Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I am an amateur photographer who's always used point-and-shoot cameras. Finally, I got up the nerve (and cash) to get myself a DSLR.
I started doing lots of reading and reviewing the various reviews/features of different cameras, eventually settling on the Pentax K200D.
I have never owned anything made by Pentax/Canon/Nikon/Olympus/Sony before, so I didn't have any sort of brand loyalty ties. I took long, hard looks at the features and performance and went from there.
There are several reasons why I chose the Pentax K200D over similar models from other manufacturers:
1) Weather sealing -- Pentax claims their camera is the only environmentally sealed camera in its class ("starting DSLR"). Nice to know it's there, even if I don't plan on intentionally testing it out!
2) Saving High quality JPEG and RAW at the same time (RAW+). Some of the other models I was considering didn't allow RAW + High JPEG, only medium JPEG.
3) Very high build quality. This thing feels like it's built like a tank. After reading literally hundreds of user reviews from Canon owners, Nikon, etc. the general consensus was their bodies (and cheap lenses) felt a little flimsy. I must admit, I went to the stores and tried out their cameras (the entry DSLR) and I felt the same way.
Popular Photography's preview of the K200D said it best: "Mate a tank with a SLR body..." or something to that effect.
4) AA batteries. I know some people consider this a downside, but decent 2500mha AAs are extremely cheap and work great. If I ever run out of juice, I know I can hit up practically any store for a recharge.
5) You can mount any lens Pentax has ever made on this camera. Of course, you may not get all the features, but the consistency of the lens mounting was a plus for me.
6) In-body stabilization - A real biggy for me, as this translates to any lens you buy for the system! It has already saved several of my shots.
7) It's an APS-C sensor -- this discounted the Olympus line immediately.
----------------------------------
So how do I like the camera? So far it's great!
I've only owned it a few days, but I've been doing lots of testing with the kit lens (which, according to "the net", isn't as horrible in quality as some other kit lenses).
Autofocus is fairly quick, though low light seems to be throwing it off sometimes (duh!)
Light metering seems to be very consistent -- I'm not getting surprise too dark or too light shots unless I intentionally screw the shot up (like forgetting to reset EV , doh).
Burst rate is a bit low at 4 JPEG or RAWs - but I don't plan on doing too many sports shots so hopefully this won't be a limiting factor. I'm awaiting some Sandisk Ultra II SD cards to come in before I see how much this low rate limits me -- hopefully the fast card will allow a quick buffer flush.
The grip is confortable for me, a 6-foot tall male with large/medium hands. So far I haven't accidentally hit a button while operating the camera, etc. I haven't done prolonged shooting yet.
The menu options are pretty self-explanatory, and I like the manual they give you (though it's huge) -- They do a pretty good job explaining what various functions do, etc.
-------------------------------------------So, the verdict? If you're moving from a point and shoot digital camera (I had a Kodak Easyshare Z612 6MP), this thing is going to blow it away!
Overall, I am very happy with my purchase. The kit lens isn't total garbage, the menu functions are easy to access and the camera performs admirably.
The only thing I miss moving from my PNS camera is the zoom.
My next purchase will probably be the fast 50mm prime lens for portraits.I've been shooting in low-light situations (my house tonight) and so far it's doing great.
I've also taken it outdoors on a sunny day for some pretty good looking shots. I can't wait to upgrade to a good zoom to catch more wildlife.[...]
Click Here to see more reviews about: Pentax K200D 10.2MP Digital SLR Camera with Shake Reduction 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
D1) PENTAX K200D W/18-55 LENS
0 comments:
Post a Comment