Pentax K10D Digital Camera Hands-On Preview

Pentax's K10D flagship dSLR is up against some pretty stiff competition, including Canon’s EOS 30D and Nikon’s D80, but (for many users) the K10D may actually be the best deal in the mid-level dSLR class.  K10D features include 10 megapixel resolution, optical image stabilization, very fast AF, an automatic CCD dust removal system, support for two RAW formats, a robustly constructed dust/weather resistant body, a super bright pentaprism viewfinder, mirror lock-up, and a selection of unique user-driven shooting modes.

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The K10D was clearly designed by photographers, for photographers - this dSLR is aimed at photo enthusiasts, rather than those upgrading from P&S digicams.  The K10D is reliably fast across the board, noticeably quicker than the K100D I tested last summer.   The K10D features a full range of manual exposure options and image parameter tweaks.  The K10D also allows users to mount virtually every "K" mount lens ever manufactured.  Nikon’s famous backward compatible F/AF mount doesn’t come close to providing the optical versatility offered by the K10D - and every lens (no matter how ancient) benefits from the K10D’s image stabilization technology. 

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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.  The Pentax K10D retails for less than nine hundred bucks and purchasers can add the Pentax SMC DA f3.5-f5.6/18mm-55mm kit zoom for a hundred dollars more.   

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Want to read more about the Pentax K10D?  Check back in a few days for our full review.