Pentax K200 D DSLR camera review

Does the 10 megapixel DSLR impress?

Pentax K200 D DSLR camera. Cameras, DSLR cameras, 10 megapixels, Pentax, Digital cameras 0

Reviewer: Doug Harman
Review Date: 11 April 2008
Manufacturer: Pentax
Price as reviewed: £499 (Kit with an 18-55mm zoom lens as tested here)
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Our score

8/10

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Quick review

The good: Build, image quality, ease of use, price
The bad: Pentamirror viewfinder’s gloomy, some key controls buried only in menus, minor handling issue
Verdict: The K200D boasts a mid-range specification in a budget model DSLR body and has some neat improvements over its K100D forbear. Image quality is great and, just like the K100D, bar some minor quibbles, overall it is excellent

Comments

This camera CLOCKS the competition in it's price range, and it gets an "8"? Shouldn't the camera be rated based upon it's competition? I mean, we're probably not comparing the K200D with the Nikon D3, right? You could probably put the Canon XS in there, but the XSi is up a tier in price point.

I am an "old school" film photographer finally getting my first DSLR. I have no investment in lenses to color my opinion. The following features could be found on NO OTHER camera in its class:

• Stainless steel chassis. I *hate* the lightweight plastic feel of the Rebels. This is a semi-pro feature (way out of this price class)
• Weather-resistant seals. This is a big deal to me, as part of what I do is shoot weather in "Tornado Alley". This is a semi-pro feature (way out of this price class)
• Shake resistance built into the BODY, not the lenses (This feature is available on some 4/3 models, like Olympus and on the Pentax sister camera: Samsung — but not on the Canon/Nikons that often get compared.)
• Spot metering (experienced photographers will know how important this is. A Canon 20D owner told me the other day if he could have one feature on his 20D it would be spot metering).
• A kit lens that you don't have to be embarrassed over (and the original has even been improved in the II version). What is the point of acting like this is unimportant? Why buy a kit where the first thing you want to do is DUMP the kit lens?
• Stainless steel lens mount (others are plastic in this critical area).
• 11 point auto-focus (others are 7)
• AA battery over proprietary design (and the ability to even shoot with Alkalines in a pinch)
• A sensitivity/ISO-priority mode of shooting - very cool and found nowhere else
•Ergonomics: not only how it feels in you hand, but control layout. I like the RAW button, for instance. Enough controls without so many to be confusing.

And how can you rate as an "8" a camera that consistently gets 5 stars by amazon.com readers, for example.

It is the PERFECT camera for anyone new to DSLRs and ALSO one that will satisfy photographers who want more advanced control over their shooting.

It blows my mind when people make these major downgrades of the camera over really trivial quibbles. The major semi-pro pluses really outweigh the relatively minor issues. Posted by Darren Addy, USA
I agree totally. I also own a dslr made by one of the "big" two and the K200D offers much more. It has features that you can't get for several times the price such as SR on any lens without spending on additional lenses. The build quality is as good as Canon and Nikon slrs at twice the price, minimum! The kit lens is better built and resists flare without needing to carry around the shade. Nikon at this price doesn't offer a lens shade, and the Canon kit lens is soft in the corners.
Image quality, particularly skin tones in "normal,' not "bright" mode, is excellent.
Well done Pentax! Posted by Richard Hill, Australia