Pentax K200D 10.2 Megapixel

I have a Pentax IST DS and now I just bought the new K200D, wow a different world!, some of my favorite features:

Ability to shoot and save both jpg and raw formats at the same time

Better more improved sensor

Raw shooting button on the side

Anit-Shake switch on the back

larger LCD display

Better menu nav.

many more shooting options and presets



Now down side:

The SD card is a little tougher to get out, due to the cover hatch setup (sides).

New SD card cover hatch side is not as nice as the switch on the IST DS.



All and all love the camera, it's ten fold better, and a killer deal here on ebay, I picked up my K200D for $385.00 Shipped new.

As an entry level or advanced shutterbug, you cannot go wrong with this camera. I have used non-digital SLR's all my life, and I must admit I am quite impressed with all of the features (many advanced features not found in far more expensive SLR's) of this instrument. It's functions are remarkably easy to master, and it's aggressive use of the "old school" SLR weight and balance are outstanding. You will know you have a REAL camera in your hands. I would recommend this camera to anyone. Sincerely, Jackson Lee ~ 32 years photography

I love the quality of photo this camera takes. It is a far better camera than I have seen from Pentax and I am loyal to that company! Fantastic features that are up to date with today's technology. I love that it has the Shake Control. I also really like that it has the dust removal system, that will eliminate some common problems people have with cameras! I am very pleased that I can use the lenses that I already bought for my Pentax K110D camera as well. An excellent buy and user friendly for anyone that knows even just a little about SLRs!

After trying almost every camera brand I can put my hands on, I decided to give the Pentax a try. What a surprise. Everything was perfect immediately. The weight, the hand grip, the balance and off course the pictures were stunning. By far bettered anything I had previously owned. Yet if you read most reviews, all the praise goes to the Nikon or Canon. Try for yourself and you'll see what I mean. A beautiful camera in every way. I'm definitely switching from my Canon Xsi to the 200D.

DO IT! don't buy nikon or canon or any other overpriced brand. after all it is the skill of the photographer that makes a shot, not the camera but do yourself a favor and get a super sweet deal on an amazing camera. you will not be disappointed

Extremely high quality pictures right out of the box. The auto settings and scene modes make breathtaking photos a breeze. Pentax photo imaging common sense processing means fewer blown highlights. You get to see the detail or brighten the picture to your own taste. Loads of manual overrides and custom/manual settings available as your photography skills grow.

This is no toy entry level DSLR. The camera has a metal frame and mount and feels every bit a tough, well thought out piece of equipment. Just hold one in your hands and compare to any other brand. The difference is stark.

Compatible with every Pentax lens ever made and with Shake Reduction in the body this means ALL lenses have SR capability without the $R price tag. Just set the focal length and you're golden. I have 40 year old manual focus Takumar screw mount lenses - SR for every one of them. Photography is a dream again!

I'm an old newspaper photographer so quite typically shoot under poor lighting & weather conditions. This camera is weather sealed, and with the proper DA* weather sealed lens I've got a rugged professional grade camera setup that can take the elements with ease.

I don't think you can come up with a more valuable feature set and better performance for twice the price. Excellent gear!

I'm satisfied with this camera. The price was certainly right. It's not perfect of course - not really a fan of having to use AA batteries that can pollute the environment. Sometimes I'll have a great image in the viewfinder but it just doesnt come out that way (maybe I can learn how to correct this). Usually this is when the sun is in the picture. While in Montreal this winter I've had issues with the camera ceasing to function in very cold temperatures, which has caused me to miss some good shots. Aside from these things though, I'm pleased with what I got for what I paid. It feels great in my hand, nice and heavy. Large LCD is more of a plus than I expected. Most pictures come out well, getting the full range of colors in the sky and on the ground simultaneously can be a challenge, particularly when the sun is in view. Still, this is definitely a solid device.

A great buy for the money. I have one as my backup to the K20D. All the functions with a few less bells and buttons than the K10D. Unless you are going full pro DSLR at $2500 plus for just the body then Pentax is the way to go. A great selection of magnificent old lens on e-bay. For the money this is the most robust and capable pre-pro DSLR on the market next to the K20D.

This is an excellent camera. The pictures are awesome. It is fairly easy to use for an ameteur photographer. Operates very similarly to the K100D, which too is a very good camera. Cannot beat the qualit for the money.

After using a feature-packed point and shoot digital camera for years, I settled on the k200d. Although it was impossible to find in local stores, I knew this was the right camera for me since it was compatable with the manual lenses I used with my 35mm Pentax ME Super SLR. I also liked what I read about the weather sealing this camera featured. The camera was very easy to use out of the box and the battery life has been amazing with the rechargable AA's that I purchased. I have used both the 18-55mm and 55-300mm Pentax lenses with great results. I have also experimented with my old 28mm and 55mm manual lenses with no trouble.

There are many things I like about this camera. However, i have a problem with this camera as it was advertised on eBay. I tried to communicate with the seller, but he was dismissive, so I gave up on that. I bought this camera body because it was advertised that any Pentax K lens could be used with it, only on manual focus. The "rest of the story" was what I did not find out until I got the camera. Other "non-auto" Pentax lenses can be used on it, but only in a very restricted way. I had five such lenses (which is why I bought a camera that only said it had focus difficulties!) but the lenses I already owned are so much trouble to use that I ended up having to buy more lenses (automatic-type) in order to use the camera with any ease at all. Now that I have an automatic lens, it is able to set everything on this camera except the focus. Before the auto lens, I could not get any reading on either the aperture or the shutter speed. Pentax customer support even tried to help me, but settings were either very difficult or not even possible. This particular camera should not have been advertised as "you can use it with any Pentax lens." The manual that comes with the camera is of limited use and does not have an adequate index. I have learned a lot more about how to operate this camera from other internet sites. The camera itself is a nice dslr.

I reviewed several cameras before selecting this Pentax. 1)One of the key selling points shake reduction incorporated into the camera body and not in the lenses. 2) This camera can use alot of the older quality lenses. 3)Uses AA lithium batteries, rechargeable AA Ni-MH batteries or AA alkaline batteries. 4) I live in NM where we have a bit of dust, this camera's dials, buttons, body joints, and retractable parts of the camera are splash and dust resistant. 5) Plus, I've never had any thing but a point and shoot camera, so this is a fun way to learn.

I LOVE PENTAX OPTICS. AND THIS CAMERA FIT'S ON ANY OF THE OPTICS. BUT THIS CAMERA IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT. TOUGH AS NAILS COMPARED TO CANNON OR NIKON PLASTIC TOYS IN THE SAME PRICE RANGE. THEIR TOUGH ARE MODELS $2,500 TO $3,000 HIGHER IN PRICE. THEN TO MATCH LENSES THEY HAVE TO GET STABILIZED LENSES AND PAY FOR THE HIGHER PRICED ONES OF GOOD ENOUGH OPTICAL QUALITY TO MATCH THE PRO BODY. PENTAX HAS ALWAYS HAD THE BETTER OPTIC,S. I HAD A LEICA{IIIG RANGEFINDER}WITH 50MM f2 LENS AND PENTAX SPOTAMATIC WITH SUPER-TAKUMAR 55MM f1.8 LENS.I DID MY OWN DARKROOM WORK USING B/W FILM. I COULDN'T TELL THE DIFFERENCE. THE LEICA GOT SWIPED.IT'S A $5,000 COLLECTOR'S ITEM NOW. ANYWAY THAT WAS MY FIRST WOW ON PENTAX OPTIC,S. NOW ALL HAVE TO DO IS READ USER REVIEWS ON THE OPTIC'S TO COMPARE. I PICKED THE 200D{BETTER JPEG"s} OVER THE K20D BECAUSE OF PRICE AND THE BETTER REVIEWS I READ. I NEVER LIKED SITTING AT A COMPUTER WASTING HALF A DAY IMAGE EDITING. STILL HAVE A COPY OF P/S CS3{I THOUGHT YOU HAD TO HAVE IT-LIKE THE BEST DARKROOM STUFF AND DID ALL MY PHOTO'S RAW WITH D70 NIKON}.NOW JUST USE $50.00 PAINT SHOP PRO{IF YOU WANT, YOU CAN DO ABOUT ANY THING PHOTOSHOP DOES-ONLY 3 TIMES AS FAST}FOR QUICK FIX'S. THE 200D HAS THE BEST STRAIGHT OUT OF THE CAMERA J-PEGS OF ANY CAMERA I HAVE USED-JUST LIKE THE K100D BEFORE IT{WHICH I STILL PREFER FOR REAL LOWLIGHT-LESS PIXELS=LESS NOISE}.GAVE MY TOY NIKON TO 13YR NIECE {THAT WAS INTO PHOTOGRAPHY}, AFTER PENTAX K100D CAME OUT AND I USED MY OLD PENTAX LENSES{ABOUT 50 OF THEM I'D HELD ON TO} J-PEG'S ARE SIMPLE AND EASY. ANYWAY WITH JUST A TWEAKING ON CAMERA MENU, MY J-PEG'S ARE JUST AS GOOD AS MY DARKROOM B/W'S WERE,STAIGHT OUT OF THE CAMERA. I JUST CROP AND SMART SHARPENING IF NEEDED. I DO USE THE $99.00 TIFFEN FILTER SUITE SOMETIMES ON BOTH B/W AND COLOR. THE COMPUTER ISN'T STEALING ALL MY TIME!!!!! THIS TIME WITH EVEN NEWER OPTICS-I BOUGHT ALL THE WEATHER-PROOF f2.8 ZOOMS AND THE 300 f4. ALSO 3 0F THE LIMITED LENSES AND ANOTHER K200D JUST TO HAVE AS SPARE. ALL THESE NEW LENS AND 2 BODIES COST LESS THAN THE CHEAPEST NIKON ALL-WEATHER BODY AND ONE OF THEIR CHEAPEST IMAGE-STABILIZED LENSES. ONE THING I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ADDING AS YOUR 1ST ACCESSORY IS {$36 AT B+H PHOTO}THE PENTAX MAGNIFYING EYECUP O-ME53. I BOUGHT ONE-MAKES A GREAT IMPROVEMENT IN VIEWFINDER AND KEEPS MY GREASY NOSE OFF THE LCD. JUST ORDERED ANOTHER ALONG WITH THE LENSES. CAN'T BELIEVE SOME PRO REVIEWS THAT SAY PENTAX K200D IS GREAT, EXCEPT FOR SPEED AND SOMETIMES SLOW FOCUSING. I GUESS THEY NEVER USED A MANUAL EVERYTHING 35MM SLR AND THEREFORE ACTION PHOTO'S WEREN'T POSSIBLE{WERE THEY?????????}. THAT'S WHY I TRUST USER REVIEWS AND STEVE'S PENTAX FORUM. MOST OF MY PHOTOGRAPHY IS WILDLIFE-MAINLY OF FLYING,LANDING AND TAKE-OFF.DUCKS,GEESE,OSPREY AND EAGLE'S. A COMMON MAGPIE HAS BEEN THE HARDEST TO PHOTOGRAPH. THEY ARE FAST, SMALL,AND MUCH MORE AFRAID OF MAN THAN OTHER BIRDS. ALSO IF YOU ENTER A PHOTO HOPING TO WIN IN A PHOTO MAGAZINE,LIE AND SAY YOU TOOK YOUR PHOTO WITH A CANON OR NIKON.THEY ARE THE BIGGEST ADVERTISER'S. I FOUND THAT OUT IN MY EARLY 35MM YEARS.WAS RUNNER-UP,BUT UNTIL THEN ENTERING SAYING PENTAX SLR-NOT EVEN AN HONORABLE MENTION. LOCAL CONTESTS AND OTHER MAGAZINES DON'T CARE-THEY LOOK AT THE PHOTO. YOU'VE ALWAYS HAD THE OPTICS NOW FINALLY HAVE DIGITAL SLR'S TO MATCH.GOOD JOB PENTAX!!! IT TOOK ME LONGER TO TYPE THIS,THAN TO CORRECT A PHOTO NOW THAT PENTAX MADE THE PERFECT CAMERA BODY. BEST CAMERA EVER WITH THE LENSES TO MATCH.

Easily the best slr camera in the under 1000 dollar range. Pentax has a great product and people often overlook them and settle on a Canon or Nikon. In this price range, the Nikon and Canon can't even come close to what the K200D offers. Build quality, features, picutre quality, ect. You name it, the Pentax has em' beat.

I already had several Pentax lenses from and older camera, so I considered another Pentax camera. This is a great camera, simple to use and has all the pixels that I need. It fast and works well with my autofocus lenses. I would buy it again. It feels well built and not just plastic.

ONLY HAD FILM BEFORE,BOUGHT THIS OFF OF QVC IT TOOK ABOUT 30 MIN. AND I WAS SHOOTING PICS I THOUGHT I COULD NOT TAKE.THIS K200D MAKES ME LOOK GOOOOOD! CAME WITH COREL PAINT SHOP AND WAS EASY TO TOUCH UP MY POOR JUDGEMENT IN SHOTS. IT CAN USE PENTAX LENS FROM FILM CAMREAS AS AN EXTRA PLUS! BOUGHT A 4 GIG MEMORY CARD,I CAN SHOOT A LITTLE OVER 800 PICS,NO MORE FILM FOR ME! DSLR IS THE ONLY WAY TO GO!!! ANYBODY WANT TO BUY A FUJICA (1971) ST605 WITH SCREW IN LENS Cheap!

thank you it was exactly as expected. communication was great and shipping was fast. when shipped the packaging was extra stable with no damage to product

Have pentax spotmatic and have used it for years without problem. Am hoping pentax has kept up with Quality and performance.

I bought this Pentax k200d camera after many positive reviews. It come with a sturdy body and good quality. I have been Pentax user for decades, always satisfied with their optical quality with reasonable price. Again this time Pentax built a great camera and very easy to use for DSLR user, highly recommend.

This is a good camera, the main cons, for me at least, are some of the commands are hard to find and it is very heavy, which does not make it very suitable for travelling. I recommand it.

I bought it because dollar wise it worked out cheaper than paying for it at any one of our local Camera shops here in NZ.
Always have liked Pentax a good product every time I have bought it.

Jan.

very professional this company is better than any of the brick and morter photo stores i have delt with over the last 30 years

I have have a Pentax 35 ML film camera that I like very much and have two Auto Focus lenses and a regular lens. By Buying the Pentax K200D I am able to use these lenses. Iam very happy with the K200D it is a great Digital camera and will continue to purchase Pentax products.

Jean Cortese