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The Pentax K10D is the latest DSLR offering from Pentax which offers a 10 megapixel sensor, weather and dust resistant sealing, in-body shake reduction technology (promising a 2.5 - 4 stop improvement in low light), a 22 bit A/D converter, dust removal to keep the image sensor dust free, 11 point auto focus, 16 segment metering and lots more.
The K10D also features a 2.5 inch LCD monitor with 210,000 pixels and battery life of up to 730 images between charges.
The Pentax K10D will retail for $899.95 (body only) or $999.95 with a DA 18-55mm lens. A battery grip is also available for an additional $199. All are set to ship in October 2006.
GOLDEN, CO. (September 13, 2006)…PENTAX Imaging Company announced today the PENTAX K10D digital SLR camera with 10.2 effective megapixels and a host of advanced technologies including a PENTAX-developed Shake Reduction (SR) system and a weather resistant body.
Designed to deliver high-quality digital images and responsive operation for advanced photo enthusiasts, the K10D features an array of PENTAX innovations in image capture and camera functionality.
The most significant features in the K10D include:
• A PENTAX-developed Shake Reduction (SR) system that effectively offers a 2.5 to 4 stop advantage for sharp, blur-free images even under difficult shooting conditions, such as macro and telephoto photography or low light settings without a flash. The SR mechanism is designed to minimize camera shake by oscillating the CCD image sensor vertically and horizontally at high speed using magnetic force, while adjusting the speed of oscillation in proportion to the amount of camera shake detected by built-in sensors. As a result, the system does not require special anti-shake lenses and can be used with more than 24 million PENTAX lenses produced since 1964.*
• A newly-developed Pentax Real IMage Engine (PRIME) designed exclusively for PENTAX digital SLR cameras to produce well-balanced, true-to-life images. In order to meet the performance requirement in handling 10 megapixel data, PENTAX also incorporated a new high performance 22 bit A/D converter to quickly transfer images with accurate color tones and richer gradation from the CCD to the imaging engine.
• A new Dust Removal (DR) system incorporating PENTAX-original Special Protect (SP) coating to help keep the CCD surface dust-free, and a shift mechanism to shake dust off the CCD.
• A dependable dust-proof, weather-resistant body construction featuring 72 seals throughout the camera to allow photographers to continue shooting even in dusty or rainy environments.
* Lenses compatible with this mechanism are the PENTAX K-, KA-, KAF- and KAF2-mount lenses; screw-mount lenses (with an adapter); and 645- and 67-system lenses (with an adapter). Some functions may not be applicable with certain lenses.
“Advanced photographers will not find another 10 megapixel digital SLR that offers features such as a weather resistant body, shake reduction, and great ergonomics, at any price, ” said Ned Bunnell, director of marketing, PENTAX Imaging Company. “With the K10D introduction, PENTAX is now able to offer digital SLRs for two important users - the first time SLR customer who can buy the K100D and now the K10D for the more advanced users.”
Along with the body, PENTAX announced a D-BG2 battery grip for exclusive use with the PENTAX K10D. This battery grip can be used in combination with the camera’s rechargeable lithium-ion batteries to double the camera’s battery life. With a vertical shutter-release button, preview lever, two control dials, AE-lock button and green button, the new battery grip makes vertical-position shooting simple and effortless. It also features the same dust-proof, weather-resistant construction as the K10D camera body.
PENTAX also announced the smc PENTAX-DA 70mm F2.4 Limited lens, designed for exclusive use with PENTAX digital SLR cameras and featuring an ultra-thin pancake design and uni-focal, medium-telephoto optics. With a medium-telephoto perspective, this new lens is ideal for many applications including portraiture and landscape. The high-performance optics ensure outstanding image quality, and provide distinctive visual expression. Materials used for this lens are selected for optimum holding comfort and operability, and the new lens is designed to be extremely thin and lightweight, for go-anywhere portability for casual, day-to-day snapshot photography.
The K10D body will ship by November 2006 for US $899.95, and as a kit with the DA 18-55mm lens for $999.95. The D-BG2 Battery Grip will ship at the same time for less than US $190.00. The PENTAX DA 70mm lens will ship in October 2006 for less US $600.00.
ephotozine reviews the Pentax K10D where they write - 'Pentax are back! With the possible exception of frame rate, made up for in part with the Shake-reduction and dual RAW capability, this camera is up there with Nikon’s D200 and Canon’s 30D. Packed with features that have been well thought out and are easily accessible in a body that has been built to withstand the pressures of hard use in typically English climates it has a lot going for it. If their lens line-up takes a similar leap in the next twelve months, Pentax will be back toe-to-toe with the big boys. This is a serious advanced amateur or semi-pro camera.'
Popular Photography has posted their review of the Pentax K10D where they write - 'Overall image quality is Excellent throughout the ISO range. Color accuracy is Excellent. Noise is exceptionally well controlled all the way through, and Resolution is excellent at all ISOs. In fact, there is less than a 5 percent drop off in resolution from ISO 100 (1925) to ISO 1600 (1845), and noise only climbs from Very Low (1.15) to Low (1.95) from lowest to highest ISO.'
Megapixel has a review of the Pentax K10D and notes, "the Pentax K10D shines on a number of fronts, and when used with any number of other Pentax lenses, the K10D yields perfectly crisp images. More importantly, the K10D is impressive in the fact that its sensitivity range is entirely useable. At 100 ISO noise is absent from the images, and from 100 up to 400 ISO, which if the increment is set to 1/3 EV covers no less than six sensitivity settings, the images the camera captures are virtually noise-free. Beyond this, a range that covers an additional seven steps, noise increases very slowly, and even at the maximum of 1600 ISO, is no more prevalent than in the 400 ISO images produced by compact cameras that employ smaller CCDs."
DPExpert has a review of the Pentax K10D DSLR and writes, "The Pentax K10D is a brilliant camera. At the price it is a world-beater. It will be interesting to see how it goes in the market place where, paradoxically, its low price may count against it. Can a $1900 camera/lens combination compete with a similarly specified camera selling for $3000? Yes, it can. It is as though Pentax has returned to its origins when the company produced affordable, reliable, pioneering SLRs with outstanding lenses. Most serious amateurs have a Pentax in their past and the K10D will bring a nostalgic smile of recognition."
Pocket-lint has a review of the Pentax K10D and writes, "In terms of image quality, the camera provides plenty of detail with natural colours, though of course, these are all tweakable via internal functions on the camera. I found however, shooting using the camera’s MTF program line helps keep things a tad sharper or simply stay shooting RAW. In JPEG snapping, you get three compression levels and the top (three star) setting provides very clean images indeed. Noise (as mentioned earlier) becomes obvious after ISO 400 and intrusive at ISO 800 and over. Overall, the images look colourful and clean even if the highlight detail does drop off more quickly than I’d have liked, particularly noticeable in overcast (grey) skies for example."
NeoCamera has a review of the Pentax K10D and writes, "The bottom line is that the K10D cannot be beaten feature-wise. It brings some unique features and exposure modes into a very thoughtful and ergonomic design. In terms of image quality, the Canon Digital Rebel XTi and the 8 megapixels Canon EOS 30D still have the advantage, specially at high-ISO. Neither of these cameras have built-in stabilization or weatherproofing though. The XTi has an useful eye-start sensor but its ergonomics and capabilities are limited compared to the K10D. The 30D has the advantage of having a consistent 5 FPS continuous drive which is better suited for action photography."
Digital Trends has a review of the Pentax K10D and writes, "Any first-time D-SLR buyer should put the Pentax K10D high on the list—it’s a very good 10MP camera offering lots of room to grow as you spread your photographic wings. And its combination of good image quality, built-in Shake Reduction and sturdy build makes it a worthy contender for the competition and your credit card limit. As mentioned earlier, it’s a serious camera targeted to people serious about their photos. The price is serious too, currently selling for MSRP due to the demand. If you have a collection of lenses from Canon or Nikon, taking the Pentax path is more difficult choice since you’ll have to make a hefty investment in new glass. But it’s hard to argue with the value this camera brings to the table for first-timers."
CNET has a review of the Pentax K10D and writes, "I was also quite impressed with the K10D's photo quality as well, from its broad dynamic range to first-rate color reproduction. Photos had an excellent noise profile up through ISO 800, and at its maximum of ISO 1600 still fared well for its price class. ... If you're looking for a first dSLR or a no-brainer kit, the Pentax K10D may be too much for you, as in too much power and too expensive. But if you want to buy into an inexpensive system with a really good amateur dSLR at its hub, the K10D hits the mark."
DCResource has a review of the Pentax K10D and writes, "Photo quality varies greatly depending on the settings you're using. If you pull the K10D out of the box, attach the kit lens, and start shooting JPEGs then you might say "wow, my old point-and-shoot took better pictures". However, if you tweak the settings a bit, or shoot in RAW mode then you'll see that the K10D can produce photos of exceptional quality. For whatever reason, the K10D's image processor produces soft images with dull colors, which aren't terribly pleasing to the eye. If you don't want to fuss with RAW, you can change the image tone option to vivid or adjust the in-camera sharpening, contrast, and saturation to your liking. Whatever you end up doing, once you've found that sweet spot, the K10D's photo quality ranks up there with the best of them. ... All things considered, the Pentax K10D is an excellent midrange digital SLR. It offers a solid, well-designed body, rocket-fast performance, and superb photo quality if you get away from the default settings. It may not be a great choice for those used to live-view and scene modes, but if you're ready to dive into more serious photography, the K10D is a great choice. It earns my highest recommendation."
LetsGoDigital has a review of the Pentax K10D and writes, "There is not much to say about the Pentax K10D's body. It is compact, lies well in your hand and of excellent quality. It can cope with dust and light rain, which is nice if you photograph outside a lot. All in all, I was really charmed by the Pentax K10D. The clever discoveries made it a really pleasant camera to work with and thanks to the ultra-compact pancake lenses the Pentax K10D is almost the ultimate camera for street photographers. All this for such a low price! The Pentax K10D will give its owner real value for money while retainig great picture quality. What more do you want?"
Digital Camera Review has a hands on preview of the Pentax K10D and writes, "Default image quality is a bit soft and colors are a little flat, but that's due to Pentax's minimal sharpening and image interpolation. Users can customize images by selecting the Bright Image Tone option and tweaking color saturation, contrast, and sharpening to precisely match personal taste. Tweaked JPEG images are impressive, almost equal to the K10D's RAW images."
Steve's Digicams has a review of the Pentax K10D and writes, "We were happy with the K10D's image quality. Our test images were consistently well exposed and had good color saturation. Sharpness at the K10D's normal setting was what you would expect of a dSLR, a bit on the soft side so that the image had some range for post processing. But at its maximum in-camera setting, the K10D's images were less sharp than the competition. ... The K10D offers a lot of camera for under $1000.00 USD - with 10.2 megapixels of resolution, body-integral Shake Reduction (SR), automatic dust removal, a weather-proof body, 3fps continuous shooting performance, dual battery grip option and great image quality – it’s an easy choice over the K100D for those seeking a more advanced dSLR camera system. Users of Pentax film SLRs will be able to use their existing inventory of K-mount lenses and benefit from its Shake Reduction feature."
Digital Camera Review has a full review of the Pentax K10D up and writes, "Canon and Nikon currently dominate the semi-pro dSLR market, but all any camera maker has to do to unseat the sales leaders is to offer a better product at a lower price. The introduction of the Pentax K10D is a big step in that direction. The K10D offers several unique benefits the majors can't match including image stabilization with every lens, pro quality dust/weather/moisture seals, two RAW formats, and an automatic dust reduction/removal system - all at a very competitive price. Serious shooters may have a few issues (like Pentax's lack of long glass), but for many photographers - including those with a closet full of old FA, KA, or K-mount lenses, the K10D may be just the camera they've been looking for. I really liked the Pentax K10D - it was clearly designed by photographers - for photographers. Amateur photographers looking a camera that can keep pace as their photographic skills develope should seriously consider the Pentax K10D - this dSLR is a contender."
Imaging Resource has a review of the 
">Pentax K10D and writes, "The Pentax K10D is designed to help you reconnect with photography in a way that I admire. Don't take it lightly, though. You will have to learn how to use the K10D, and won't be able to rely on it as much to make important color temperature decisions for you. Though it's mostly only a problem indoors, there you'll have to take time, and at least one test shot as I've demonstrated above. The K10D is for photographers committed to the process, and who want to work as they did with film. But as with film, once you learn how to use the K10D's special features, like the Sv and TAv ISO adjustment modes, you may find a whole new dimension to photography. Given its excellent ISO 1,600 performance, there's some room to explore."
CameraLabs has a review of the Pentax K10D and writes, "the K10D is not the greatest performer using its default settings. If you want a camera that takes great-looking JPEGs straight out the box, then look elsewhere. ... Had the K10D sported superior metering and better-looking JPEGs out-the-box, it would have easily achieved our Highly Recommended rating. But the fact you need to put some effort into learning the camera when rivals are ready to go straightaway means we can only award it our lower Recommended rating. ... Ultimately if you’re a beginner or want the easy life, look elsewhere. But if you’re willing to learn how to get the best from the K10D, it undoubtedly represents great value for money and a compelling option. Just don’t expect miracles from the Shake Reduction and be prepared to tweak the settings."
PhotographyBLOG has a review of the Pentax K10D and writes, "The Pentax K10D is an excellent mid-range digital SLR camera that manages to achieve the difficult task of being intuitive to use whilst offering a lot of complex functionality. Pentax have included a number of genuinely useful innovations that help to make the K10D stand out from the crowd. The various new shooting modes, dust and water-resistance, anti-shake and dust-removal systems are all extremely welcome at this price-point, and there are many more nice touches too numerous to mention. The K10D will more than satisfy all those people who are keen to upgrade from a film-based Pentax system, providing more features and capability than the entry-level models that the company has previously released. You should also seriously consider this camera if you don't currently have any vested interest in the likes of Canon or Nikon, as it offers more bang for your buck than similarly priced models. Indeed, the Pentax K10D offers a wealth of features, ease of use, speedy operation and excellent image quality at a very competitive price. The main negative aspects of the Pentax K10D are the supplied 18-55mm kit lens, which feels cheap and ill-matched to the K10D body, the noisy shutter release mechanism and auto-focusing system, and the lack of dedicated buttons for ISO and white balance. Overall we can highly recommend the Pentax K10D - not only does it have an attractive price-tag, but it is also a solidly-built, intuitive and responsive digital SLR that will meet the needs of the serious photographer."
Digital Camera Info reviews the Pentax K10D and writes - 'The K10D is not a top performing DSLR, though it offers a competitive design and feature set deserving of comparisons to these models. At its reduced price, the K10D brings an advanced DSLR into the realm of general consumer affordability, and provides an economic alternative for seasoned shooters on a budget.'
Compare prices on the Pentax Optio K10D and get the latest price on the Pentax K10D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction (Body Only)
Posted by Darren in our Pentax category on September 14, 2006