Pentax Life

The new Pentax entry level DSLR K200D got a lot of attention last month. Most of the popular consumer electronics and photo equipment reviewers have put their curious hands on it. And most of them have been pretty excited.

CNET has rated Pentax K200D 7.7 out of 10 which is “Very Good” in their classification:

Pentax’s K200D entry-level SLR gives a lot of bang for the buck and has better performance than last year’s model. Despite low noise and pleasingly detailed images, technically inaccurate colors keep it from capturing the gold medal for image quality.

Trusted Reviews gave it 8 out of 10 in all four categories. While CNET is complaining about K200D’s inaccurate colors, Trusted Reviews’ Jamie Harrison is talking about the speed:

…but the K200D offers a rather disappointing burst speed of 2.8 fps over just 4 JPEGs or Raw files.

Pocket-Lint has agreed with Trusted Reviews on the 8 out of 10 mark. These guys have another thing to complain about:

It is not without flaws and some handling foibles that take getting used to.

I4U News (this is the first time when they’re reviewing Pentax SLR gear) also rated Pentax K200D 8 out of 10:

It has a value price, feels substantial, offers plenty of photographic options, has built-in stabilization and sensor cleaning plus it comes with a decent kit lens. Those who don’t have any legacy glass-even those with only a lens or two-should definitely check this baby out.

I wander why do they think that “legacy glass” couldn’t be K-mount.

David Rasnake at DigitalCameraReview was excited by K200D autofocus capabilities and rugged weatherproof body but didn’t liked heaviness and somewhere awkward menus:

Giving the K200D a chance and taking the time to learn its proclivities, I found the use experience and the image quality to be as good as anything out there at this price point, especially. The fact that the K200D is a little obtuse and intimidating for novice users but not seemingly advanced enough in some ways to entice mid-level buyers and beyond may be its primary flaw, however, as many shooters in both camps may never give this camera a chance for those very reasons. If that proves to be the case, it will be unfortunate: with a street price just above $700 at the moment for performance that more than holds its own, the K200D is looking poised to be another bang-for-your-buck winner.