and moisture, and built like the proverbial brick outhouse, why aren’t more professionals looking at the Pentax system? Combined with some of the better optics in Pentax’s range, we always found the Pentax K20D’s predecessor – the Pentax K10D - a great performer, especially for those into travel; it’s a compact and light machine.
Handling and specification
The Pentax K20D will be familiar to anyone who’s seen the K10D. The rear of the K20D is dominated by a large 2.7in screen that is used to review images and access the menu systems. These are navigated using a four-way selector that is surrounded by an AF area mode dial. Controls for activating the camera’s Shake Reduction mode, adjusting exposure compensation, engaging exposure bracketing and playing back and editing pictures are also present. Two dials, one under the thumb, the other under the shutter finger, and an exposure-mode dial resides on the left-hand side of the K20D’s top-plate. This is free from the scene modes that you might find on an entry-level camera, and instead contains the usual PSAM modes as well as a B, X (for flash) and an ISO-priority mode (which locks aperture and shutter speed and alters ISO in response to changing light).
Other controls include a dedicated button on the left-hand side of the lens mount for instantly changing from JPEG to (12bit) RAW capture (which can take the form of proprietary PEF files or more open-format DNG files). The collar surrounding the shutter release can now be set to engage either Live View or the depth-of-field preview.
The Pentax K20D is a very well-specified machine. The headline grabbing update to the K10D’s specification is the 14-megapixel sensor, developed in conjunction with Pentax’s partner, Samsung (as you may catch a sniff of with the Samsung GX-20). Putting things in context, this is a higher pixel count than anything on offer from Nikon, Olympus or Sony (in this range) at the moment, and the only Canon DSLR that beat this are the EOS-1Ds MkII and MkIII.
Pentax has also added a number of other features over and above those found on the K10D – namely Live View. The ISO range has also been extended up to ISO 6400, boosting the camera’s low light capabilities and an expanded dynamic range function makes it easier to record extremes of contrast. An anti-dust system has been incorporated, and an X-sync socket has also been added for studio flash.
A good range of JPEG picture style modes are available (landscape, portrait, etc) that tweak the various combinations of colour saturation, sharpness and contrast.
Continuous shooting is available at three frames-per-second, or at 20 frames per second in burst mode. The latter locks up the K20D’s mirror and captures still frames from what is effectively a video feed. The results are nowhere near as good quality as those from normal shooting mode, but this may be an insight into how all DSLR will work in 10 years time. Who knows?
Metering is the usual combination of spot, centre-weighted and 16-segment multi-pattern, and the 11-point AF system operates in single, continuous or manual modes.
Performance
The Pentax K20D struggled to meter accurately in quite a few situations, which was a surprise. Looking on the positive side, when the camera did mis-meter a scene it underexposed, not overexposed, thereby preserving highlight detail - but even so, some major post-production tweaks were needed in many instances. Bright areas influencing the meter seemed to be the culprit – the sky especially, but then even taking a simple portrait seemed to require +1 stop of compensation. Autofocusing performance was better; swift and accurate, and locking on easily most of the time. The camera’s AF is not in the same league as that of Canon or Nikon, but then we weren’t really expecting it to be.
When the exposure metering performed, though, the Pentax K20D delivered great pictures that were sharp and punchy, rendering colourful scenes particularly well, without being oversaturated. In fact, even on the Portrait picture style setting, hues are fairly intense. This designers are obviously fans of Fuji Velvia!
In line with most manufacturers at the moment, Pentax seems to be directing a lot of effort into getting noise under control. It was managed with the K10D, with the K20D now building on this - turning in a very polished performance in low light. Above ISO3200 however, pictures start to become unacceptably noisy, but this is quite an achievement: no one else has managed to pack so many pixels onto such a physically small sensor, and Samsung should take a pat on the back for producing electronics that compete on a par with those made by Canon or Sony.
Conclusion
The Pentax K20D does its job very well, and there is little to criticise aside from a slightly unpredictable metering system. So the question remains: why don’t you see professionals using Pentax K-series DSLR as much as you see them using low-end Canon and Nikon models? The answer is probably more complicated that we could go into here, and to be fair this is probably not where Pentax is aiming the K20D right now; it’s destined for the top-end enthusiast. When Canon and Nikon release these types of product (Nikon D300 or Canon EOS 40D) we often endorse them for professional use, or certainly their use as a back-up body.Then again, if brand snobbery is playing a part, then it’s even more interesting to note that a Samsung version of the K20D – the GX-20, which has a nearly identical specification and appearance – is available for some £300 less. Now that does make you think, doesn’t it?
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