In our in-depth Pentax K20D review, Chris Coleman takes this beast of a 14-megapixel DSLR camera for a spin.
Review summary of the Pentax K20D:
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Scoreboard » Features » Side-by-side » Gallery » |
 The Pentax K20D brings 14-megapixel photography to the prosumer market, and it does so with quality. It's a solidly built, borderline mammoth camera with sensor-shift image-stabilization and excellent RAW support, and it has a snappy action that makes it a joy to use. Image quality isn't quite as eyeball-popping as a full-frame DSLR, but for a more modestly priced prosumer, it's nevertheless impressive. For budget photographers shooting stock, in which size is indeed everything, the Pentax K20D is an absolute no-brainer. For everyone else, it's still a DSLR that demands serious consideration. Release: March 2008. Price: $1300.
Pros: Best-in-class megapixel count. Great, sturdy design. Good interface. Sensor-shift stabilization. Above average noise-management.
Cons: Not the best image quality from an APS-C sensor. Shutter and ISO ranges are on the low-end.
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Mediocre |
Good |
81%
VERY GOOD |
Excellent |
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Full Pentax K20D Review:
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Pentax isn't offering a 'kit' for the Pentax K20D, so there isn't a standard body/lens combo that we can review as a baseline configuration. Instead, Pentax shipped us the K20D body with a well-rounded selection of their lenses, so, in lieu of a separate review of each lens, our image quality section includes analysis of each lens in combination with the K20D's imager. Our scoreboard is based on the 18-55mm lens, which we feel is the most typical choice for a first lens.
Design - Excellent
The Pentax K20D is a beast of a DSLR. It isn't unduly big or heavy, but it is built like a tank. We felt comfortably taking the K20D pretty much everywhere without fear of it breaking or chipping apart. This is reinforced by the card and battery bays, both of which are fully protected by twist-release covers.
The mode wheel has been situated on the top-left, which takes some getting used to, but Pentax certainly doesn't lose points just for breaking out of the DSLR design mold. On the top-right, where the mode wheel would normally be, is a digital readout that helpfully displays battery life and shooting parameters. In front of that is the power toggle, shutter release and the 'green button,' one of our favorite Pentax innovations, which is fully assignable to pretty much anything the user desires.
Perhaps because it's positioned more towards the professional side of 'prosumer,' the Pentax K20D is outfitted with a bevy of shortcuts, our favorite of which is the RAW button on the side, which can quickly enable and disable RAW recording. The K20D also provides easy toggles for focus modes, continuous shooting, AE settings, metering modes and image stabilization. Best yet, the camera has two independent dials, one for shutter speeds and the other for f-stops, which makes scrolling through parameters a breeze.
Features - Good
The K20D's calling card is its megapixel-count, but it doesn't shirk on other features. The camera has sensor-shift image stabilization, which we prefer to lens-based optical stabilization for its universality and overall lower cost, and a 2.7" LCD viewfinder with Live View. As is the trend, the Pentax K20D also has a dynamic-range boost of up to 200%, which helped with high-contrast scenarios.
RAW is fully supported and can be shot in tandem with JPEG. Continuous and burst modes are available, and we found both to be suitably fast. The camera also offers dedicated modes for flash syncopation and for bulb shutters. Speaking of, the shutter ranges from an acceptable 30 - 1/4000 seconds, and ISO sensitivities span from 100 - 3200, a fairly standard selection.
Interface - Excellent
Essentially everything you need to control exposures is available right on the body of the Pentax K20D, and only once did we need to venture into the camera's menu system. The setup screens are intuitive, detailed and give plenty of control over the K20D's internal processes. More available resolutions would have been nice, but on the other hand, the camera allows you to select between PEF and DNG for your preferred RAW format, which could go a long way towards alleviating development headaches. We await the standardization of DNG as the universal RAW format, and this is a good step in that direction.
The K20D is extremely responsive, especially its feather-touch shutter. Coupled with its dual shooting-dials, it quickly becomes a transparent tool, even a natural outgrowth of consciousness, which is just about the utmost praise a camera body can receive. Users weaned on compacts, or even on fixed-lens prosumers, might find themselves shocked at how smoothly and rapidly the Pentax K20D operates.
Image quality - Very good
The Pentax K20D was the first 14-megapixel camera that could be deemed even relatively affordable (excluding the Samsung GX-20, which is essentially the K20D with a different body). It's since been joined by the Sony A350, but otherwise the next choice would be Canon's full-frame, 21-megapixel EOS 1DS Mark III, which retails for a wallet-melting $8,000. Granted, part of why the K20D is so comparatively underpriced is its APS-C sensor, the same size used in Canon and Nikon prosumers, which is less than half the size of a full-frame sensor. This means the signal-to-noise ratio of the K20D is roughly 65% of that titanic Canon, which partially accounts for the price difference.
Still, the K20D's noise management is excellent, despite its megapixel density. Noise is irrelevant through ISO-200 and only just becomes visible at 400. Some distortion is apparent at 800 and 1600, but even 3200 remains perfectly usable and is, without a doubt, the best ISO-3200 we've yet seen.
Edge test #1 [18-55mm lens]
Edge test #2 [18-55mm lens]
Edge test #3 [55-300mm lens]
The first two samples in this set of edge tests are from the 18-55mm SMC Pentax-DA AL II lens, and the third is from the 55-300mm SMC PENTAX_DA ED telescopic lens. The AL II performs decently in the first sample: there's very little haloing and no fringing on any of the edges. Some diffraction is visible on both sides of the image, however, leading to a loss in peripheral focus. The second sample is more successful, with no edge problems and well-delineated lines. The ED lens also does well in the third sample, though some chromatic aberration is present, leading to a purplish aura around the unfocused pipes in the foreground. Regardless, all of the images are noiseless, vibrantly but accurately colored, and extremely detailed.
Scene test #1 [18-55mm lens at wide-angle]
Scene test #2 [55-300mm lens at wide-angle]
Scene test #3 [55-300mm lens at telescopic]
Here we took a scene and tested the ALII and ED lenses at different focal lengths. At 18mm, the ALII lens provides a good panorama with a bright, clear sky. The cityscape in the bottom half is less successful. Detail is great but a bit noisy, and the ALII doesn't seem to perform well at wide angles: diffraction and aberration are problematic along the sides, most notably along the glass building on the left, which is marked by an obvious red outline on its right and a blue one on its left. The ED lens at 55mm performs better, with little distortion and only a slight purple bloom to some of the more backlit buildings. Detail is again phenomenal, and colors are surprisingly rich for such a low-contrast situation. Fringing is a bit more noticeable at 300mm in the third sample, but the ED lens continues to impress even at the very end of its telescopic range.
Macro test #1 [context]
Macro test #2 [inches]
Macro test #3 [millimeters]
Finally, we get to the SMC Pentax-DA 1:2.8 Macro lens, which doesn't disappoint. The first sample is for reference. The second image was taken within inches of the subject, and the third within millimeters. All are essentially flawless, with very little diffraction even in the brightest specks.
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